John Joran Design
I help enterprise teams move faster, think clearer, and deliver better outcomes through UX leadership, prototyping, and design systems. With over 15 years in digital strategy and experience design — including five years leading cross-functional initiatives at Optum — I bring a modern, outcome-driven approach to product clarity and team alignment.
Whether I’m simplifying complex workflows, building scalable design systems, or prototyping future-state experiences, my focus is always the same: reduce friction, accelerate delivery, and make the invisible visible.
Leadership philosopy
I lead with clarity, collaboration, and momentum. Here’s how that shows up in my work:
Clarity through prototyping
I visualize ambiguity to align teams and accelerate decisions
Systems thinking
I build scalable frameworks that unify design and engineering
Participatory design
I facilitate co-creation to uncover insights and build trust
Strategic storytelling
I connect design outcomes to business impact
Joran Design 2005–present
Founder
Independent consultancy focused on helping enterprise teams reduce friction, accelerate delivery, and communicate complex ideas with clarity. Through visual storytelling, prototyping, and systems thinking, I turn ambiguity into direction and direction into measurable outcomes.
Optum (UnitedHealth Group) 2019–2025
Assiciate Director, Experience Design, Consumer Experience
Led UX and CX strategy for consumer web and AI-enabled services, aligning creative direction with product and marketing teams to drive conversion, accessibility, and cross-channel consistency for optum.com.
Principal User Experience Designer
Owned end-to-end UX for enterprise portals and consumer flows; drove participatory design and prototyping to reduce task time, lower support volume, and scale reusable components across product teams.
Thomson Reuters 2008–2019
Lead UX Designer, Global Creative Services
Directed global UX and brand standards for thomsonreuters.com, evolving the pattern library and iconography to support responsive marketing experiences and enterprise accessibility compliance.
Senior Interactive Designer, Global Creative Services
Designed omni-channel creative campaigns and AEM components, collaborating with content and development teams to deliver quality responsive pages and templates.
McGraw-Hill Higher Education 2005–2008
Designer
Created and oversaw the production of textbook covers, interior layouts, and art programs that balanced pedagogical clarity with visual storytelling, contributing to notable publications and improved product adoption.
Move your product forward
Whether you need design leadership, systems thinking, or a clear path through complexity, I bring strategic clarity and measurable impact to every engagement.