Byron A. Gronseth
Design Director & Creative Leader
Brooklyn, NY | +1 206 707 2532 | byron.gronseth@gmail.com
byrongronseth.com | LinkedIn | Portfolio
Profile
Design leader with 10+ years building high-performing teams and shipping zero-to-one products for Disney, Ford, Royal Caribbean, and JPMorgan Chase. I stay close to the work—from vision to execution—creating experiences that delight millions while driving measurable business results.
Work Experience
Executive Director, Experience Design
JP Morgan Chase | November 2024 - Present
- Leading digital design team for internal recruiting and talent acquisition software reaching 300,000 employees globally
- Driving vision work, prototyping, and zero to one product launches in highly regulated financial environment
- Executing end-to-end design from concept through firmwide deployment
Digital Design Director
Ford Motor Company | September 2022 - September 2024
- Saved $800k annually by building and hiring in-house digital team within innovation studio, eliminating consulting and agency costs
- Led multidisciplinary design team delivering future retail and connected services experiences
- Designed speculative concepts and working prototypes for Board of Directors and C-suite technology showcases
- Player-coach model: hands-on UX/UI while managing team vision and execution
Director, Digital Product Design
Royal Caribbean Group | May 2017 - September 2022
- Built and led 40-person digital studio from scratch, including management hierarchy
- Saved $2M+ by developing in-house talent and embedding designers, improving quality and relationships
- Shipped guest apps (Royal, Celebrity, Azamara) with millions of downloads across global fleet
- Drove 300% revenue increase in first 3 months post-launch of vacation planning e-commerce redesign
- Creative direction for digital and physical environments: signage, terminals, onboard space and immersive experiences, office spatial design
Lead Designer
The Walt Disney Company | February 2014 - May 2017
- Led mobile app and product design initiatives for Disney Parks & Resorts, serving millions of guests worldwide
- Generated +12% revenue growth within months of launching mobile ticket sales for Disney World & Disneyland
- Shipped signature experiences: Disneyland app, mobile dining reservations, mobile food ordering, hotel check-in and keyless entry
- Built scalable design language deployed across Paris, Hong Kong, and Shanghai parks
Captain, US Air Force
USAF Research Laboratory | July 2003 - July 2007
- Designed and produced multimedia and public affairs communications for 300-member joint service research organization, enabling multi-million dollar defense research contracts for warfighter laser protection
- Oversaw small business contracting program for cutting-edge laser protection technologies
- Shot and produced videos in flight simulators for laser safety prototype research used in senior-level FAA and defense briefings in Washington DC
Skills
Leadership & Strategy
Creative Direction, Building and Leading Design Teams, Stakeholder Management, Vision & Strategy, Senior Executive Presentations
Design & Craft
Digital Product Design, Experience Design, Rapid Prototyping, UX/UI, Storytelling, Writing & Editing
Tools
Figma (Design, Make), AI-Assisted Design & Code (Lovable, Claude, Replit), Keynote, Adobe Creative Suite
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration: Management & Strategic Leadership
Ohio University | Athens, OH | 2003