About

I bring the discipline of a professional musician and educator to product design.

After 15+ years of performing and teaching, I moved into UX/UI to apply the same habits of observation, communication, feedback, and refinement to digital products.

That background trained me to observe closely, explain complex ideas, respond to feedback, and improve through repetition. These are skills I now use to make complicated tasks easier to understand and complete.

Based in Pittsburgh · Available immediately · Open to on-site, hybrid, and remote Product Designer roles

Artistry

Years of performing shaped my sensitivity to rhythm, pacing, hierarchy, and emotional tone. Those instincts help me organize information and give each interface a clear visual structure.

Precision

I work carefully through user flows, component states, responsive behavior, and documentation. During my UT Austin capstone, I helped build a component-based Figma system that supported consistency across the team's designs.

Communication

As a professor, I learned to explain complex material, give useful feedback, and adjust for different learners. Those skills now support design critiques, research sessions, presentations, and collaboration.

Discipline

Professional performance required preparation, consistency, and close collaboration under pressure. I bring the same reliability to design work through organized files, careful reviews, and repeated testing.

Portrait of Christopher Wilson on a warm caramel studio backdrop

Skills & Tools

A mix of product design, user research, and prototyping skills built through hands-on projects and formal UX training.

01

Product Design

Turn research and requirements into structured digital experiences, with enough HTML/CSS literacy to collaborate closely with engineers and hand off implementation-ready designs.

  • Interaction Design
  • User Flows
  • Information Architecture
  • Wireframing
  • Prototyping
  • Visual Design
  • Responsive Design
  • Design Systems
02

UX Research

Learning from users and using evidence to inform design decisions.

  • User Interviews
  • Usability Testing
  • Survey Research
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Research Synthesis
  • Personas
  • Journey Mapping
03

Tools

Using modern design and prototyping tools alongside front-end fundamentals to create, test, and communicate solutions.

  • Figma
  • FigJam
  • Lovable
  • HTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript
Timeline

From the stage
to the screen.

My path into product design began in professional music and higher education. Each role strengthened skills I now use in research, collaboration, presentation, critique, and iterative problem-solving.

Download Résumé

  1. May 2026

    UX Certification

    Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g)

    • Completed NN/g certification coursework in UX research and evaluation.

  2. March 2026

    Post Graduate Program in User Experience Design: UI/UX for Data-Driven Business Applications

    UT Austin McCombs School of Business (12-week program)

    • Completed the 12-week Post Graduate Program in UX Design: UI/UX for Data-Driven Business Applications through UT Austin McCombs School of Business.
    • Led a capstone project spanning UX research, interaction design, prototyping, and usability testing.
    • Applied research and iterative methods to real-world product challenges, developing skills in information architecture, design systems, accessibility, and user flows.

  3. 2025 — Present

    Product Designer

    Independent

    • Led the Pittsburgh Cares redesign for first-time volunteers, corporate organizers, and returning volunteers. Usability testing identified friction in the group-booking flow, and follow-up participants rated the revised experience 5/5 for ease of use.
    • Designed Practice Pulse, a mobile app for musicians grounded in user interviews and iterative testing.
    • Led quantitative research and synthesis for Smart Budget, a six-person capstone project, using a 23-participant survey to anchor dashboard and alert priorities.

  4. April 2025

    Google UX Design Certificate

    Google / Coursera

    • Completed a project-based certificate covering the full UX process and built fluency in Figma, wireframing, and usability testing.

  5. 2022 — Presentongoing part-time

    Adjunct Professor of Music and Brass Area Coordinator

    Duquesne University

    • Designed modular learning systems and facilitated weekly critique sessions to improve engagement and iterative refinement.
    • Mentored students through individualized coaching and simplified complex concepts into accessible, user-focused learning experiences.

  6. 2017 — Presentongoing part-time

    Principal Trumpet

    Pittsburgh Opera

    • Delivered high-performance execution in fast-paced, collaborative environments requiring precision and adaptability.
    • Interpreted complex systems live on stage while maintaining consistency under pressure.
    • Developed acute attention to timing, rhythm, emotional communication, and experiential flow.

  7. 2009 — 2020

    Professor of Trumpet

    Arkansas State University

    • Led curriculum development and long-term instructional strategy for undergraduate and graduate students.
    • Applied iterative coaching, feedback, and mentorship to improve individual student growth and performance outcomes.

  8. 2001 — 2009

    Trumpet Player

    United States Air Force Band, Washington DC

    • Performed in elite, high-visibility environments for presidential events, national ceremonies, and international audiences.
    • Developed exceptional discipline, communication, situational awareness, and execution under pressure.
Beyond the Resume

The work that doesn't fit on a CV.

Side projects, speaking, mentorship, and community.

Side Project

Practice Pulse

A self-initiated mobile product designed to help musicians begin practice sessions faster and build more consistent habits. I led the project from interviews and synthesis through prototyping and formative usability testing.

View Case Study

Speaking

Masterclasses & guest lectures

Regularly invited to lead masterclasses and guest sessions at universities and conservatories on performance, pedagogy, and creative discipline.

Community

Mentoring emerging musicians

Ongoing one-on-one mentorship for early-career trumpet players navigating auditions, graduate study, and the realities of a performance career.

Service

Pittsburgh arts ecosystem

Active contributor to the local arts community through performances, collaborations, and outreach with regional ensembles and educational programs.