Tony Gonzalez — Product Designer

Tony Gonzalez, smiling, in a cap and glasses

Overthinking things so your users never have to.

Product designer at Backstory (formerly People.ai), turning mountains of deal intelligence into tools sales leaders actually trust. Former architect. Still can’t resist a good door handle.

Skip to the work

Process

Design is a discipline not a decoration.

Accessibility first
Every decision starts with: can everyone use this? Accessibility isn’t a feature — it’s the foundation. If people can’t use your thing, they won’t.
Behavior over sentiment
When asked, people sometimes say “I like it” even if they barely use it. What people do matters more than what they say.
Data over instincts
Observe, don’t lead. Control the variables. Let users reveal truth rather than confirm assumptions.
Ship small, learn fast
The smallest meaningful change, instrumented and measured. Impact over output — always.

Before designing anything, I build a deep understanding of the people I’m designing for: what they want, what they actually need, and the context and resources they’re working with. That understanding shapes every decision that follows.
- Wants
- Needs
- Context & Resources
A design only works if the team can build it. I learn how the team is made up, what it’s aiming for, what resources it has, and where its strengths are, so the design plays to them.
- Business Reality
- Team Constraints
I move quickly to get an interactive prototype into users’ hands. Then I study what they actually do, not just what they say, and let that behavior guide the next round.
- Get It In Front of People Fast
- Behavior vs. Sentiment
- Observe, Don’t Lead
I ship as soon as I can and watch real behavior from day one. What I learn becomes the brief for the next sprint.
- Small and Instrumented
- Measure, Don’t Guess