“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
— Steve Jobs

I design intuitive and efficient software solutions for both enterprises and startups.

With almost 20 years of experience in the tech industry, I still feel as passionate as when I started.

I grew up and currently live in the beautiful city of Guadalajara, Mexico. My love for design began as a kid in the 90s when I first discovered MS PowerPoint. This sparked a fascination with computers, software, and graphical interfaces.

Coming from humble beginnings, I've worn many hats. I've been a teacher, a lawyer, a real estate consultant, and a web designer. In 2005, I founded my own web design studio, where I started creating desktop and web applications. As mobile apps began to take off, I learned the fundamentals of UX and modern UI design.

Since then, I've worked on over 100 projects, each one more complex and challenging than the last. I’ve specialized in user-centered design, information architecture, and enterprise software design. I've had the pleasure of working with startups in Mexico and in the United States.

From 2017 to 2024, I moved to Houston, TX to join a Fortune 500 company, I had the opportunity to design complex enterprise applications from start to finish. Being part of a digital transformation strategy of a global company gave me a new perspective on the value of user-centric design no matter what you build.

Today, I embrace the exciting changes technology brings. I believe digital design is a key part of product development. As technology evolves and AI empowers our profession, I look forward to helping others create innovative products that make us achieve the goals and tackle the problems to make this a better world.

Latest products I have designed

  • Baker Hughes

    Baker Hughes | Fortune 500 Company

    I designed seven large cloud applications during my time at Baker Hughes. These products took between 2 and 4 years to develop. I took ownership of the whole design process and worked with multiple teams based in USA, UK and India.

  • CrowdSky AI | Startup

    I lead the UX/UI design process for this new product. The startup is woking on an innovative solution for drone enthusiasts who need an all-in-one solution to enhance the experience of both beginners to more seasoned users.

  • Site VisionPro | Startup

    Site VisionPro | Startup

    I was hired to revamp the UI of a new and mobile application. These was quick project where I implemented the main workflows, the interaction design and a simple design system. This UI supported both light and dark mode.

  • EZ Rent

    EZ Rent | Startup

    I was hired to come up with a modern visual user interface for an upcoming real estate portal in Mexico. This product is in progress and will be launched soon. I am helping the team streamline their current workflows to make the experience more appealing to end users.

  • TV App

    BroadwayHD | Ooyala's Client

    When I was working at Ooyala, I had the opportunity to work on the redesign of BroadwayHD apps. I worked on the Apple TV, Roku and mobile versions of the video streaming platform.

  • Med Cal

    MedCal | Mobile App

    A small project I am designing for a new startup that is looking to create a directory of medical professionals who offer services for people out of the typical insurance network at an affordable cost.

  • CNBC News | Templates

    As part of Ooyala’s App Studio platform, I was asked to create the UI of a series of video streaming templates which could be used by our clients. These templates would accelerate the frontend implementation of their web apps.

  • Espacio Fiscal | Startup

    I helped a new startup create an invoicing application. This platform was meant to help small businesses in Mexico perform their bookkeeping needs. The UI was designed following Microsoft FluentUI design system.

  • D'Live | Mobile App

    I created the sitemap, workflows and UI Design of a mobile app for a video streaming platform for an Ooyala’s client. This project involved the creation of a UI design guidelines from scratch.

  • PinoPrime | Landing Page

    This was a quick project for a new 3D animator Youtube. The landing page was designed and implemented in Webflow in a couple of hours since the budget was extremely limited.

  • Green Pages | Startup

    This is a product I am currently working on. This is going to be a beautiful real estate portal that will allow people to list their properties for free. We will implement freemium features that will provide legal and financial assistance to users.

My not-so-secrete recipe

  • Understand people, motivations, goals, opportunities and risks.

    Observe, listen empathize.

  • Breakdown problems and information into small pieces.

    No problem is too big to solve if we apply critcal thinking.

  • Learn all about the users, pain points and existing solutions

    Either we do something first or wedo omething better. No point in doing what has been done before poorly.

  • Generate ideas but make the team generate more.

    Innovation is a team effort. I focus on facilitating desing thinking all the time.

  • Know my tools and update myself regularly.

    Design tools are getting better day after day. Constant learning produces better results in a shorter time.

  • Remain calm. AI is a human tool not a human replacement.

    Technology is meant to make people’s life better. It depends on us what we do with it.

