Work — Chuck Mallott

Product design leadership

I design. I lead. AI has changed how I do both.

I've been leading product design for nearly two decades. The craft hasn't changed — ship things people love to use, build teams that can do it consistently. What has changed is how we get there. AI is part of my process now. Scroll down and you'll see how.

See What I Mean ↓
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AI in my process Case studies How I work

How I work with AI

AI is a tool. Judgment is the work.

I’ve spent a lot of time exploring where AI fits into the design process — where it helps, where it doesn’t, and where human involvement still matters. AI is not a silver bullet or a replacement for thoughtful design. What it does well is reduce friction: speeding up exploration, synthesis, and iteration so more time can be spent on the parts that require experience, perspective, and care.

AI accelerates
Designers own the judgment

How I Think About It

The opinions I've formed along the way.


Quality Over Volume
AI can generate endless options, but more ideas don't automatically lead to better outcomes. The value comes from knowing what’s worth pursuing, what needs refinement, and what should be left behind. The real work is still in the judgment.

Thinking With (and Without) AI
Some parts of design benefit from speed and iteration. Others still require space to think, question, and sit with ambiguity. As I'm integrating AI into my workflow, I’m still interested in understanding when stepping away leads to better decisions.

Beyond the Hype
I’m experimenting with how AI is changing the way we work. Some things become faster. Some become noisier. There's real value in learning how to use it thoughtfully while preserving the human judgment that makes design meaningful.

Credentialed: AI for UX Design — DesignLab, 2026

I would hire him again, in a heartbeat.
Pete Zaballos
Fractional CMO — former manager, 4 years

Case studies

Design is decision-making. These case studies tell the stories of those decisions.

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Bookstack Web App 2.0  AI-native
How a product designer built a full-stack web app — without an engineering team.
Coming Soon!
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Bookstack iOS App
Self-funding an app and developing a strict MVP strategy to get it to market.
Read the story →
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Peak Design System
Transforming a legacy LMS into a modern, trust-enhancing administration platform.
Read the story →
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Course Enrollments
A basic data table gets new life — key information exactly where and when the user needs it.
Read the story →

Operating Values

Six principles that I bring to the table.

These aren't aspirational. They're behavioral qualities that people who've worked with me would actually recognize. I wrote more about each of them here →

01
People first.
I try not to think of people as resources. I cultivate a low-friction environment for people to do their best work.
02
Lead by example.
I don’t demand authority. I take responsibility and give credit freely.
03
Make it beautiful.
If it's worth making at all, it should be useful first - and well-crafted by design.
04
Leave everyone in awe.
Go above and beyond. Every time. No matter what. Yes, the bar is high.
05
Do the work.
If you’re not hustling, you’re slacking. If you’re slacking, you’re stealing.
06
It's ok to be wrong.
Come with an informed opinion and be able to defend it. When new information emerges, be willing to rethink it.
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