Product design leader blending strategy and hands-on craft expertise to create products, teams, and experiences that deliver outsized business impact.
With nearly a decade of experience leading complex, high-stakes product initiatives, I bring a proven track record of driving strategic outcomes at scale. I’ve led product transformations impacting billions in sales, crafted experiences used by millions of people around the world, and defined company-wide strategies and product visions.
Great design doesn’t happen in isolation—it emerges from clear strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and empowered teams. My multidisciplinary approach—grounded in human-centered thinking and deep craft expertise—helps teams solve the right problems faster, with less risk, and deliver lasting business value.
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With nearly a decade of experience leading complex, high-stakes product initiatives, I bring a proven track record of driving strategic outcomes at scale. I’ve led product transformations impacting billions in sales, crafted experiences used by millions of people around the world, and defined company-wide strategies and product visions.
Great design doesn’t happen in isolation—it emerges from clear strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and empowered teams. My multidisciplinary approach—grounded in human-centered thinking and deep craft expertise—helps teams solve the right problems faster, with less risk, and deliver lasting business value.
Read More
Read More
With nearly a decade of experience leading complex, high-stakes product initiatives, I bring a proven track record of driving strategic outcomes at scale. I’ve led product transformations impacting billions in sales, crafted experiences used by millions of people around the world, and defined company-wide strategies and product visions.
Great design doesn’t happen in isolation—it emerges from clear strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and empowered teams. My multidisciplinary approach—grounded in human-centered thinking and deep craft expertise—helps teams solve the right problems faster, with less risk, and deliver lasting business value.
Read More
Read More
With nearly a decade of experience leading complex, high-stakes product initiatives, I bring a proven track record of driving strategic outcomes at scale. I’ve led product transformations impacting billions in sales, crafted experiences used by millions of people around the world, and defined company-wide strategies and product visions.
Great design doesn’t happen in isolation—it emerges from clear strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and empowered teams. My multidisciplinary approach—grounded in human-centered thinking and deep craft expertise—helps teams solve the right problems faster, with less risk, and deliver lasting business value.
Read More
Read More
With nearly a decade of experience leading complex, high-stakes product initiatives, I bring a proven track record of driving strategic outcomes at scale. I’ve led product transformations impacting billions in sales, crafted experiences used by millions of people around the world, and defined company-wide strategies and product visions.
Great design doesn’t happen in isolation—it emerges from clear strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and empowered teams. My multidisciplinary approach—grounded in human-centered thinking and deep craft expertise—helps teams solve the right problems faster, with less risk, and deliver lasting business value.
Read More
Read More
With nearly a decade of experience leading complex, high-stakes product initiatives, I bring a proven track record of driving strategic outcomes at scale. I’ve led product transformations impacting billions in sales, crafted experiences used by millions of people around the world, and defined company-wide strategies and product visions.
Great design doesn’t happen in isolation—it emerges from clear strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and empowered teams. My multidisciplinary approach—grounded in human-centered thinking and deep craft expertise—helps teams solve the right problems faster, with less risk, and deliver lasting business value.
Read More
Read More
With nearly a decade of experience leading complex, high-stakes product initiatives, I bring a proven track record of driving strategic outcomes at scale. I’ve led product transformations impacting billions in sales, crafted experiences used by millions of people around the world, and defined company-wide strategies and product visions.
Great design doesn’t happen in isolation—it emerges from clear strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and empowered teams. My multidisciplinary approach—grounded in human-centered thinking and deep craft expertise—helps teams solve the right problems faster, with less risk, and deliver lasting business value.
Read More
Read More
Leading Design Through Impact
Etsy
$214M
Incremental Revenue¹
Etsy
$1B
Incremental GMS²
Etsy
46M
Buyers³
Etsy
2.7M
Sellers⁴
Etsy
44
Reports
Etsy
83%
Employee Engagement⁵
Etsy
1%
Baymard Ranking⁶
Etsy
27%
Experimentation Win Rate⁷
Impact delivered during my tenure as Etsy’s Interim Head of Product Design (2019–'20), unless otherwise noted.
1. Representing +35.6% year-over-year revenue growth.
2. Representing +26.5% year-over-year Gross Merchandise Sales (GMS) growth.
3. Representing +15% year-over-year Active Buyer growth.
4. Representing +28.6% year-over-year Active Seller growth.
5. As measured by Culture Amp, placing Etsy’s Product Design organization in the top 16% of New Tech companies and 11 points above the industry median (72%).
6. Baymard Top 1% UX Performance, awarded in 2023 to Etsy Checkout during my tenure as Design Lead for Etsy Payments.
7. As Design Lead for Etsy Payments, I maintained a 27% experiment success rate, nearly double the industry average (15%) and nearly triple Etsy’s average across product squads (10%).
Leading Etsy’s Product Revolution
Agile
Change Management
Design-led Transformation
How I transformed Etsy’s Product Organization—eliminating inefficiencies, accelerating velocity, and aligning squads around customer impact—to redefine how products are built at scale.
$5B
2-YEAR GMS GROWTH
$818M
2-YEAR REVENUE GROWTH
120%
EXPERIMENT VELOCITY GROWTH
Shaping the Future of Etsy Payments
Strategy
Product Vision
Design Leadership
Defining a long-term strategy and product vision to enhance trust, security, and scalability—ensuring Etsy’s payments ecosystem could support the company’s rapid growth.
