S. Andrew Crawford

Product Design Leader

Modernizing A 20-Year-Old Claims Management Platform.

Process

Case Study

Innovation

How to bring a product into the 21st century.

Case Study

Bringing A Fragmented Product Ecosystem Together.

Strategy

Who Am I?

A seasoned product designer who turns complex problems into clear user experiences.

I’ve been working in UX since 2013 and have dedicated the last few years to modernizing complex, decades-old software—mostly in the education and insurance domains. I’m a good communicator who listens to those around me and who works to create spaces where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, learning, and growing

An Aspiring Audio Producer & Voice Over Artist.

While my main interest is Product Design, I also have a number of years of experience producing podcasts and I’ve done a bit of voice over work.

Experience

Northwestern Mutual, May 2024 – Now

Product Design Lead - Insurance Claims

Led end-to-end product design for the modernization of a 20-year-old claims management platform, transforming complex insurance workflows into a more intuitive, scalable, and modern product experience.
Owned design across a complex product area, working with product, engineering, research, and business stakeholders to turn ambiguous problems, technical constraints, and competing requirements into clear product direction.
Influenced product strategy and roadmap through design, using systems-level thinking to identify opportunities across workflows, roles, and interconnected product experiences.
Established and evolved interaction patterns and design approaches that create consistency across a large, complex enterprise product.
Introduced AI-assisted prototyping and exploration into the design process, using AI to accelerate ideation, test concepts, explore interactions, and increase the speed and fidelity of design iteration.
Developed collaborative design practices that improve how designers and cross-functional partners explore problems, evaluate solutions, and make product decisions.
Mentored designers, researchers, and content strategists while helping establish a high bar for product quality as the initiative scales.

Watermark Insights, Jan 2019 – May 2024

Product Design Lead - Student Learning & Licensure

Led the design team responsible for one of the company’s largest product lines, balancing hands-on product design with strategic leadership.
Served as Solution Lead, helping define product strategy and guide the long-term direction of the product portfolio.
Led efforts to integrate multiple products and modules into a cohesive experience, applying systems-level thinking across a complex product ecosystem.
Partnered with product and engineering stakeholders to translate business goals, user needs, and technical constraints into practical design solutions.
Mentored designers and helped establish consistent design practices across the product organization.

Outrageous Mechanisms, Oct 2017 – Now

Owner, Founder, Consultant, & Producer

Provide independent UX and product design consulting across a range of industries and product environments.
Lead projects from discovery and problem definition through design, prototyping, and delivery.
Help clients navigate ambiguous product problems by balancing user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints.

Lightburn, Dec 2015 – Jan 2019

UX Team Lead

Built and developed the company’s UX practice, establishing processes and standards for delivering effective user experiences.
Led UX projects for clients across finance, healthcare, hospitality, and other industries.
Worked closely with clients and cross-functional teams to understand complex business problems and translate them into clear product experiences.
Trained and mentored junior designers, helping develop the team’s skills and design practice.

7Summits, May 2013 – Nov 2015

UX Designer

Designed digital experiences for clients across a variety of industries and business models.
Developed foundational skills in user research, interaction design, information architecture, visual design, and prototyping.
Collaborated with clients, developers, and other designers to deliver user-centered solutions.