Contact me
Line illustration of two hands about to clap for a hi-five

I am an Australian software designer based in Oakland, California. I've worked at companies like Slack, Airbnb, and Stripe. I’m a three-time startup founder and have lead many multi-disciplinary teams to create world-class product experiences.

Slack interface displaying the 'Welcome to Block Kit' modal. The modal introduces various components for building Slack apps, such as Sections, Dividers, Form Inputs, and Actions. It provides an overview of how to use these components, including notes on spacing and a link to the Block Kit Builder tool. The background shows a dark purple interface with placeholders for different elements.
Slack · Block Kit
Airbnb · Mobile Redesign 2016
Airbnb · luxury homes
Airbnb Plus. A booking interface for Saddle Peak House showing a modern kitchen with blue tile backsplash, wooden cabinets, and brown leather bar stools. The listing details include a price of $635, hosted by Francie, available 24/7, and accommodation for 8 guests, covering 3,600 square feet with 4 beds and 3 baths.
Airbnb · Plus
Slack interface displaying the 'Welcome to Block Kit' modal. The modal introduces various components for building Slack apps, such as Sections, Dividers, Form Inputs, and Actions. It provides an overview of how to use these components, including notes on spacing and a link to the Block Kit Builder tool. The background shows a dark purple interface with placeholders for different elements.
Slack · sign-in-with-slack
Red Pen · Feedback app for teams

What's it like to work with me:

Katie Chen standing at a podium with the Slack logo, delivering a presentation. Katie is wearing glasses and a black sweater, and smiling while looking to the side. The background features a stage setup with curtains and seating, indicating a professional event or conference.
Katie Chen presenting to a team in a design studio. The team is gathered around a workspace with computers and notebooks, attentively looking at a wall covered with design mockups and notes. Katie, wearing a cap, is pointing at the wall while others listen and discuss. The environment is collaborative and focused, with a modern office setup.

She is action-orientated and proactive. She knows how to think big and drive for creative solutions, but knows how to get things done. She's an incredible team player, building relationships across design, product and engineering.

Katie Dill
Head of design @ stripe

Katie, an alumn of 776, stands out as an expert in her craft. Her work is a rare fusion of product vision, business acumen, and stellar UX design. It's not just her professional skills that make her exceptional; it's also her personal values. Working with Katie has been a genuinely delightful experience.

Cristina Georgoulakis
partner @ 776

Her balance of technical design skills and compassionate leadership was consistently recognized across functions as raising the bar for the entire team. She’s one of the strongest collaborators I have ever worked with, knowledgable about the engineering process and championing other functions in the process.

amber cartwright
design manager @ netflix

Katie is one of the best design partners I have worked with in my career. We spent 3 years building products together at Slack. She truly wants to understand user problems and always keeps the customer at the focal point of her work. Her strong product sense and dedication to excellent design makes her an amazing person to work with.

Paige kehoe
product manager @ Slack

I  worked closely with her both as an engineer and an eng manager on multiple teams/projects. She is not only a super talented, insightful designer, an understanding and reliable cross functional partner, she is also an inspirational and fearless leader. I've learned so much from her.

Caroline Leung
Engineering manager @ airbnb

Katie brings her exceptional ideas and concepts to life, while always having an eye to the needs of the business and its customers. Her eye for detail and her determination to create the best possible experience ensures that her projects are executed to the highest level.

Adam Glynn-Finnegan
Staff product designer @ Netflix

Career Overview

Currently

Freelance

software designer
Freelance portfolio. Clients include Power and Stripe.
2021 ~ 2023

Kairos Labs

CEO & co-founder
Shopify for digital goods. Raised $2.7M in seed funding from some of the best investors in tech including Alexis Ohanian's 776, Lenny Rachitsky, and Worklife VC.
2019 ~ 2021

Slack

Design manager and staff designer
Lead design on Slack’s Platform business, building tools for developers. People manager.
2014 ~ 2018

Airbnb

Design manager and Experience LEAD
Lead guest experience, search, and zero-to-one launch of Airbnb Plus and Airbnb for Work. People manager.
2012 ~ 2020

Red Pen

CEO & co-founder
Feedback app for teams and their collaborators. 300,000+ customers in the first month. #1 Hacker news and designer News.
2009 ~ 2013

Miscellaneous

PRODUCT DESIGNER & FE engineer
Design partner and co-founder on startups like Wooboard (listed on ASX in 2015) and Zibbet (acquired by a NASDAQ company in 2017). Other clients included Ikea, Optus, Virgin Mobile, Woolworths, M&C Saatchi, and Commonwealth Bank.
noteworthy
Google Design Award 2016
US Patent D834588US Patent D831052