I’m Kirk Castro.
All of my wealth is in my relationships.
I am a relational design leader with nearly a decade of product design experience and two years managing teams. I have a proven track record in user research, cross-functional collaboration, and aligning design strategies with business goals. I’m passionate about creating impactful, user-centric solutions that deliver measurable outcomes.
Experience
I lead a talented team of designers, developers, and UX specialists to improve user experiences across multiple brands. My efforts focus on driving measurable outcomes, such as increasing conversion rates and streamlining workflows through innovative design systems.
Lead a cross-functional team of designers, developers, and UX specialists to enhance experiences across pet insurance brands.
Spearheaded a 50% increase in policy conversion rates through user-centered design and strategic optimizations.
Designed and implemented organization-wide design systems, improving efficiency in design and development processes.
Developed and executed a hiring strategy, growing the UX team and establishing best practices.
I built and scaled a startup that transformed how veterinary practices operate, managing every aspect of product design and development. Through collaboration and leadership, I delivered impactful solutions that drove rapid user and revenue growth.
Directed cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions for hundreds of veterinary practices, scaling user bases by 100% year-over-year.
Led product discovery, validation, and execution for dozens of 0-to-1 projects, driving innovation in B2B applications.
Managed strategic partner relationships, overseeing integrations with external platforms to enhance customer experiences.
Built and mentored a team of designers, developers, and project managers, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.
I played a key role in enhancing Kajabi’s platform by designing impactful user interfaces and marketing materials. Leveraging my technical skills and design expertise, I delivered cohesive, user-friendly solutions that elevated the overall user experience.
Designed and developed UI web templates and internal platform features, utilizing HTML, CSS, SASS, and Ruby on Rails to deliver functional and visually engaging user interfaces.
Conducted comprehensive UX research to understand user needs, informing data-driven design decisions.
Created and maintained marketing materials that adhered to brand standards, enhancing product visibility and consistency.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of design elements into the overall platform.
Less relevant, but fun jobs…
Apparel designer working with a team of designers on seasonal lines of apparel.
Responsibilities included :
Contributing designs to the men’s and women’s lines
Color separation for print
Special orders for retailers such as The Buckle, Pac Sun, and Macy’s
Hurley
Graphic Designer
2010-2011
Freelance Designer
UI/UX Designer
2009 - Present
Mainly focused on UI/UX projects and branding, my freelance design work has spanned many mediums both digital and physical. Over the past decade I have worked for many clients including Oakley, Hurley, Microsoft, Gravity Payments, and more.
The Mash Bill
Founder and Chief “Whiskey” Officer
Jul 2018 - Mar 2020
In 2018, I founded The Mash Bill, a community to learn, discuss and taste whiskey from around the world. Each month we explored a different set of whiskeys and enjoy each others company. This organization taught me how to teach others in a concise, clear manner with passion and conviction. I also learned so much about hospitality and event coordination. The community grew to 50 monthly members, and hosted events, distillery tours, and more. Each year, I released a seasonal Aged Egg Nog that sold out hundreds of bottles in a matter of hours.
Things I’m Learning About
Fatherhood
Never going to stop learning here. These people are my life, and it’s an honor to be called their Dad. I will never take the title for granted.
See 1 second from every day of our 2024
AI Development
I’m dangerous enough behind the keyboard to hack my way around a front-end. I’ve been utilizing tools like v0 to build little apps like this cribbage calculator to learn more about using AI as a tool rather than a crutch.
Design Systems
I love design systems. I try to soak up as much knowledge as I can from people like Dan Mall and other DS leaders. Recently been diving more into the development side to more deeply understand the challenges engineers face when building component libraries.
Where is the work?
A Brief History
I was born and raised in Southern California. My wife and I met when we were 16, and we’ve been inseparable ever since. In 2016, I completed my degree, started a software company, and moved to Seattle. Soon afterward, we welcomed our first daughter into the family. Since then, we’ve had three more kids, bought our first home, sold the company, and learned a lot about ourselves along the way.
I’m a deeply passionate and curious person. I love diving into new hobbies and topics, immersing myself in a sea of information until I reach a tipping point where I have to start sharing what I’ve learned. A few years ago, I became fascinated with the process and complexity of whiskey. I read extensively, studied its history, and collected bottles from around the world. When family and friends got tired of hearing about it, I channeled my enthusiasm into a whiskey tasting club to share the excitement. This same pattern has played out in my life with rock climbing, cooking, motorcycles, and more. Learning and sharing are at the core of who I am.
One of my closest and wisest friends once said, “All of our wealth is in our relationships,” and I’ve shamelessly adopted it. I’m deeply grateful for the family and friends who’ve supported me throughout my journey, and I wouldn’t be where I am without them.
Art by Tom Deslongchamp
