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James Madson

About

GitHub ↗ LinkedIn ↗ Resume

I'm an ambitious generalist with design at the core. Over the years I've learned to code, research, and think about business.

I'm the 6th man: solid the whole game, and right there when the team needs a big play. Stepping into strategy, systems, branding, or code as needed, seeing the full picture, and making sure every detail serves the larger vision. Lately that includes learning how to work with AI thoughtfully, finding where it genuinely helps and where it gets in the way.

In progress

  • Pfizer Designing and building internal AI tools that help product teams move faster.
  • NatureQuant Automating design testing for Juniper, the design system behind NatureDose.
  • Canon A curated gallery of design skills and design skill kits.
  • Volunteer Website maintenance and design updates for a non-profit community space.
  • Solo album Mixing the recordings, with an art project collaboration alongside it.
  • Guitar An improvisational metal guitar project.

A lot of different things.

Values

Useful Clear Resonant Lasting

Things I've always cared about and tried to bring to every project. If the work isn't useful, nothing else really matters, but when it's also clear and built to last, it starts to feel right. I love solving a real need with something beautiful, and getting there with a great team makes it better every time.

Process

The tools change every year. Good judgment doesn't. Most of my job is deciding what's actually worth building, then building it without wasting time, energy, or money, and being honest the moment something isn't working. AI has made me faster at the building. The judgment still has to be mine.

Services

Clients

  • Pfizer
  • UGG
  • Hoka One One
  • Reuters
  • Stack Overflow
  • St. Jude Children's Hospital
  • Xprize

Background

Pfizer Contract
2026–Present · Remote

Product Design Engineer Current

Contributing to internal software that helps product teams design and build faster. I take the lead on prototyping and concepting new tools, working across templates, design systems, and production code, using Claude, Cursor, Figma, and VS Code alongside custom tooling I'm helping build in house.

Pfizer Contract
2025–2026 · Remote

Product Designer

I design and build internal AI tools at Pfizer, currently a digital health platform. I'm a builder first: prototyping in code, not static screens, shipping UI/UX, design systems, and the AI-driven workflows that make it genuinely useful.

St. Jude Cloud St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
2019–2025 · Remote, Memphis

Lead Product Designer

Led design across a full web platform redesign and multiple zero-to-one products, including genomics tools, clinical data portals, and internal dashboards. Ran critique and process for a small design team, mentoring junior designers.

NatureQuant NatureQuant
2019–Present · Remote

Design Director

Led and executed design across product and brand for a nature-exposure health tech startup. Directed brand identity, built the design function from scratch, and shipped NatureDose and NatureScore consumer apps. Currently working on GIS mapping visualizations using Felt and ArcGIS.

ORCAS Oregon Center for Applied Science
2007–2010 · Seattle

Product Designer

Designed product experiences across a portfolio of consumer apps including Moodhacker, Jauntly, and CBT-based wellness programs. Led branding, UI, and UX, conducted user research, and wrote front-end code for UI.

Freelance Independent
2008–Present · Remote

Designer & Creative Director

Ongoing independent practice spanning product design, brand identity, data visualization, and front-end development for clients including Reuters, Stack Overflow, St. Jude, REI Cooperative Action Fund, and XPRIZE. Currently building Canon, a curated skills directory for designers, launching soon.