DIA Design Guild

I formalized the program structure, introduced scalable processes, and implemented a CSAT measurement system to improve program effectiveness and participant satisfaction.

Key achievements include:
• Scaling the Apprenticeship Program: Formalized a structured 9-month mentorship model, improving project outcomes and skill development for junior designer apprentices.
• Mentorship & Talent Development: Recruited and managed senior designers to provide high-quality guidance for junior designers.
• Improved Project Management & Client Satisfaction: Developed formalized project management processes, leading to clearer expectations and increased satisfaction from client stakeholders.

Design Program Manager

Design Evangelist

Design Mentor & Instructor
Combining both teaching and mentoring, I have over 10,000 hours of experience.

• Served as an instructor at leading institutions, such as General Assembly, GrowthX Academy, Flatiron School, Seattle School of Visual Concepts, Product School, UC Berkeley, and Academy of Art University
• Developed curriculum for top programs, including Springboard, GrowthX Academy, Interaction Design Foundation, IxDF Bootcamps, Flatiron School, Product School, UC Berkeley, and Chegg
• Mentored through various community, bootcamp, and organizational programs

Design Educator

Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design

I overhauled school management operations, replacing outdated systems with a modern, scalable solution that improved class scheduling and operational efficiency. I also optimized design tooling and software resources, reducing costs and improving data accessibility.

Key achievements include:
• Scaling Course Offerings: Implemented a new school management system, enabling the organization to increase concurrent class capacity by 300%.
• Cost Reduction: Standardized design tools and software, eliminating inefficiencies and saving $100K annually.
• Data & Process Improvement: Applied information architecture principles to improve data accessibility and reduce data duplication by 90%.

Design Operations Manager

The Hired Guns

Worked in a fast-paced agency environment, specializing in design recruiting while also improving knowledge management for the team.

Key achievements include:
• Candidate Evaluation: Reviewed and evaluated 100+ UX designer candidate profiles and portfolios, assessing qualifications and fit for various design roles.
• Process & Knowledge Management: Built a Notion-based knowledge management system to document onboarding, create consistency in projects, and streamline the recruiting process. This significantly reduced the time required to train and onboard new employees.

Design Talent Partner

LinkedIn

I redesigned and standardized LinkedIn’s UX Design onboarding program, ensuring new UX designers could seamlessly transition into any product team and become productive faster.

Key achievements include:
• Onboarding Standardization: Designed and implemented a new UX designer onboarding program to improve ramp-up time and team integration.

IxDF - Interaction Design Foundation

• Led daily operations and strategic initiatives, implementing best practices to optimize the UX Design Bootcamp program 
• Increased member insights by 5% by instigating a regular research program
• Improved project planning and scheduling for UX Design boot camps, strategized new educational initiatives and created original UX course content

Flatiron School

I led Flatiron School’s San Francisco UX program, managing faculty and ensuring the successful graduation and job placement of cohorts of 20 design students. I introduced a cross-disciplinary collaboration program between UX and software engineering students, giving them hands-on experience working together.

Key achievements include:
• Student Success & Placement: Led Flatiron’s San Francisco UX program, ensuring strong job placement outcomes.
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Built a structured program for UX designers and software engineers to collaborate on projects.
• Curriculum Improvements: Implemented course changes that led to a 20% increase in exercise scores.

Design Program Director

GrowthX Academy

I built and scaled GrowthX Academy’s UX design program from the ground up, designing an industry-aligned curriculum that prepared students for real-world careers. The program achieved a 90% job placement rate, and I oversaw the development of 40+ functional prototypes for web, mobile, and IoT clients through hands-on, project-based learning.

Key achievements include:
• Program Creation & Growth: Designed and launched an industry-aligned UX design program, achieving a 90% student placement rate.
• Client Project Experience: Guided student teams in developing 40+ functional prototypes for real clients, reinforcing practical UX skills through hands-on client collaboration.

Epsilon

I led a cross-functional team of 8, including UX designers, UI designers, and content strategists, delivering solutions for 10+ B2B and B2C clients annually, including Wells Fargo, American Express, Apple, Google, Cisco, and Genentech.

Key achievements include:
• Enterprise UX Leadership: Managed UX strategy and execution for Fortune 500 clients across finance, tech, and healthcare.
• Design Systems & Efficiency: Created scalable design systems, style guides, and component libraries to improve consistency across projects.
• UX Training & Advocacy: Led client workshops to strengthen teams' understanding of customer experience best practices.

Design Manager, Digital Design

TripIt

Drove mobile and web design for a top travel app. Implemented data-driven design practices and led design reviews to ensure high-quality releases.

