I'm a Senior Product Designer with an 8+ year specialty in web apps for developer and retail experiences who is dedicated to crafting simple, pleasant, and usable experiences for humans.
Senior product designer at DigitalOcean
Case Studies
DigitalOcean | Cloud Computing & Hosting
RBAC - Custom Roles
Guided custom role creation with required and related permissions, PAT alignment, and lifecycle management in role access.
DigitalOcean | Cloud Computing & Hosting
RBAC - Predefined Roles
Adding 3 new roles to simplify users' more granular access needs with more restrictive RBAC solutions.
DigitalOcean | Cloud Computing & Hosting
DDoS Protection
Building an e2e simple "set it and forget it" experience for DigitalOcean users against DDoS Attacks so users are protected and informed about their networks.
Me in a nutshell
Spanning across cloud infrastructure, IAM (Identity and Access Management), and retail eCommerce. I turn ambiguous, complex problems into measurable, usable, and delightful experiences for B2B and B2C users.
Leadership that ships
Led a team of 8 designers through a tight launch, giving designers a sense of ownership of their product. Also mentored junior and mid-level designers, helping them grow their skills and confidence.
IAM & eCommerce specialist
Deep experience in IAM, platform-wide permissions, audit-friendly logs, and enhancing the eCommerce shopping experience from product discovery to checkout. Every design decision directly affects security and revenue.
Product Design × Design Engineering
Senior product designer that leverages tools to build realistic prototypes in code to validate early, reduce handoff friction, and increase shipping speed from PRD to GA.
Own end-to-end experiences
I define strategic opportunities, simplify complex workflows, and lead design from concept to delivery with product and engineering partners - balancing craft, speed, user empathy, and business impact.
Collaboration at the center
I partner closely with product, engineering, researchers, security, pdocs, and other stakeholders to strategize product requirements, insert user voices, run workshops, share context early, and align on trade-offs and shifting requirements so design decisions stick while keeping teams focused and unblocked. Strong collaboration turns fuzzy goals into shipped work the whole team can stand behind.
Kind words
View kind words boardI've had the privilege of having AJ as my mentor throughout my time at DigitalOcean, starting back when I was just an intern. Her extensive knowledge of our design system and product experience means I can ask her anything and get good guidance.
AJ stands out in her ability to think at multiple levels at once. She doesn't just design, she strategizes. She naturally considers business goals, technical constraints, and user needs together.
She also pushed me, consistently and generously, to stand up for the user experience even when it was the harder path. That kind of mentorship is rare, and it's shaped how I approach my work every day. I'm really lucky to continue working with her.
- Isabel S, associate product designer
AJ has demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication as a senior designer at DigitalOcean. Her contributions across various projects have significantly impacted the company's growth and customer satisfaction. AJ's ability to blend research, customer journey understanding, and technical insight has been invaluable. On concurrent priorities, she helped ensure that key features moved toward launch despite shifting product direction.
- John H, senior product design manager
AJ was an exceptional partner on the launches of Custom Roles, SSO, and Session Management work for DigitalOcean's cloud platform. The team had to pivot directions multiple times, and each time AJ has stepped in and effectively "saved the day" with thoughtful, well-structured solutions.
Her designs are consistently customer-centric, balancing technical rigor with what will create the best possible user experience. I especially appreciate AJ's ability to recommend clear priorities, highlighting which enhancements will drive the most value and where we can responsibly cut scope to deliver on time.
Beyond the excellent quality of work, AJ brings a collaborative, positive energy that elevates the entire team. Her partnership has been invaluable, and I'd happily work with her again on any complex, high-impact initiative.
- Molly H, IAM senior product manager
I had the privilege to work closely with AJ Zichella on the IAM team at DigitalOcean, and she made a lasting impact on both the product and the team.
AJ brings a rare combo of big-picture product thinking and attention to consistency across our entire UX. She isn't "just" a designer - she takes true ownership of the product, treating it as if it were her own. That mindset consistently showed up in the quality of her work and the clarity of direction she brought.
What stood out most to me was how closely she partnered with engineering. AJ is deeply invested in making sure what we ship is not only polished, but genuinely useful for users. She asks the right questions, challenges assumptions, and keeps the team aligned on delivering real value.
On top of that, she demonstrates strong leadership and accountability. She raised the bar for those around her and followed through on commitments in a way that built trust across the team.
AJ was invaluable to our work on IAM, and any team would be lucky to have her. I can't recommend her enough.
- Michael C, senior software engineer II