Matthew Johnson

How I Think About Design

Design has to nail two moments equally—the first time and the thousandth time. New users need immediate clarity. Daily users need zero friction. Miss either mark and they're gone. Every design decision I make weighs both perspectives. A great product is both a beautiful house and an accommodating host.

Details matter at scale. Consistent spacing, predictable interactions, thoughtful transitions all compound into products that feel intentional. Users might not articulate why something feels right, but they know when it does.

The best design emerges from constraints. Real constraints—technical, operational, user behavior—force clarity. They push you toward solutions that feel obvious in retrospect, which is exactly what good design should feel like.

The Path That Led Here

I came to product design from the creative industries. Dapfo (2016) was my first design project—a professional photo editing service where photographers could upload images and outsource post-processing to our team. It didn't scale, but it taught me how hard it is to productize services.

When I co-founded Zory with Matt Hall (creator of Crossy Road), I learned what it takes to build products for millions of users. We took engagement mechanics from mobile gaming and applied them to interactive fiction, creating a reading app with gaming-level retention.

At Zory, I designed systems that let bestselling authors create interactive stories without writing code. The technology was complex, but the experience felt simple.

When content velocity challenges led to Zory's sunset, I decided to build something myself. I prototyped a complete commerce platform for independent authors with real payments, multi-vendor architecture, and custom storefronts. Building it taught me things no mockup could.

These experiences taught me that good design lives at the intersection of user needs, business goals, and technical constraints.

Working Style

I work remotely from Birmingham, Alabama (CST), having previously built Zory while collaborating across time zones with partners in Australia. We built a great product from focused deep work and thoughtful async communication. I value clear documentation, regular check-ins, and written communication to keep everyone aligned. I would consider relocating for the right opportunity.