CX/UX LEADER · STRATEGIST
ArchitectingHumanExperiences.
Twenty years at the intersection of Experience Design (UX/UI) and Experience Management (Product) — designing common-sense human experiences at telecom scale. Currently Director, Experience Management at Verizon. Founder of CNG Studios since 2009 — home to My Pixie Suite, twelve AI apps for small businesses.
20+
Years CX/UX Practice
Operating since
2009
Selected Work
Global Impact
>26M
Lives positively impacted through strategic UX overhauls and CX system migrations across major telecommunications portfolios.
Publication
How to be a BAD Manager
A satirical guide to leadership failures — live on Amazon, real readers, real reviews.
Research Metrics
400+
Usability sessions conducted and analyzed to drive data-backed design decisions across telecom portfolios.
CNG Studios · Volume Record
100 games in 6 months
Designed, built, and shipped by a team of 5. Agile + rapid prototyping, 250K+ downloads. Now building My Pixie Suite →
Career Trajectory
Director, Experience Management
May 2025 — PresentVerizon · current role
Lead and CX Business Owner for the full Care platform — commercial projects, improvements, and the ongoing migration from legacy systems to a fully-integrated AI-functionality platform serving all of Verizon Value (10 prepaid brands). Focus: agent experience, self-served options, increasing CX, reducing AHT and cost.
- ▹ Defining roadmaps and executing strategy across three full platform migrations in parallel — IVR, Indirect, Care.
- ▹ AI strategy and development for improving CX, internal processes, and internal tools.
- ▹ Implementing innovative strategies driving significant customer satisfaction and retention gains.
- ▹ Lead Customer Experience for Conversational channels (IVR, Chatbot, SMS) at Verizon Value.
Associate Director, Experience Design
Nov 2021 — May 2025Verizon · Trac Brands Lead
Lead of Design for Content, CSR tools, and Conversational channels (IVR, RCS, Bot, and others) across Trac Brands within Verizon Value. Joined Verizon via the 2021 TracFone acquisition. Accountable for 16M+ customer experiences across shopping, onboarding, managing, and pay journeys.
- ▹Interim Head of Design for Trac brands within Verizon Value (1 year).
- ▹ Designed & launched the Generative AI Shopping Assistant for Total Wireless e-Commerce.
- ▹ Improved Content Strategy team performance by 50% via AI tools integration.
- ▹ Champion design through CX programs to drive business and customer impact across program teams.
Director, Experience Research, Accessibility & Design
2010 — 2023TracFone Wireless · $8B annual revenue, 10-brand portfolio
Climbed from Experience Specialist + UX/UI Designer to Director, leading Digital Design, UX Research, Content, and Accessibility across TracFone and its 10 prepaid brands — an $8B-annual-revenue MVNO serving 26M customers. Grew teams from 3 to 44+ across multiple geographies and languages.
- ▹100% Disability Equality Index (DEI) for two consecutive years — under my direct leadership.
- ▹ Lifted NPS from 34 to 45 by leading a critical CX system migration.
- ▹ Reduced call times by $3M/year via TAS legacy → modern CRM migration.
- ▹ Evolved UX Research and optimized service across all brands and channels; 400+ usability sessions in the field.
- ▹ Champion of accessibility across the organization; relationships with vendors + advocacy community.
Founder & Designer
2009 — PresentCNG Studios · My Pixie Suite
Started as a boutique independent game studio — ran in parallel with the corporate career for 17 years and counting. In 2024 the studio pivoted from games to AI SaaS.
- ▹100 games shipped in 6 months with a team of 5. Agile + rapid prototyping (Unity 3D, GameMaker, Construct 2). 250K+ downloads.
- ▹ Built and launched My Pixie Suite — 12 mythologically named AI apps for small business.
- ▹ End-to-end IP work: branding, art direction, contract design, copyright applications.
- ▹ USPTO trademark, US copyright, and fictitious-name registration filed (2026).
Engineer × Animator
Two halves of the same brain. The dual education behind every design decision.
Trained as an industrial engineer (systems, processes, optimization) and a computer animator (form, motion, craft). Common sense engineered, human experiences animated. Always both, never one.
Industrial Engineer
Universidad de Chile
Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering, minor in IT. Systems thinking, process discipline, optimization. 2004
Computer Animator
Miami International U. of Arts & Design
Bachelor’s in Computer Animation. Form, motion, visual craft — the artistic counterweight. 2012
Master’s Degree
Engineering Management
Florida International University. Where the engineer learned to lead engineers. 2013
Teams Built
2→60+
Single contributor to assembled teams across multiple geographies and languages. UX Research, Digital Design, Content, Accessibility, Product.
Beyond the Office
Disciplines and certifications that run alongside the career — some technical, some literal.
Karate
Shito-ryu · 2nd Dan
Black belt in traditional Japanese karate. Decades on the floor.
Six Sigma
Green Belt
Institute of Industrial Engineers, 2009. Process discipline — certified, not theoretical.
USA NKF Judge
Kata + Kumite
Two sanctioned national licenses. Being judged is also being judged.
Latest Thoughts
Essays on design, leadership, and friction.
Trust and Leadership
How psychological safety and transparent communication build the foundation for high-performing design teams.
System vs. Customer-Centric Design
Navigating the tension between rigid technical architecture and fluid, human-centered user experiences.
What others say
Recommendations from colleagues, managers, and reports.
I've worked with Gonzalo for over 15 years. He's unusual because he is comfortable both as an experienced individual contributor AND he's an exceptional manager of others. He invests time thinking about how to build the skillsets of individual team members, guiding them in their careers and having difficult conversations when needed. What comes through is how much he cares about each resource and their trajectory.
Auto-rotates every 9 seconds. Pauses on hover, focus, or when you use the controls.
Let’s talk
Available for consulting, speaking, and genuinely interesting collaborations.
I read everything. I reply within seventy-two hours.