// Director of Product Design

Steve
Nash

Product through acquisition. Design through reinvention. A builder who came up through design, now leading with AI.

New York, NY

// About

Designer who builds. Joined Playground xyz as employee #1, grew it for six years, then GumGum acquired us. Now I lead product design across GumGum's ad products — moving the team from Figma into code-native, AI-assisted workflows.

Outcomes over craft. Ship over spec.

// Experience

2 yrs 8 mos

New York

Director of Product Design

Aug 2025 – Present

Director, Product, Ad Products and Tools

Aug 2023 – Nov 2025

Actively moving the design team from Figma into code-native, AI-assisted workflows, with hands-on use of AI coding tools and agentic pipelines in production.
Championing the designer-builder model across the product org, closing the gap between design and engineering through AI tooling.
Led post-acquisition integration of Playground xyz’s ad units into GumGum’s North American markets, ensuring seamless adoption and maximising impact.
Integrated and scaled cross-functional teams across product design and product management, bridging Playground xyz and GumGum talent through the transition.
Partnered closely with sales to develop and launch go-to-market creative strategies, including interactive demos of cutting-edge ad units and technologies.
Pioneered creative attention platforms that changed how brands measure consumer engagement with rich media.
Presented creative attention research and products at AdWeek Asia in Tokyo.

7 yrs 7 mos

Sydney

Head of Product

Feb 2019 – Aug 2023

Head of Design

Feb 2016 – Feb 2019

First employee and foundational leader, architecting the creative and product structure that drove double-digit year-over-year growth, culminating in a successful acquisition six years later.
Established Playground xyz as an industry leader, renowned for delivering innovative, high-quality ad-tech solutions that set new market standards.
Pioneered the development of attention-based eye-tracking solutions, transforming early prototypes into a standalone business line and app with over 30,000 panelists.
Built and scaled a high-performing team of 25 across creative, product, and operations, driving rapid innovation, streamlined execution, and fast go-to-market strategies.

2 yrs 1 mo

Sydney

UX Lead

Jan 2013 – Jan 2015

Pioneered mobile product innovation in a pre-iPhone and Android era, leading a team of creatives to define groundbreaking mobile experiences.
Developed cutting-edge animations and interactive ad formats, pushing the boundaries of technology and engagement.
Played a key role in shifting ad spend from desktop to mobile, driving early adoption and transformation in the digital advertising landscape.

2 yrs 6 mos

Sydney

Senior UX Consultant

Aug 2010 – Jan 2013

Provided high-impact consulting for major Australian and global brands, including Microsoft Australia, Vodafone, NSW Government, Australian Defence Force, and Domino's Pizza.
Led UX strategy within Agile teams, delivering complex, customized solutions that drove measurable outcomes on highly accessible solutions.
Earned trusted partnerships through excellence, leading multiple high-stakes engagements and being specifically requested for repeat secondments by Microsoft Australia.

View full experience on LinkedIn

// Featured