Mike Buzzard

Senior Staff UX Manager — Workspace

2023 - Current

Leading a team focused on bringing extensible AI capabilities to Google Workspace.

Fixer — Payments

2021 - 2023

After working broadly across Google with a focus on UX, I moved into the Payments business unit to focus more directly on products and partner more closely with cross-functional teams. My primary focus is on scaling and augmenting the UX team and its capabilities as we continue to globalize and localize the latest GPay consumer and merchant offerings. I am also continuing my work with academia and equity, both through Payments focused academic projects as well as internal programs and initiatives related to UX career paths.

Senior Staff Design Manager, Co-founder — UX Community & Culture

2016 - 2021

I co-created a new team that focuses on “UX Community & Culture.” Working closely with a design director and program manager, our team works on shaping, resourcing, supporting, and guiding a range of programs and projects that are designed to ensure the health and growth of UX at Google. We work on efforts ranging from hiring processes and career growth to community development and external engagement. We produce materials, manage resources, and influence funding to effectively scale programs that align with our mission.

Senior Design Manager — Search, Identity & Maps

2014 - 2016

As my role evolved, and my relationships developed/expanded across Google’s greater UX organization, I created a structure to better guide and characterize my projects and programs. Some examples of this structure and samples of programs/projects within: Talent – Sourcing, recruiting, and acquisitions for UX (personally hired 25+ designers and led 17FEET and Hattery deals). – Helped shape UX hiring and assessment programs and tools. Community – Initiated and managed design conference/festival sponsorships and participation (workshops, panels, lectures). – Co-created programming and co-lead strategy for UX focused university outreach. Culture – Led Google-wide education on UX hiring processes, best practices, and responsibilities. – Co-authored a rewrite of the design job ladder, affecting the career path of all UX designers at Google. Partnerships – Actively liaise with the broader design community, assisting with curation, matchmaking, and legal/financial procurement as well as project onboarding for agencies. – Developed a UX Design BA curriculum in alliance with Savannah College of Art & Design, which has shown significant growth since its launch Q3 2015.

Design Manager — Social

2012 - 2014

As a creative developer focusing on the design community, and building a design and development services business, my role was unclear when entering Google. By Google’s role definitions at the time, I was not an engineer, designer, or product manager. With the title of “Design Manager”, I quickly focused my efforts on accelerating Google’s recent momentum toward becoming a more “design oriented” culture and company. Immediate efforts were focused on talent, how we defined roles, how we sourced candidates, how we engaged with the broader design community, and how we procured design agency services. This work also then led to considering how we would incorporate a more diverse range of design capabilities across UX teams.

Industry Ambassador

2019

Limited Partner

2022

Limited Partner

2021

Limited Partner

2014

Advisor

2014

Investor, Advisor

2012 - 2020

Having partnered in Widget Factory, LLC with one of Stitch Lab’s co-founders, Stitch Labs “incubated” in the Cuban Council office while developing their MVP. We provided product design guidance and brand direction during that time.

Investor

2012 - 2017

Initially investing in Tonx Coffee. I advised on their identity and brand development as well as design partnerships. Tonx was acquired by Blue Bottle in 2014.

Developer

1999 - 2017

From 1999 through 2001 I was working with Charlotte, NC based marketing and PR consultancies. I began providing freelance web development support for clients such as Freightliner and Thomas Built Buses along with various other local companies and brands. I had built a lightweight, ASP/MSSQL-based CMS that was used to allow easy content management and design customization with little to no maintenance overhead. From 2001 through 2003 I became more visible through contributions to the global digital design community that attracted new clients such as Epitaph Records and Kurt Noble, Inc. During this period I would go on to build and launch sites and/or features for Epitaph Records, Bad Religion, 30 Seconds to Mars, and the U.S. Marine Corps, among others. From 2004 through 2007 freelance was limited to dormant as I focused all of my efforts on growing and optimizing Cuban Council. Since 2008, limited bandwidth has only allowed me to focus on maintenance for a few small projects along with ongoing design and development/maintenance for HUF Worldwide.

Developer

2008 - 2017

In 2008 I collaborated with Jason Herring and his studio, Ordinary Kids, to build content management tools and provide hosting for HUF’s brand site. During the brand’s explosive growth over the past six years, I have organized and managed the redesign and build of the current brand site, along with providing one-off microsite development, and general maintenance for both the brand site and the ecommerce store.