About Derek Darby
I’m a UX leader with deep experience across design, research, and product strategy, focused on solving complex problems where clarity, alignment, and long-term thinking matter.
My work spans nearly two decades across consumer, B2B, and internal platforms. With formal business training and hands-on experience leading and partnering with product, engineering, and marketing teams, I help organizations translate complexity into decisions they can stand behind.
My Background

My experience spans:

  • Consumer products with complex decision paths
  • B2B and internal platforms with high operational impact
  • Early-stage and scaling environments where structure must emerge alongside delivery

I hold degrees in business and information systems, and I’ve led and mentored designers while partnering closely with product, engineering, marketing, and leadership. That background allows me to translate across disciplines, balance competing pressures, and keep teams focused on outcomes that hold up over time.

I’ve spent my career working on products where decisions are rarely clean, requirements evolve, and tradeoffs have real consequences.
What I Optimize For

I am most effective when I can help teams:

  • Reduce ambiguity into shared understanding
  • Make thoughtful tradeoffs explicit rather than implicit
  • Align design, engineering, and business around durable decisions
  • Build systems that remain usable, coherent, and trustworthy as they evolve

I care less about optics and more about outcomes that last. I value clarity, integrity of thought, and work that teams can sustain and build on.

Outside the Work

Outside of professional work, I spend most of my time with my family and on small, hands-on projects that mix curiosity, learning, and practicality.

I enjoy building simple systems at home, like a family Minecraft server for my kids, helping them create and print 3D models, and maintaining a home media setup that supports how we watch and share content together. I’m drawn to projects that are useful, understandable, and create shared experiences.

When the weather allows, we spend time outdoors playing in the yard, going for walks, or hiking nearby trails. At home, that often turns into movie nights, games, or puzzles. These moments reflect how I approach work as well: thoughtful, hands-on, and focused on making things work well for the people using them.

Colleague feedback
“Derek is a true professional that brings so much to the table – much more than just great designs.”
Matt Arnold
Spark Consulting Group
View on LinkedIn →
Case Studies
These case studies show how my background in leadership, design, and research comes together in real product environments, under real constraints.
Experience Index
For a broader view of the domains, product types, and systems I’ve worked across, the Experience Index provides a structured overview of the problems I’ve solved and the contexts that shaped my approach.
Resume
If you prefer a traditional, role-by-role summary, my resume provides a complete chronological record of my work across design, research, and leadership roles.
Let’s Connect
The easiest way to reach me is on LinkedIn. For more detailed inquiries, you can also use the contact form.