Senior Product Designer for apps people actually love, at scale.
UX Design · YouVersion Bible App
The Today screen had everything and that was the problem. Video devotionals from world-class partners were getting ignored. Kids content was showing up for people without kids. I redesigned the whole experience around one idea: show people what's relevant to them, in the order that matters to them. Engagement with video content jumped nearly 50%.
Bible engagement in Africa was low. Not because people didn't want it — because the app was too heavy to keep. I had 4 months, no team, and one shot to design something that fit a phone, worked offline, and still built a daily habit. It reached 10M+ users across 192 countries.
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People didn't just want to know if it would rain today. They wanted to know if it would rain in the next 20 minutes. I designed MinuteCast, a circular interactive forecast that shows weather minute by minute, simple enough to read at a glance. It became one of AccuWeather's biggest features, now used by 120M+ users across every platform.
View →Weather widgets are boring by design. Static numbers, no personality. I explored what it would look like if the widget actually felt like the weather, live backgrounds, animations that matched conditions, and a way to make it yours. The design work was complete. Whether it shipped is a story for another day.
Illustration · Motion · Procreate
Before the apps, there was advertising. That world taught me one thing that stuck: the idea is everything. I still hold every product I design to that same standard.
Advertising taught me that attention is earned in half a second. I've never stopped designing that way.
Design Philosophy
I start with instinct, not structure.
I follow tension before I follow frameworks.
I zoom out before I zoom in.
I explore widely, then narrow deliberately.
I move forward, then step back.
I test, reflect, adjust, repeat.
I let the work breathe before refining it.
I trust the feeling. Then I validate it.
I remove as much as I add.
I stop when it feels inevitable, not when it feels finished.
YouVersion Bible App · Illustration Direction
This is the new illustration direction for the YouVersion Bible App. We wanted the Bible to feel real, bold, and human. Something a person clearly made. Each piece is built from scraps of paper holding a Bible verse.
The principle behind it: Warm enough to invite. Real enough to touch. Bold enough to stand. Texture over flatness. Rough edges over polish. Every layer adds meaning, not decoration.
Packaging · Advertising · Brand
Packaging designed to feel personal. Print that carries a point of view. Work that holds up in your hands as well as on screen.
Brand Identity · Packaging · Creative Direction
As Creative Director for HAAN Corporation, I built the brand from scratch. Identity, voice, packaging, print. Everything was made to feel like it came from a person, not a corporation.
Creativity doesn't clock out. When I'm not designing products I'm painting, building, or making something with my hands. This is what that looks like.
I love creating. Interior design, oil paintings, apps, it doesn't matter, my mind doesn't really stop. I get paid to make things. And I genuinely love it.
I also like people, a lot. Talking to them, understanding what they need, and then building something that actually helps them. That's what makes this work feel worth it.
gianninathomas26@gmail.com ↗Selected Experience
Product design, feature design, and UX work. Tell me what you're building.
Let's see if it's a fit ↗Typically responds within 24 hours · Based in the US · Open to remote
