Nicholas Kao
AI Product Designer
Solo designer on four internal products at Apple, gathering the requirements, designing the product, and implementing the frontend.
Innovation Award, 2026, for expanding the designer role with AI.
Work
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AI Collaboration Platform
Design multiplayer AI so a team can run a manufacturing analysis together and build on each other’s work.
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Environmental Reporting
Design how materials data from dozens of systems becomes one source of truth, so teams can see the environmental impact of the materials they’ve chosen.
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Manufacturing File Approvals
Modernized a legacy bill-of-materials system where vendors submit manufacturing files and Apple’s approval sends the part to mass production.
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Org Site
Own the internal platform where the manufacturing design org finds its tools, resources, education, and culture in one place.
Stack
- Claude This is where the design work happens now. I think out loud, argue with it, write the spec, and it builds the frontend.
- Ghostty Where Claude runs, so it’s open all day.
- shadcn/ui Shipped close to default, so the interesting decisions stay in layout and flow.
- Lucide One icon set, used straight.
- Mobbin Visual reference. Screens from products people actually use.