I'm a San Diego-based Product Manager with 8+ years of experience building products that drive customer and business outcomes.
Hey there, I’m Gillian…
I believe good products start with good questions.
For most of my career, I've worked as a content designer.
On paper, that meant designing onboarding systems, growth initiatives, and AI-powered products for companies like Intuit, Shopify, BILL, and Experian.
In practice, it meant figuring out why customers were stuck, where businesses were making assumptions, and how teams could turn complexity into something people actually wanted to use.
The work was never really about words. It was about strategy.
Over time, I realized the most important decisions weren't happening on the screen. They were happening before the screen existed—in product discussions, research findings, prioritization debates, and the frameworks teams used to make tradeoffs.
Today, I'm most interested in the questions that shape products before they're built:
What problem are we solving? Why does it matter? How do we know we're right?
The best teams I've worked with weren't organized around disciplines.
They were organized around curiosity.
And that's usually where the interesting stuff happens.
What I actually do
Build cross-functional alignment
The best ideas rarely come from one discipline. I enjoy bringing product, design, engineering, and leadership teams together around a shared vision.
Make complexity feel simple
Whether it's tax advice, expense management, ecommerce, or AI, I help translate complicated concepts into experiences people can actually use.
Shape AI-powered experiences
From prompt design and behavioral frameworks to AI-powered customer experiences, I help teams navigate ambiguity and build products people can understand and trust.
Design systems, not screens
From onboarding frameworks to AI experiences, I focus on the structures that shape customer behavior at scale.
Outside of work…
I'm usually reading three books at once, planning a trip I haven't booked yet, or negotiating with my dog, Hank (also known as my Chief Morale Officer).
If you'd like to work together, swap book recommendations, or nerd out about products, AI, and the people who use them, feel free to reach out.
Until then, thanks for stopping by!