Matt Karakilic
Design Leader Building Agentic AI Workflows | Design Instructor | FounderDesigned Forward
Matt Karakilic is a design leader and systems architect with 18 years of experience building products and organizations where intelligence — human or artificial — scales through clarity. Known for turning complexity into coherent systems, he has led high-impact work across e-commerce, enterprise software, design systems, and emerging agentic AI workflows at Fortune 500 companies and as a founder.
His professional arc spans delivery platforms (INQUE Design), competitive strategy and testing culture (AutoTrader), retail innovation (Best Buy), design language systems at scale (UKG), global R&D leadership managing 15+ designers across four continents (Hitachi Energy), and ecosystem strategy at ProtoPie. Most recently, he architected Matt AI — an agentic coaching system where Claude makes autonomous decisions based on 1,000+ real coaching patterns — proving that AI can scale human judgment without replacing it.
Matt is a Design Instructor at Emily Carr University, Chair of UXPA Volunteers, ADPList mentor, and founder of Designed Forward, a coaching platform for mid-career design leaders. He consults with companies exploring how to identify tedious workflows and transform them with AI agents — freeing teams to focus on higher-impact work while delivering measurable time and cost savings.
My Session(s)
The Future Value of UX – Rethinking Salaries, Roles, and Career Growth in a Changing Industry
Palace IJeff Sauro
Adrienne Guillory
Rebecca Destello
Clara Kliman-Silver
Matt Karakilic
Jennifer Romano
Over the past fifteen years, UX has transformed from a niche specialty into a mainstream business function, and recently into a profession facing intense disruption. Salaries surged during the tech boom years, roles became increasingly specialized, and organizations invested heavily in research, design systems, and product experience. Today, many UX professionals are navigating layoffs, hiring […]
Doing UX Alone – The Hidden Challenges and Advantages of Being a Solo Practitioner
Palace IJean Fox
Matt Karakilic
Gladys González Quesada
Marty Gage
Jennifer Romano
Many UX professionals work without the support of large research or design teams. They are the sole UX researcher, lone designer, fractional consultant, internal advocate, or independent practitioner responsible for everything from stakeholder alignment and user research to strategy, facilitation, and delivery. While discussions about UX often focus on mature organizations with established teams, the […]