Tanner Christensen — Product Designer, Builder & Author

I’m Tanner Christensen, a product designer, builder, and author working on complex software.

Today I design software for autonomous systems at Anduril Industries. Previously I designed products and systems at Netflix, Gem, Lyft, Atlassian, and Facebook.

Much of my career has been spent working on difficult interaction problems: tools for autonomous systems, platforms for creators and advertisers, internal tools, and design systems. The common thread is making complicated systems understandable to the people who use them.

My work

At Netflix, I designed systems and tools that helped product teams communicate with members, as well as internal tools for tracking and using proprietary information.

At Gem, I was the company’s first design hire and Head of Design, where I established the product design practice, team, and strategy.

Before that, I designed autonomous transportation tools at Lyft, mobile platform experiences at Atlassian, and products at Facebook spanning Ads Manager, creative expression, camera effects, profiles, and internal design tooling.

A favorite recommendation from Arkesh Patel, Group Product Manager at Lyft Level 5:

"From his very first day at Lyft, it was clear Tanner would drive a step change improvement in the quality of our work. He never shied away from asking tough questions or digging deep to understand what users actually wanted... it resulted in some of the best work our team has ever shipped."

What I’m interested in now

My work increasingly sits at the intersection of product design, autonomy, robotics, and human-machine interaction. I’m interested in interfaces that help people understand, direct, and collaborate with increasingly capable machines.

How should a person understand what an autonomous system is doing? How do we give someone meaningful control without requiring constant supervision? How should software communicate uncertainty, intent, authority, risk, and changing conditions?

These are design problems, but they’re also questions about trust, judgment, and responsibility. They’re the kinds of problems I want to keep exploring.

Using Blender for exploring designs for how autonomous vehicles can indicate signals to engineers at Lyft.

How I got here

I started designing software as a teenager, then I started engineering it too. And I just never stopped.

I became interested in digital design because it felt magical. I was drawn to the ability to create something from nothing, form from chaos, and function from disarray without needing permission. I didn’t go to school for design; I learned by making things and finding my way through the work.

I think good design helps clarify problems and makes ideas tangible enough for people to question, test, and improve. I look for inspiration in other industries, unusual edge cases, and imaginary hypotheticals. I learn from my failures and adjust my approach.

I also support the teams I’m part of by connecting ideas and nudging others toward alternative approaches. I believe attention to detail matters because the quality of the small things is reflected in the quality of the whole.

Writing and making

Outside of my primary work, I write about design, creativity, technology, and the process of making things.

I’m the author of The Creativity Challenge, published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

The Creativity Challenge book. — My first published book: The Creativity Challenge, which provides more than 100 ways to practice creative thinking.

I also build independent software, including Centerand Snaplight. Making my own products gives me a place to experiment and keeps me close to the details of turning an idea into something real. I write about what I learn here on my website.

My work and ideas have been published in major publications such as The New York Times, Forbes, The New Yorker, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, and Wired.

Some fun mentions:

Tanner moderating a panel on stage at In/Visible Talks, with a large audience seated in the room. — Moderating a creativity panel at In/Visible Talks in San Francisco, California.

Personal life and inspiration

I live in sunny Southern California with my wife, executive design leader Jasmine Christensen. We live with our two dogs, Bacon and Meatloaf.

I believe there is rarely a single path or solution to problems. And I think inspiration can come from anywhere, depending on how you look at the world around you.

Elsewhere

You can find my professional work and career history on LinkedIn, and my author profile and The Creativity Challenge through Simon & Schuster.