Avriel OConnor
@avrieloconnor
Product design leader and people manager driving accessible, scalable UX strategy for complex B2B SaaS platforms.
United StatesWhat I'm looking for
I’m a Product Design Leader with 8+ years of people leadership, building and governing scalable design systems while driving UX strategy across complex B2B SaaS and workflow-driven platforms. I partner with Product and Engineering to modernize usability, improve delivery alignment, and elevate product quality—especially where accessibility needs to be repeatable and measurable.
Most recently at IncidentIQ, I lead enterprise accessibility strategy toward WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, rebuilt the design organization with clear operating rhythms and growth plans, and introduced AI-assisted prototyping to reduce design-system bottlenecks. Previously, I scaled distributed design teams and reduced design time by 50% at Turnitin through a scalable design system, and I led marketplace UX at Swing Education—mentoring a team of 4 and improving onboarding and feedback workflows to strengthen classroom readiness.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Director of Product Design
IncidentIQ
Mar 2025 - Present (1 year)
Led UX strategy across a multi-module K–12 operations platform, partnering with Product and Engineering to modernize usability and strengthen accessibility standards. Owned enterprise accessibility efforts toward WCAG 2.1 AA compliance and introduced AI-assisted prototyping workflows to accelerate early concept exploration.
Director of Product Design
Swing Education
Dec 2021 - Nov 2024 (2 years 11 months)
Led product design for a two-sided marketplace connecting schools and substitute teachers, managing and developing a team of 4 designers. Scaled mentoring and research, and redesigned school administrator feedback workflows to nearly double substitute teacher feedback response rates.
Manager of User Experience & Design
Turnitin
Feb 2019 - Oct 2020 (1 year 8 months)
Led UX for a global education technology company, overseeing a distributed design team across the US and UK supporting multiple product lines. Developed and scaled a design system to reduce design time by 50% and cut design rework by 25% through structured design reviews and remote workshops.
Manager of User Experience & Design
Webgility
Jan 2018 - Feb 2019 (1 year 1 month)
Managed product and visual design strategy, owning design delivery and transitioning into people leadership. Helped establish a structured beta testing program to validate product changes prior to release and reduce post-launch rework.
Senior User Experience Designer
Webgility
Apr 2017 - Jan 2018 (9 months)
Contributed to redesigning onboarding and core product flows while supporting a transition toward people leadership. Improved trial conversion by 10% and increased user retention by approximately 40%.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
Adler University
Master of Arts, Psychology
Earned a Master of Arts in Psychology from Adler University (completed June 2010).
Michigan State University
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
Earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Michigan State University (completed December 2007).
Availability
Location
United StatesAuthorized to work in
Job categories
Skills
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