Michael Woo
Head of User ExperienceOver the past 20 years, the greatest reward hasn’t just been the outcomes we’ve delivered—it’s been the journey. The relationships, shared challenges, and collective wins with colleagues and clients have shaped who I am as a leader and designer. Even more defining have been the risks I’ve taken along the way.
In my early twenties, I taught web design at a community college and coached a community basketball team. I’ve flipped homes on tight timelines and taken on multi-year renovations—doing much of the work myself. More recently, I’ve had the privilege of co-owning UpTop with my longtime colleague and friend, Craig, while also launching and running a successful Airbnb with my wife. Each chapter has stretched me, refined me, and strengthened my belief in building things that matter.
I’m deeply grateful for the love and support of my wife and our three boys—they’re my center. When I’m not partnering with clients or leading at UpTop, you’ll find me hosting guests with my wife, spending time with family, or passionately cheering on the Seahawks in pursuit of another Super Bowl.
Explore insights from Michael Woo
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UX ROI: Calculating the Business Impact of Great Design
Michael WooOrganizations rarely struggle to justify investments that directly increase revenue, reduce operating costs, or improve productivity. UX investments can be harder to evaluate because their financial impact often appears somewhere else in the business. A redesigned workflow may reduce support calls. A clearer customer portal may increase self-service adoption. Better research may prevent a product […]
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Product Governance: Syncing C-Suite Goals with CX Reality
Michael WooLeadership teams rarely lack goals for their digital products. They want higher adoption, greater customer retention, lower service costs, faster growth, more efficient operations, and platforms that can scale as the business changes. The difficulty is translating those ambitions into hundreds of smaller product decisions without losing sight of the customer experience along the way. […]
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UX vs. UI Design: Why It Matters for Modernization
Michael WooWhen a digital product is difficult to use, underperforming, or showing its age, one of the most common responses is: “We need to redesign the UI.” Sometimes that is true. An outdated interface can create real usability, accessibility, and credibility problems. But many digital products have problems that extend beyond what appears on the screen. […]
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Small Tweaks Can Provide Big UX Gains
Michael WooDiscover three of the biggest web strategy mistakes and how to avoid them with data-driven insights, UX best practices, and user-centered planning.
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UX Research vs. User Testing: Understanding the Strategy Gap
Michael WooOrganizations increasingly understand that they should involve users when building or modernizing digital products. The problem is that “involving users” can mean very different things. A product team may conduct usability tests before a release, collect feedback from customers, review analytics, and conclude that it has done UX research. Those activities can provide valuable evidence, […]
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UX Modernization vs. Digital Transformation: Key Distinctions
Michael WooUX modernization and digital transformation both involve meaningful digital change, but they solve different business problems. Understanding the distinction helps leaders set the right scope, investment, expectations, and measures of success. TL;DR UX modernization improves how an existing business delivers value. It addresses friction across digital experiences, workflows, legacy systems, accessibility, and supporting technology without […]
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Beyond SEO: Designing Websites for AI Discovery
Michael WooFor more than two decades, organizations have optimized their websites for search engines. They invested in keywords, metadata, backlinks, and technical performance to improve visibility in Google and other search platforms. Those efforts remain important, but the way people discover information is changing. Today, executives, buyers, and employees increasingly ask AI assistants to summarize products, […]
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Designing for Participation in Modern Digital Ecosystems
Michael WooOrganizations today face a common challenge: delivering digital experiences that not only attract users but also encourage meaningful participation. Whether you’re operating a customer portal, partner platform, knowledge-sharing ecosystem, community experience, or service marketplace, long-term success increasingly depends on your ability to turn passive users into active contributors. The most successful digital platforms understand a […]
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From Journey Map to Modernization Strategy
Michael WooMany organizations invest significant time and resources into customer journey mapping, only to treat the finished artifact as the end goal rather than the beginning of meaningful change. The reality is that a customer journey map is most valuable when it becomes an operational tool for continuous improvement. It should inform decisions about product strategy, […]
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Mindful Design: A Human-Centered Approach to UX
Michael WooMindfulness is often associated with meditation, stillness, or focus. At its core, it is about awareness. It is the practice of paying attention to what is actually happening without immediately reacting, judging, or jumping to conclusions. That mindset has direct application in UX design. Designing digital products is not just about solving problems quickly. It […]


