Robert Charnley
Design Lead – UX | Visual | Product · Apexon
San Francisco, CA
In My Own Words
<p><strong>• </strong><strong style="color: black;">Senior UX Product Design Lead</strong><span style="color: black;"> with over 20 years of experience in visual, functional product, and user experience design for </span><strong style="color: black;">leading international companies. </strong>With a background in <strong>visual, functional, and user experience design, </strong>I drive end-to-end design for global brands across B2C, B2B, SaaS, e-commerce, Lifestyle, HealthTech, Automotive (EV), and emerging technology sectors.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>• </strong><strong style="color: black;">Proven ability to thrive in agile environments</strong><span style="color: black;">, adapting to changing priorities and delivering high-quality results on time and within budget. </span></p><p><strong>• </strong><strong style="color: black;">Expertise in recruiting, managing, mentoring, and leading design teams </strong><span style="color: black;">to foster a collaborative and innovative work culture.</span></p><p><strong>• </strong><strong style="color: black;">Passionate about technology and innovation,</strong><span style="color: black;"> with a keen interest in human cognition and behavior. </span></p><p><strong>• </strong><strong style="background-color: white; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Strong conceptual design thinking, visual design, and web design principles.</strong></p><p><strong>• Proficient in responsive design for iOS & Android</strong>, storyboards, user flows, wireframing, and prototyping <span style="color: black;"> </span></p><p><span style="color: black;"> </span>(<strong>Figma, Adobe CC</strong>), as well as collaboration tools (<strong>Mural, Miro, Figjam, Jira, Confluence, Asana, Monday</strong>).</p><p><strong>• </strong><span style="color: black;">Extensive experience in </span><strong style="color: black;">B2C | Enterprise SAAS | B2B | Lifestyle - Commerce, HealthTech, Automotive</strong><span style="color: black;"> (EV), and </span><strong style="color: black;">Emerging Technologies.</strong></p><p><br></p><p>I am driven by a passion for innovation, technology, and human behavior, with a strong belief in <strong>creating intuitive products that improve lives. </strong>When not designing, you’ll find me running Bay Area trails, cooking up new dishes, or seeking obscure music experiences.</p>
Work Experience
Senior UI/UX/CX Design
Apexon2021 – 2025
Led UX strategy and delivery across Fortune 500 client projects in healthcare, automotive, and e-commerce. Drove innovation, scaled design systems, and aligned stakeholders through workshops and agile rituals. Apexon focuses on GenAI-led solutions, engineering intelligent enterprises, and delivering human-centric digital experiences. Key Clients: • Transformed the Kidneylink platform into a HIPAA-compliant, responsive digital solution; reduced task steps by 50% and increased user adoption and satisfaction, improving physician-care and patient outcomes. • Led UX for Voltera’s EV charging platform, delivering enhanced site management and admin/customer portals that improved operational efficiency by 10%, release velocity across a 6-track squad launching within 12 months. • Enhanced Telehealth services at Kaiser Permanente for 2M+ users by unifying design standards and increasing accessibility across iOS and Android platforms. • Modernized eCommerce UX for Lifescan, improving diabetic patient engagement and reducing cart abandonment through mobile-first design omnichannel solutions. • Established and prioritized global design systems across multiple products, accelerating sprint velocity and aligning cross-functional teams/squads around shared UX goals. • Facilitated cross-functional workshops, stakeholder reviews, and agile sprint planning to align priorities and drive product delivery.
Creative Lead, UX/UI Consultant
BoardroomOne2021 – 2021
Directed and led design for an immersive spatial-audio networking platform for professionals. Live App Store • Developed core product experience from concept to launch, integrating real-time audio interaction models. • Delivered high-level concepts to high-fidelity prototypes and brand identity aligned with investor and user feedback.
