Designing products that are useful and usable

I’m Syed Subzwari, a product design leader with 12+ years of experience taking products from 0 to 1 and helping them grow.

Designed products @
  • Massive
  • HashiCorp
  • Johnson & Johnson
HashiCorp Vault Insight security analytics dashboard
Wild G.O.A.T. sports betting onboarding and live games
Images for Ads creative generation website
NEXT Trucking mobile onboarding and shipment details
Accurics cloud security project dashboard
Focus451 sign-in experience

Featured work

Massive API documentation

Massive Plan discovery and purchasing

Growth through API documentation

Explore case study
Massive documentation homepage with REST, WebSocket, and flat-file access methods

Massive API documentation redesign

A clearer path to the first API call

Explore case study
Vault Insight dashboard with security findings and request analytics

HashiCorp 0 → 1

Making security insights actionable

Explore case study

Work history

From the Fortune 500 to Startups

  • MASSIVEMarket data API
    Growth stage ventureSeries A
  • HASHICORPCloud infrastructure and security
    PublicAcquired $6.4B
  • ACCURICSCloud security platform
    Series AAcquired $160M
  • JOHNSON & JOHNSONHealthcare and medical technology
    Fortune 500
  • VERB SURGICALRobotics platform for surgeons
    Google and J&J venture
  • NEXT TRUCKINGFreight and logistics platform
    Series CRaised $300M
  • OUTCOME CHAINSSales enablement platform
    SeedRaised $10M
  • WILD G.O.A.T.Live sports betting platform
    FounderExited

Design principles

Things I bring to any product team

  1. Systems thinking

    I look beyond the immediate feature to understand the workflows, patterns, and dependencies around it. New capabilities should make the product more useful without making it harder to understand.

  2. User focus

    I pay attention to what people are trying to accomplish, what slows them down, and the workarounds they rely on. That context helps me decide which problems deserve attention.

  3. Process flexibility

    I choose the approach around what we need to learn and the cost of being wrong. Sometimes that means a quick prototype; sometimes it calls for deeper research.

  4. Active collaboration

    I seek out collaboration across teams and disciplines, bringing together people who see different sides of a problem. Working through it together reveals needs, constraints, and opportunities that our immediate team might miss.

  5. Outcome driven

    I judge design by the difference it makes for users and the business. That standard guides what we prioritize, how we critique the work, and how we measure success beyond shipping.

Toolkit

Pixels

Interface design and design systems.

  • Figma
  • Claude Design

Code

Building and refining working interfaces.

  • VS Code
  • Claude Code

Quant data

Product analytics and business performance.

  • PostHog
  • ChartMogul
  • and more

Qual data

User feedback and usability research.

  • Typeform
  • Maze
  • and more

AI workflows

Reusable skills and connected AI tools.

  • Claude Skills
  • MCPs

Ship

Version control and code reviews.

  • GitHub

About me

I’m originally from Karachi, Pakistan, and now live in the Los Angeles area with my wife and our three boys. Outside of work, I play hockey, try new crafts with my kids, and draw when I can, sometimes with a glass of cheap wine from Safeway.

“Syed's ability to conceptualize and execute designs that seamlessly integrate functionality with aesthetics is impressive.”

DarshanaProduct Manager

1 of 3: Darshana, Product Manager

My pencil sketch of a woman's face
From my sketchbook

Optimistic by nature

I bring positive energy to the work and enjoy learning from people with different perspectives.

Care in the details

I care about quality and inclusivity, and keep refining the details that shape how a product feels to use.