Hello,I'mCai

Founder, Design Operations

As Figma's first DesignOps hire, I built the function from the ground up and continue to drive operational excellence and cross-functional collaboration. I support design leadership, shape team culture, scale design processes, and infuse joy wherever I can.

Sometimes, just for fun, I like to tell people that I "design the design team that designs design tools for designers."

Tattooist

On weekends, I run a private tattoo practice in Brooklyn, doing my best to center accommodations, active consent, client empowerment and trauma informed tattooing.

Speaker and Mentor

I've spoken at a variety of venues, including multiple events at the Rochester Institute of Technology, other universities, and industry panels. I've also participated in numerous virtual and in-person portfolio reviews, and served as a mentor and advisor for Built By Girls in 2020 and 2021.

Lead Product Designer, Spotify Wrapped

Led design for major campaigns including Wrapped (2020, 2021) and 'Only You', while driving growth through innovative features like Blend playlists and Daylists. Played a key role in harmonizing collaboration between Product Design and Brand teams, pushing boundaries while utilizing Encore Design Systems for scalability.

Senior Product Designer & Manager

Joined as the sole designer for the Backer Development team, where I created net-new features to help Kickstarter backers support creators that aligned with their interests. Additionally, I successfully pitched and led a Design Systems working group, and, managed one direct report.

Product Designer

I joined Splash when it was still a scrappy startup with fewer than 100 employees, working on a small but mighty design team and contributing to features across the entire product.

User Experience Architect

Kicked off my design career in the agency world, where I worked on a variety of digital tactics for major clients like Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and others.

An array of odd jobs

I took on a lot of jobs during my college years:

• Delivery driver for fast food calzones
• Barista in a hospital
• Christmas ornament decorator in the mall
• Drug store cashier
• Sandwich maker at a place called 'Ctrl Alt Del(i)'
• Digitizer of old medical records for a luxury dermatologist
• Custom painter for Magic The Gathering cards
• Cat-sitter for a wealthy, jet-setting couple