Creative Director / Lead UX Consultant
ROBERT CHARNLEY inc.2014 – 2021
Drove consumer-centric design across performance and lifestyle verticals. • Created seasonal concepts that balanced user needs with commercial strategy, fueling +15% YoY growth. • Synthesized user research into scalable visual systems, helping align multi-channel brand experiences. Clients include: WANDR, 4KINSHIP, COMRADSOCKS.COM, PANTONE, GOUNCOGNITO.COM, VIEW-PUBLICATIONS
Senior Designer
The North Face2011 – 2018
• Leading the seasonal vision and responsible for the overall design direction and in the categories Run+Train and more recently lead designer for men’s Urban Exploration category translating TNF technical outerwear expertise for the lifestyle market. • Creating and providing concepts and style direction to the design team, mentoring & developing team skills and responsibilities to achieve goals. • Actively driving the growth of brand by positioning and defining a new categories within performance and lifestyle. • Responsible for branding and storytelling at all levels of the company through key stages and season presentations. • Developed a new innovative training category with growth from a zero existing business to the largest growth driver and marketing spend in the history of TNF. • Introducing new climbing line driven by innovation through athlete culture, creative vision, knowledge and global analysis, research of competitors, influences, market trends, colour and textiles. • Providing design work of progressive and technologically advanced products that exceed the expectations of the company's customers and end users, which in turn has driven company sales and profits. • Work closely with Creative Director on design strategy and creative design direction settings for specific categories.
Design Manager
HENRI LLOYD2009 – 2010
Led product innovation and design direction for technical lifestyle apparel, with a strong focus on cross-functional collaboration and customer experience. • Directed high-impact design initiatives, including custom outfits for F1 drivers (Schumacher, Button), blending performance innovation with brand storytelling. • Mentored and managed an agile design team, delivering sprint-based deliverables aligned with evolving business and customer needs.
Design consultant. Working with the in house team
GOOSE DESIGN2009 – 2010
A London-based hub of creatives that specialize in the creative evolution of global brands. • Responsible for trend research, concept creation, design & development of product ranges. • Working with the in-house team coordinating key global brands: FIFA, Li Ning & Puma (Olympics).
Lead Designer: Concepts & Design
UMBRO (a subsidary of NIKE, Inc.)2005 – 2008
Drove cross-category product strategy and creative leadership for global lifestyle and performance collections. • Led concept development and UX-informed product design, spearheading collaborations with Kim Jones, Philip Treacy, TUMI, and The Royal College of Art (guest lecturer) to elevate brand perception. • Streamlined team operations and creative processes across product verticals, fostering design consistency and scalable systems thinking.
Senior Design Manager
PUMA1999 – 2005
Headed global design initiatives across performance and lifestyle product lines, translating user insights into scalable design strategies • Conducted user research with elite athletes, including Usain Bolt, to drive human-centered design decisions and launch athlete-first innovations. • Partnered with development, product, and marketing teams to align design systems with business goals and emerging market trends, strengthening cross-functional impact. • Managed and led cross-functional design teams, fostering creativity and ensuring high-quality output while mentoring.
Education
Projects
BoardroomOne
https://boardroom.one/An immersive spatial-audio networking platform for professionals - B1 enables governments and enterprises to manage communication with confidence, enforcing privacy, ensuring compliance, and preserving institutional memory across borders and bandwidths.
Apexon - Project EV fleet powerhouse
https://www.apexon.com/resources/case-studies/the-ev-fleet-powerhouse-electrifies-the-road-to-a-sustainable-future/Driving the Green Tech Revolution in EV Charging Infrastructure - In partnership with this EV Fleet Powerhouse, is spearheading the development of innovative NOC systems by providing robust CI/CD and DevOps support. This collaboration assures seamless operations and optimal performance of the company’s charging stations, efficient management of infrastructure, marking a milestone in driving sustainable EV charging solutions. Forging a carbon-free transportation future and operating the infrastructure that enables our customers to succeed at scale with zero-emission vehicles.
The North Face - Walls are meant for climbing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYBVINzxpdkDesigned and directly inspired by core outdoor & indoor athletes who have built their lives around a love of climbing. A unique, end-user inspired collection of climb-specific performance apparel. Proud Moments: • Editor's Award in Climbing Magazine 2018. • Alex Honnold giving my shorts the thumbs up! (Honnold, the first climber to free solo Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan wall)
Interests
Skills
Industries
Activity
Recent posts, comments and shares.