I'm a design leader with 13 years of enterprise experience.

I build SaaS, AI and machine learning products and systems for companies like IBM and Cisco.

Armando Garza — design leader

Work

About

Professional Summary

I'm a lead designer with over 17 years of experience across software, technology, renewable energy, and government sectors.

I specialize in enterprise design and have worked extensively as a 0-1 designer, building products and services from the ground up. I thrive in leading teams through creative problem-solving and enjoy collaborating with cross-functional teams to bring ideas to life—from early concept to completion.

Expertise

Rapid Prototyping Low & High Fidelity AI Tools Figma Make Lovable Product Strategy Lean Research Enterprise & Platform UX B2B Interactive & Visual Design Cross-Functional Leadership AI & ML Product Design Design Frameworks Complex Systems Information Architecture
Stanford UI/UX Design for AI Products Certificate UI/UX Design for
AI Products Certificate
Duke Specialization Certificate AI Product Management Specialization Certificate
AI Product Management
  1. Senior UX Designer
    IBM
    2020–2025

    Enterprise design and product strategy leadership.

  2. Senior Interaction Designer
    Cisco Systems
    2013–2020

    B2B e-commerce and product design strategy.

  3. Design Consultant
    Independent Freelancer
    2010–2018

    B2C design, branding, project management, mobile design.

  4. Electronic Channels Specialist
    Meriwest Credit Union
    2012–2013

    End to end service design.

  5. Junior Designer
    San Jose Redevelopment Agency
    2009–2010

    Print and web marketing design.

My Stack

Figma Figma Designing
Cursor Cursor Prototyping
Claude Claude Building
ChatGPT ChatGPT Brainstorming + Planning
Adobe Adobe Creating
Mural Mural Collaboration
Slack Slack Collaboration

Acknowledgements

I worked closely with him on the design and development of a wizard-like application to build Generative AI workflows. He was able to lead a team of designers, work closely with development and deliver a prototype quickly.

The project was so successful that it was adopted by our sales team as an entry point for generative AI and many of its features were incorporated into watsonx.ai.

Óscar Lara-Yejas, Ph.D.
IBM Principal AI Engineer

Armando brings exceptional team leadership to the table. He facilitates across-discipline meetings with clarity and intention, making sure everyone stays aligned and focused on meaningful, user-centered outcomes.

He's collaborative, generous with his expertise, and always thinking about how the team is working together and how to grow stronger. He gives excellent constructive feedback—candid and direct, while still being respectful and solution-oriented—fostering a culture of trust and continuous learning.

Amanda Pasquili
IBM Senior AI Designer

Armando is a seasoned, structurally solid, and thinking designer. He's always looking to know more about the WHY and underscores the need to understand the problem space before jumping into defining solutions.

While at Webex Armando worked on a range of problems, from solving our online, direct channel experiences to defining the analytics experience for Administrative users of Webex.

Kedar Shiroor
Design and Research Vice President