Lead Product Designer

I'm a design program manager with a background in UX, interaction design, and education. I bring structure to design teams and help programs run smoothly.

I've worked across both industry and education, and I’m especially drawn to roles that support design teams building thoughtful, education-focused experiences. I thrive in environments where I can contribute behind the scenes—helping teams stay aligned, focused, and connected to the needs of users and businesses.

Over my career, I've built and led design operations initiatives, UX education programs, and onboarding optimization at organizations ranging from startups to global tech companies. I’ve formalized design processes, standardized tools, and improved cross-team alignment, helping companies scale efficiently while maintaining a strong design culture.

I’m passionate about solving organizational challenges that impact design teams, whether it’s streamlining workflows, improving collaboration between teams, or developing scalable solutions for talent growth.

Always open to connecting with others (include a note) working at the intersection of design, education, and impact-driven work.

Julia DeBari

Under Armour

Currently a designer on the Accessories team who's main goal is to design and develop accessories that make our athletes crush their goals both in and out of the gym. Leading the design portion of projects assigned to me season in and season out, I work together - cross functionally, with my development and product team to ensure the quality, fit, materials, and function are meeting only the highest standards of our athletes while gut checking cost to maintain a balanced budget. The majority of my responsibilities cover inline accessories styles, men's/gender neutral made for outlet(MFO) styles, and men's/gender neutral promotional bag styles for athletic camps, competitions and special projects.

My responsibilities also include leading potential accessories innovation projects in collaboration with our Innovation team through user/market/tech/trend research, analogue sketch & Gravity Sketch exploration and modeling, and Keyshot rendering. In addition, I also serve as Commerce Lead for Under Armour's UNIFIED LGBTQ+ Teammate Resource Group(TRG), where I lead the voices of our community to create a message that is authentically representing our community through branding, product, and messaging of our annual Pride line.

Industrial Designer, Accessories

Newell Brands

During my time as a designer on the appliance team of Newell, I was able to shift between a few brands underneath that umbrella: Mr. Coffee, Calphalon and Oster. I was tasked with finding clever solutions through multiple ideation phases via sketching in Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro, or pen and paper sketches. Following, I would refine my designs and manage user interface testing of my projects using Solidworks and rendering using Keyshot. Presentation skills were challenged weekly during reviews across all categories within Newell.

Industrial Designer

Garmin International

I worked as a designer on a highly cross-functional team of mechanical and electrical engineers to create compelling designs that compete in a multiple category range such as - but not limited to - Marine, Outdoor, and Fitness. 

Once briefed, I would research users and trends within the specific product segment in order to capture the mood of the product. From there I would ideate and generate a plethora of concepts by hand sketching on paper, or hand sketching in Photoshop. After holding design reviews with the larger team, refinement phase begins with a focus on material generation and rendering before moving into Solidworks and Keyshot for final renders that would appear on product packaging/website content/etc.

Kichler Lighting

As my first design position right out of college, I was challenged with learning the wide variety of lighting styles and categories in which Kichler offered product in. 

Starting each project with getting myself familiar with the category in which I was designing for by researching trends and the competitive landscape. From that I would begin concept generation by hand sketching my ideas on either paper or in photoshop in which I would present to the larger design team for our first design review. Working into refinement stage, I would import the chosen direction into Solidworks where I would then start finalizing CMF ideas in addition to ensuring that the chosen design was feasible from a manufacturing standpoint. Once design was finalized and we received samples, I would inspect the sample in the Kichler showroom with the design team for any last minute refinement changes.

Designer 1

iOTOS

Created a distinctive, clean brand language through sketching, Alias modeling, and Photoshop to make iOTOS a recognizable brand in the consumer electronic industry.

Freelance Designer

Neundorfer, Inc.

Developed a design language for the brand. Designed exterior and interior components to create a modern, cohesive design.

Design Intern

Diebold

Sponsored Project; Worked on a student based team to focus on personal security issues in the ATM industry. Through sketching and creating mock-up models, solutions to problems were developed.

Freelance Product Designer

Hasbro

Collaborated to design several new products for Hasbro’s Advanced Technology and Innovation team through extensive sketching and rendering. One of those products went to market in the fall of 2012.

Advance Technology and Innovation Design Intern

When someone asks me, "What do you do?" I answer the question a little differently than most would. I create emotional connections between the user and the product through design. Design is universal. Emotion is universal. Combining the two just seemed natural.  

Specialties: Sketching, Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro, Marker Sketching, Autodesk Alias (familiar), Solidworks (Intermediate), Foam Modeling, InDesign, Research, Concept Generation, Ergonomics, Graphic Design, Keyshot

taplio

The Battle

Julia DeBari

RJ Mansfield

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?