Matthew BrownHi there!
I'm Matthew Brown, currently working at Meta as a product designer, where I lead design across the Shopify Meta App and Advertiser Experience (AdEx) — a 1:9 designer-to-engineer team working at the intersection of commerce, advertising, and global scale. In 2025 I absorbed AdEx, stepping into a gap left by a team in transition.
I have experience in user testing, developing wireframes, agile and lean UX, branding, advertising and digital design. I've worked with some of the best creative agencies, brands and tech companies, and tutored User Experience Design at General Assembly. I put this page together so the people I work with (and might work with) can understand me a bit better.
How I Work
"I hold quality to an uncompromising bar."
I live in the product, test relentlessly, and catch edge cases long before they reach customers. I view design reviews and hands-on dogfooding not as optional checkpoints, but as core practices that safeguard the end-to-end user experience. Quality isn't a single project phase — it's how I show up every day.
"I'm a systems thinker by default."
I build foundations that make future problems easier to solve — whether that's reusable component libraries, single-source-of-truth documentation, or operational frameworks for cross-functional teams. I believe clear documentation and shared infrastructure are just as much a design output as high-fidelity prototypes.
"I thrive in ambiguity."
When priorities shift or team boundaries blur, I step into the gap. I excel at taking ill-defined problems, conducting strategic audits, and establishing structure where there is none. I am most effective when dropped into complex, high-stakes environments that require fast synthesis and steady execution.
"I make work visible."
Knowledge shared is impact multiplied. Whether through design office hours, team workshops, internal newsletters, or strategic recaps, I proactively communicate progress and insights across organizational boundaries. If I figure out a better way to do something, I make sure the whole team benefits.
"I invest in the people around me."
Design is fundamentally a team effort. I prioritize mentoring emerging designers, championing inclusive design initiatives, and supporting cross-functional partners through fast-moving transitions. I care just as much about building healthy team cultures as I do about shipping great products.
My Values
Craft
Design quality isn't a setting you dial in — it's a standard you hold every day.
Systems
The best solution also makes the next ten solutions easier.
Clarity
Complexity is rarely the right answer. My job is to reduce friction, not add it.
Curiosity
I'm always exploring new tools and ways of working — and sharing what I find with the team.
Community
Design is better when more people have access to it — inside teams and in the world.
My Strengths
- Cross-functional alignment and workshop facilitation
- Quality guardianship at scale
- Systems, frameworks, and documentation
- Tying design decisions directly to business outcomes
- Mentoring and growing junior designers
What Influences Me
- Analog design — I gave a Spark Series talk at Meta on why sketching and handwritten notes still shape how I think
- Figma Make and the emerging space of AI-assisted design exploration
- The craft of dogfooding — living in the products I build, not just designing them
- Teaching design to people who don't see it as a career option yet
My Work
Meta · Product Designer
Design lead across commerce and advertising surfaces. Scaled onsite TAM from $5.5B to $8.2B, unlocked $1.68B+ in revenue through SAOff migration, and exceeded team targets two years running. Sole designer supporting up to 12 engineers; expanded scope to lead a second product area in 2025.
Atlassian · Product Designer
Designed for enterprise collaboration products at one of Australia's most recognised technology companies.
ANZ · Senior UX Designer
Led UX design at one of Australia's largest banks, working across digital banking products at scale.
Nintex · UX Designer
Designed interaction and prototyping experiences for enterprise workflow software used globally across Microsoft's partner ecosystem.
General Assembly · UX Design Instructor
Tutored the next cohort of UX students after completing GA's intensive 12-week programme — an early signal of where my interest in teaching would go.
Brands I've worked with
- Australia and New Zealand Bank (ANZ)
- Mastercard
- Metro Trains
- Tigerair
- L'Oréal
- Bendigo Bank
- Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
- Maybelline
- Specsavers
- Macquarie Dictionary (Stop Phubbing)
- Vitasoy
- Pacific Brands (KingGee / Hard Yakka)
- Maurice Blackburn
- Forty Winks
- Glowpear
- Wasp Bags
- SHP
- Green Heritage
- Hunting the Bungle
- Product Imaging
- Moringa Project
- Mayo Hardware
- Prancing Horse Estate
- IGA
- EdVantage
- Laminex
Beyond Design
- I run Bridge to Tech workshops — Figma tutorials, Q&As, and portfolio tips for students from underrepresented communities
- I gave a Spark Series talk on analog design: how handwritten notes and sketching shape the way I think