Hello, I’m Joseph Smietanski.
My 20+ year career journey in design has been defined by one constant: great design emerges from great teams, clear vision, and an unwavering commitment to business impact.
My approach combines strategic vision with operational excellence—evolving from executing UX processes to defining them, from contributing to products to shaping digital enterprise portfolios, and from managing teams to building cultures where creativity and psychological safety fuel innovation.
Brand Experience & Career Evolution
Throughout my design and leadership career, I’ve solved complex problems for diverse organizations—from local nonprofits to global brands, including Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies.
I’ve designed for and/or led design for Domino’s Pizza, OSU Medical Center, Santander, Chrysler Capital, Maserati Capital, Fiat, Sony PlayStation, Chevrolet, General Motors, Cadillac Financial, and General Motors Financial.
This breadth of experience across multiple industries has shaped my ability to adapt strategic approaches while maintaining design excellence.
UX Leadership at GM Financial
As AVP of UX for General Motors Financial, I owned the strategic direction and delivery of the UX organization, overseeing all product design and research across B2C and B2B auto finance portfolios. This included flagship digital properties serving millions of customers, mobile apps, and innovative prototypes for future financial experiences.
9
Awards Won
7
Industries Served
6
IO Countries Supported
5
Fortune 100 Companies Served
Strategic Impact & Business Results
Organizational Transformation at GM Financial
I joined as the third UX hire at GM Financial, where I built a world-class UX department from the ground up and delivered products for one of the world's largest captive auto lenders. I developed a mature UX practice where none existed—establishing processes, building teams, defining vision, and delivering measurable outcomes.
Strategic Outcomes
Earned nine industry design awards over five years.
Drove multiple measurable conversion gains, including a 20.7% increase in conversions for the GM Financial credit application.
Built a robust design system, evolving from early foundations to a mature multi-brand system.
+2
UX Maturity Levels
+17
6
4
UX Disciplines Managed
Vision & Strategic Leadership
Defining General Motors Financial's UX Future
Great design organizations require intentional vision, clear roadmaps, effective change management, and relentless execution.
Vision & Direction
Established a UX mission statement and five-year strategic vision aligned with business objectives.
Created UX maturity roadmap guiding systematic capability development.
Balanced process rigor with flexibility across evolving agile frameworks.
Change Management
Managed four UX vendor partnerships, ensuring quality and alignment.
Navigated organizational change through five managers, three SVPs, two EVPs, and two CEOs.
Built strong stakeholder relationships across Product, Engineering, Marketing, and Executive Leadership.
Led distributed teams across 5 states and various time-zones through in-office, hybrid, and remote models.
I turn complex problems into intuitive, elegant experiences that move the needle for businesses and delight users. Have a challenge worth solving? Let's talk.