Key strengths

Critical Thinking

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UX Research

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UI Design Systems

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Information Architecture

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Product Validation

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A/B Testing

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HTML & CSS

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Figma, Framer, Webflow

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Problem Solving

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Critical Thinking • UX Research • UI Design Systems • Information Architecture • Product Validation • A/B Testing • HTML & CSS • Figma, Framer, Webflow • Problem Solving •

People who know me say

“Mario has a great ability to combine a list of needs and a brainstorming session into a functional conceptual workflow. He is easy to talk to and asks the right questions to dig out the important essence of the needs presented. I was a new Product Manager at the time and to be honest, he spoiled me as my first real interaction with a UX designer.”

— Charles Thompson | Senior Product Manager

“I had the opportunity to work with and collaborate with Mario Gonzalez on several projects at Baker Hughes. Mario is a highly-skilled UX professional with organizational skills that are often sought after by companies. He is able to solve problems on a high-level and through experience can work fast in a high paced environment. I would recommend him to any company looking for a quality Sr. UX Digital Product Designer.”

— Darren Eiswirth | Principal User Experience Designer

“I had the opportunity to work with Mario on multiple products over the years. Mario is not only a master of various UI/UX tools, he has a unique ability to connect with users, really understand their need and recommend best design in each situation with pros and cons. He also has the ability to literally work on 10 or more products in any given time and keep up, actually exceed the pace of each product development. He can independently lead UX sessions with users and developers. Highly recommended!”

— Syed Jamil | Digital Product Manager

“I saw Mario at work on several projects at Baker Hughes. Mario is a diligent UX leader who cares deeply about his products. He combines innovative use of technology and his engaging personality to tease out difficult-to-capture details of requirements from stakeholders at all levels of the business. Over and above his skills in user experience, Mario has a helpful and flexible attitude to his projects. I strongly recommend him to any organization in search of a truly excellent UX design leader.”

— Paul Thompson | Digital Delivery Leader

“I got the opportunity to work with Mario for almost 5 years at Baker Hughes. I would say Mario is one of the best UX designers I have worked with because he very much cares about commitment and timelines. His ownership and commitment to work is really remarkable. He worked on multiple projects at the same time and made sure his tasks are completed at the right time. He is also collaborative with the team and it was really easy for everyone to work with him.”

— Maya Madathil | Sr. Manager Software Engineering

“I recommend Mario. He has a unique way of making a complicated UI easy to use. Competent, funny, a real pleasure to work with.”

— Mark Kananen | Software Architect

 Frequently asked questions

  • I am a self-taught professional. That means that I believe I can learn almost anything by myself. I did go to college though. I’ve got a law degree from he University of Guadalajara and a postgraduate degree in business law. I have taken many courses and certifications on UX, product design, product development and other areas from MIT, Berkeley, Coursera, Google, Youtube, LinkedIn, Domestika and other places.

  • I’ve been designing digital products for almost 20 years. This has given me a perspective that makes appreciate every new technology, methodology and breakthrough that comes along. I have worked as freelance designer, I have had my own design studio, I have worked for startups as a consultant and as an employee. I have worked for a Fortune 500 company for a few years. I have lived and worked both in Mexico and in the United States.

    I have seen ups and downs in our industry. I have seen trends, predictions and companies that rise and fall quickly over the years. That is why I find the industry fascinating. Change is rapid and constant. That keeps me excited because we get to design what will be next and that is a great feeling.

  • I love hanging out with my wife and three teens—they're special. Pickleball and music are my favorite hobbies. We all play instruments at home and love to have long conversations about random topics. I enjoy meeting new people, hearing their stories, digging into some Mexican food, and watching movies.

  • My ideal project involves being part of a dynamic team with an exciting goal or problem to solve. Whether it's a solo entrepreneur, a small startup, or a global corporation, what truly excites me are the people, the objectives, and the challenges we face together.

  • I couldn’t resist a little joke! I love experimenting with various design tools and technologies. My journey began with designing websites using Dreamweaver, Adobe Flash, and Photoshop. Over time, I explored implementing web products on platforms like WordPress, Webflow, and Shopify. As a UX/UI designer, I’ve worked with Sketch, Adobe XD, InVision, Zeplin, and numerous prototyping tools that have emerged. These days, Figma is my go-to tool, especially when collaborating with larger development teams. The rise of low-code and no-code platforms, along with AI tools, is now unlocking new capabilities and opportunities for both designers and developers.

So, the bottom line is that I love designing great digital products.

What do you love?

“If we want users to like our software, we should design it to behave like a likeable person: respectful, generous and helpful.”
— Alan Cooper