2
IN-YEAR PRODUCT
LAUNCHES
8.4%
1-YEAR SELLER SALES GROWTH
$16M
1-YEAR REVENUE GROWTH
Optimizing Etsy’s Checkout: One Experiment at a Time
Product Discovery
Experimentation
Design Lead Role
A series of small, data-driven improvements unlocked millions in incremental GMS—proving that relentless iteration, not sweeping redesigns, drives the biggest wins.
0.07%
CONVERSION RATE GROWTH
0.18%
AVERAGE CONVERTING BROWSER VISIT GROWTH
$6M
GMS GROWTH
Leading Design Through People
User Research
User Research
User Research
User Research
User Research
User Research
Leading Design Through Craft
Leading Design Through Craft
Leading Design Through Craft
Leading Design Through Craft
Leading Design Through Craft
Leading Design Through Craft
MILK STUDIOS
MILK STUDIOS
MILK STUDIOS
MILK STUDIOS
MILK STUDIOS
MILK STUDIOS
milkmakeup.com
milkmakeup.com
milkmakeup.com
milkmakeup.com
milkmakeup.com
milkmakeup.com
doing it with others (d.i.w.o.)
Making
My why?
What is your purpose in life? Pablo Picasso famously said, «The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.» For me, that gift is design—a practice I’ve shaped over two decades into a philosophy and body of work. Mastering design has been my lifelong pursuit. But now I’m committed to helping others grow, achieve their aspirations, and create their best work through leadership. I’ve had the privilege of learning from the greatest design leaders in our industry and working alongside the brightest designers in the field. These experiences shape how I practice design and have taught me essential lessons that I enjoy sharing with those I’m privileged to lead.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means «a reason for being.» It represents the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. When all four align, ikigai—visualized in the diagram above—emerges as a deep sense of purpose. For me, product design is where I’ve derived the greatest sense of purpose in my career.
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
«Michael makes the right kind of difference where it matters most—balancing product impact with organizational leadership and offering the kind of mentorship that fuels teams.» —VP Design, Etsy
«Michael’s deft, adaptive leadership—knowing when to lead from the front and when to support from behind—has earned deep credibility across PMs and Engineering.» —Senior Product Design Manager, Etsy
«Michael demonstrates tremendous grit, grace, and optimism.» —Product Design Director, Etsy
«Working with Michael has been a deep honor—he’s not only a wonderful designer, but an extraordinary human.» —VP of Product Design, Etsy
links
Home ¶ About ¶ Case Studies ¶ Writing & Speaking ¶ Contact
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
«Michael makes the right kind of difference where it matters most—balancing product impact with organizational leadership and offering the kind of mentorship that fuels teams.» —VP Design, Etsy
«Michael’s deft, adaptive leadership—knowing when to lead from the front and when to support from behind—has earned deep credibility across PMs and Engineering.» —Senior Product Design Manager, Etsy
«Michael demonstrates tremendous grit, grace, and optimism.» —Product Design Director, Etsy
«Working with Michael has been a deep honor—he’s not only a wonderful designer, but an extraordinary human.» —VP of Product Design, Etsy
links
Home ¶ About ¶ Case Studies ¶ Writing & Speaking ¶ Contact
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
«Michael makes the right kind of difference where it matters most—balancing product impact with organizational leadership and offering the kind of mentorship that fuels teams.» —VP Design, Etsy
«Michael’s deft, adaptive leadership—knowing when to lead from the front and when to support from behind—has earned deep credibility across PMs and Engineering.» —Senior Product Design Manager, Etsy
«Michael demonstrates tremendous grit, grace, and optimism.» —Product Design Director, Etsy
«Working with Michael has been a deep honor—he’s not only a wonderful designer, but an extraordinary human.» —VP of Product Design, Etsy
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
«Michael makes the right kind of difference where it matters most—balancing product impact with organizational leadership and offering the kind of mentorship that fuels teams.» —VP Design, Etsy
«Michael’s deft, adaptive leadership—knowing when to lead from the front and when to support from behind—has earned deep credibility across PMs and Engineering.» —Senior Product Design Manager, Etsy
«Michael demonstrates tremendous grit, grace, and optimism.» —Product Design Director, Etsy
«Working with Michael has been a deep honor—he’s not only a wonderful designer, but an extraordinary human.» —VP of Product Design, Etsy
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
«Michael makes the right kind of difference where it matters most—balancing product impact with organizational leadership and offering the kind of mentorship that fuels teams.» —VP Design, Etsy
«Michael’s deft, adaptive leadership—knowing when to lead from the front and when to support from behind—has earned deep credibility across PMs and Engineering.» —Senior Product Design Manager, Etsy
«Michael demonstrates tremendous grit, grace, and optimism.» —Product Design Director, Etsy
«Working with Michael has been a deep honor—he’s not only a wonderful designer, but an extraordinary human.» —VP of Product Design, Etsy
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
«Michael makes the right kind of difference where it matters most—balancing product impact with organizational leadership and offering the kind of mentorship that fuels teams.» —VP Design, Etsy
«Michael’s deft, adaptive leadership—knowing when to lead from the front and when to support from behind—has earned deep credibility across PMs and Engineering.» —Senior Product Design Manager, Etsy
«Michael demonstrates tremendous grit, grace, and optimism.» —Product Design Director, Etsy
«Working with Michael has been a deep honor—he’s not only a wonderful designer, but an extraordinary human.» —VP of Product Design, Etsy
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton