Peter Bartsch — Staff / Principal Product Designer

PETER BARTSCH

I make complex systems usable — and get them adopted — at scale.

I solve the adoption problems that stall organizations: forced adoption, platform fragmentation, trust in uncertain data.

Email me → See the Work

Peter Bartsch, Staff / Principal Product Designer

34% → 87%Adoption at Deere

$3.8BRevenue enabled

500KUsers reached

Connected vehicles, aviation, logistics, agriculture, open hardware — built & led design teams 1→10. I build the systems, not just design them.

// OPEN TO: Staff, Principal, or hands-on leadership — I optimize for the team and the work, not the title.

// WHAT I DO

I make complex enterprise systems usable — and get them adopted — at scale. The work I take on is the kind that stalls organizations: forced adoption, platform fragmentation, trust in uncertain data. At Deere, that unlocked $3.8B across 500K users on web, mobile, and embedded equipment. At FourKites, I built the design org from 1 to 10 while scaling a real-time IoT platform from $3M to $100M ARR ($1B+ valuation). As founder of Thios, I now design the systems and build them — a CAD-driven 3D configurator, a dev-grade design system with its own open-source Claude Skill, and real physical hardware. Hands-on by preference — with the range to lead and grow teams when the work calls for it.

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// HOW I THINK

Most organizations think they have a UX problem when they actually have a trust problem, an incentives problem, or an alignment problem. Adoption is where those collide — you can ship a beautiful flow and still watch people route around it. I look for the leverage point where product, business, and user needs intersect, and design from there. AI just means one operator can now build all the way to that point, not just spec it.

Enterprise Design Systems Design Org Leadership (1→10) Forced Adoption & Retention 0→1 in Complex Domains AI-Native Workflow

// CASE STUDIES

ENTERPRISE · FORCED ADOPTION

DEERE: 34%→87% ADOPTION AT SCALE

Challenge: 500K users were actively avoiding profile completion — every empty field blocked $3.8B in AI and automation revenue.

Approach: Led design of a multi-channel forced adoption flow across 8 product lines without destroying trust

Result: 34%→87% profile completion in 6 months · $3.8B revenue unlocked

VIEW CASE STUDY →

DATA TRUST

FOURKITES: DESIGNING FOR UNCERTAINTY

Challenge: Enterprise customers were making million-dollar decisions on dashboards they didn't trust — because we hid uncertainty instead of explaining it.

Approach: Led redesign introducing confidence levels that showed uncertainty instead of hiding it

Result: 41% retention increase · 3x customer expansion · $1B+ valuation

VIEW CASE STUDY →

FOUNDER · 6-SURFACE SYSTEM

THIOS: ONE SOURCE OF TRUTH, SIX SURFACES

Challenge: 6 sub-brands across 4 production sites plus an OnShape CAD source. Drift is the default, not a possibility.

Approach: Six canonical surfaces (DESIGN.md ↔ tokens.json ↔ main.css ↔ design-system.html ↔ OnShape ↔ Figma) kept aligned by agent-driven audits.

Result: 6 surfaces in sync · 212 design tokens · 7 drift findings caught in May audit · 1 designer

VIEW CASE STUDY →

// MORE CASE STUDIES

From $3M startups to $38B enterprises

Technical Depth

STRATEGY TO CODE — THREE.JS, REACT, AR

Built a real-time 3D product configurator with AR preview as a side project. Staff designers who can prototype in code close the gap between vision and shipping.

Try the Configurator

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2020-2024	Senior Lead UX; Digital Customer Experience	John Deere
	Problem: 500K+ users weren't completing profiles — blocking $3.8B in subscription revenue Result: 34%→87% completion; unified nav across 8 product lines; design system adopted by 40+ teams Approach: Led multi-channel forced adoption; core contributor to enterprise design system adopted by 40+ teams; 45% faster handoffs View Case Study →
2017-2020	Lead UX / Manager	FourKites
	Problem: Customers didn't trust dashboards built on incomplete data Result: $3M→$100M ARR; 41% retention increase; 3x expansion; company reached $1B+ valuation Approach: Led UX redesign showing confidence levels openly; built predictive ETAs ahead of competitors; grew team 1→10 View Case Study →
2014-2017	Senior UX + Agile Lead	MavenWave Partners
2012-2014	Product Marketing Manager	Nokia (HERE Maps)
2024-Pres	Designer & Founder	Thios + Co
	Problem: Between roles: build an entire product company solo — brand, web, configurator, design system, hardware Result: Brand + 3 websites + 6 sphere variants + first revenue, in under two years Approach: AI as the build mechanism (design, code, CAD); proof of end-to-end technical range View Case Study →

OTHER PIXELS

// side projects & experiments — more landing here over time

LET'S TALK

Chicago-based. Open to remote or relocation. I reply within 1 business day.

Prefer email? peter@peterbartsch.com