Mike Gorrell | Designer

About

Building thoughtful products that transform complexity into clarity

I'm Mike Gorrell, currently leading design initiatives on AI Studio at Asana where I focus on making AI and automation feel less intimidating and more useful for teams. Previously at Twitter, I worked on reimagining advertising formats to create better experiences for both users and advertisers.

I believe in finding elegant solutions to complex challenges. My experience ranges from crafting enterprise ad solutions to building early-stage products, and now to designing collaborative AI tools. Each role has been about understanding intricate systems and transforming them into clear, effective solutions.

In my current role, I collaborate across disciplines and up and down the org chart – from product and engineering to research and data science to marketing and sales – to turn challenging AI concepts into features that feel natural and helpful. This means a lot of whiteboarding, prototyping, and working closely with teams across the business to get things right.

Outside of design, you can usually find me camping with my family, geeking out about personal finance, taking way too long to meticulously make my coffee in the morning, or giggling with my toddler.

A decade of transforming complex challenges into elegant solutions

Experience spanning AI interfaces, advertising platforms, and early-stage products, with expertise in making sophisticated systems feel intuitive and accessible.

2023 — Present

Design Lead, AI Experiences

Asana

Leading the design vision for AI integration across Asana's platform, establishing foundational patterns that make artificial intelligence feel natural and intuitive for millions of users.

Driving strategy and execution for AI Studio, transforming complex organizational workflows into seamless automated experiences through extensive cross-functional collaboration.

Spearheaded the design and strategy for Gantt charts, marking Asana's first major view launch in 5 years and setting new standards for project visualization.

Pioneered proactive AI experiences including intelligent project summarization and predictive suggestions, fundamentally reimagining how teams interact with their work.

Collaborating with C-level leadership to shape the future of work, presenting our AI vision at the inaugural Work Innovation Summit across global markets.

Designed Asana's AWS Q integration featured in AWS CEO's keynote, showcasing our commitment to enterprise-grade AI solutions.

2021 — 2023

Senior Product Designer

Twitter

Reimagined Twitter's advertising formats to create meaningful value for businesses while preserving and enhancing the core user experience.

Led the design of Dynamic Product Ads and Interactive Text experiences, increasing advertiser engagement by 40% through innovative, contextually relevant solutions.

Shaped strategic initiatives including Video monetization and Creator-Advertiser marketplace through high-fidelity prototypes and data-driven iteration.

Established frameworks for tackling ambiguous customer problems by defining clear scope and building cross-functional alignment.

2018 — 2019

Creative Director

Hackster.io

Transformed the platform's visual identity through a comprehensive design system that unified the experience across all touchpoints.

Cultivated partnerships with industry leaders including Google, Microsoft, and Amazon to elevate brand storytelling.

Established clear brand voice and visual guidelines that resonated with our technical audience while maintaining accessibility.

2019 — 2020

Visual & Product Designer

Rare Bits

Pioneered design patterns for early NFT marketplace, achieving 40K+ users and 40% weekly retention through intuitive mobile experiences.

Created cohesive brand identity system that effectively communicated complex blockchain concepts to mainstream audiences.

Drove user engagement through thoughtful UI design, resulting in $1.15 ARPU within first quarter.

2016 — 2017

Visual Designer

GE Digital

Crafted unified visual narrative across business units to communicate GE's impact on industrial transformation.

Developed scalable design systems for marketing communications and executive presentations.

Established guidelines for integrated illustration and photography usage across platforms.

2014 — 2016

Creative Lead

Christ Community CU

Led 30-person creative team while managing comprehensive rebrand including website redesign and content strategy.

Directed design for major community initiatives including Aruna Run series, driving significant engagement and social impact.

Established consistent brand voice across digital and print touchpoints including annual reports and marketing materials.

Building products and designing solutions that bring clarity to complexity.

Selected work

AI Studio

Launching Asana AI

Dynamic Product Ads

Spaces Monetization

Twitter Poster Ads

Twitter Interactive Text