James Reilly

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

James Reilly is a VP of Product Design with 20 years of experience building products in fintech, health, and fashion. He believes in strong foundations: clear information architecture, thoughtful interaction design, and systems thinking that scales.

His expertise encompasses the design of complex financial platforms, healthcare systems, and consumer applications. He has led design teams at multiple high-growth startups and established companies, shipping products used by millions of people.

Currently exploring how AI tools can accelerate design process without compromising craft. This site itself is an experiment in modern design workflow—built with AI assistance while maintaining editorial quality and accessibility standards.

Background

- VP Product Design – JPMorgan Chase (2022–2024)
  Led IEP Insights platform for institutional clients, architected enterprise design systems
- VP Product Design – Payroc (2020–2022)
  Built design team from ground up, shipped 4 major payment products in 18 months
- Head of Design – ASOS (2018–2020)
  Led design for marketplace platform serving 20M+ customers across EU markets
- Senior Product Designer – Publicis Sapient (2015–2018)
  Consulting across fintech clients including NatWest, Virgin Money, and Nationwide
- Product Designer – Various Agencies (2011–2015)
  Specialized in financial services, healthcare systems, and consumer applications
- Junior Designer – Design Studio (2005–2011)
  Foundation years learning craft across print, digital, and brand design
- BA (Hons) Graphic Design – Glasgow School of Art (2001–2005)
  First Class Honours, specialized in typography and information design
- Continuing Education
  Nielsen Norman Group UX Certification, Design Leadership workshops, regular conference attendance (UXDX, Leading Design)
Design: Figma (expert), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, Prototyping (Principle, ProtoPie), Design Systems, Component Libraries

Process: User Research, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Usability Testing, A/B Testing, Analytics (Mixpanel, Amplitude)

Technical: HTML/CSS (proficient), Basic JavaScript, Git, Design Tokens, Accessibility (WCAG 2.1), Responsive Design

Leadership: Team Building, Hiring, Mentoring, Design Critiques, Stakeholder Management, Cross-functional Collaboration

Chapter 01

Consulting Era

2011–2020 · 9 years

Led design for fintech products across NatWest, Virgin Money, and Publicis Sapient
Built design systems for enterprise banking platforms serving millions
Specialized in complex financial workflows and regulatory compliance

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Chapter 02

Payroc Sprint

2020–2022 · 2 years

Delivered 4 major payment products in 18 months during critical growth phase
Built design team from ground up, establishing processes and culture
Scaled design operations to support 3x product velocity increase

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Chapter 03

JPM Modernization

2022–2024 · 2 years

VP Product Design leading IEP Insights platform for institutional clients
Architected enterprise-scale design systems for global deployment
Led cross-functional teams delivering mission-critical financial tools

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Chapter 04

AI-Native Shift

2024–Present

Adapting workflows to leverage AI tools without compromising craft
Rapid prototyping: concept to working product in hours instead of weeks
Building AI-powered design systems and documentation generators

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Chapter 05

What's Next

Future

Exploring leadership roles at the intersection of AI and product design
Building tools that amplify designer capabilities without replacing craft
Mentoring next generation of designers in AI-augmented workflows

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Chapter 01

Consulting Era

2011–2020 · 9 years

Led design for fintech products across NatWest, Virgin Money, and Publicis Sapient
Built design systems for enterprise banking platforms serving millions
Specialized in complex financial workflows and regulatory compliance

Visual Placeholder

Chapter 02

Payroc Sprint

2020–2022 · 2 years

Delivered 4 major payment products in 18 months during critical growth phase
Built design team from ground up, establishing processes and culture
Scaled design operations to support 3x product velocity increase

Visual Placeholder

Chapter 03

JPM Modernization

2022–2024 · 2 years

VP Product Design leading IEP Insights platform for institutional clients
Architected enterprise-scale design systems for global deployment
Led cross-functional teams delivering mission-critical financial tools

Visual Placeholder

Chapter 04

AI-Native Shift

2024–Present

Adapting workflows to leverage AI tools without compromising craft
Rapid prototyping: concept to working product in hours instead of weeks
Building AI-powered design systems and documentation generators

Visual Placeholder

Chapter 05

What's Next

Future

Exploring leadership roles at the intersection of AI and product design
Building tools that amplify designer capabilities without replacing craft
Mentoring next generation of designers in AI-augmented workflows

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Selected Work

AI Experiments

James Reilly

Glasgow, Scotland, UK

Background

20 Years of Design

Consulting Era

Payroc Sprint

JPM Modernization

AI-Native Shift

What's Next

Contact

20 Years of Design

Consulting Era

Payroc Sprint

JPM Modernization

AI-Native Shift

What's Next