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I focus on building and leading high-performing design teams that deliver measurable, exceptional outcomes—while fostering a culture of continuous innovation.
I’m currently seeking my next opportunity as a Principal Product Designer or Head of Product Design.
Whether you’re an ambitious founder building something new, or an executive shaping your company’s next phase of growth—I can help. If you need a design leader to lay the foundation of a category-defining product, or to drive innovation in an established offering, let’s connect: hello@michaelryap.com.
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
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Home ¶ About ¶ Case Studies ¶ Writing & Speaking ¶ Contact
Resume ¶ LinkedIn
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
links
Home ¶ About ¶ Case Studies ¶ Writing & Speaking ¶ Contact
Resume ¶ LinkedIn
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton
«Michael believes in everyone, he spreads good energy and motivation that boosts creativity and the performance of everyone.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael leads with clarity and purpose, brings cross-functional teams together, and always keeps the focus on delivering meaningful value to users.» —T. Rooks
«Michael drives people and projects forward with his thinking and ambition. He always pushes a little bit further, and encourages the ‹extra mile›» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael contributes throughout the whole process, filling any shoes needed, but he does so without stepping on anyone’s toes. He’s more than just a great asset, he’s a mentor, source of inspiration, and friend.» —S. Zachrisson
«Michael has been a thoughtful and positive mentor as my career has evolved.» —S. Carmichael
«Michael is truly a standout collaborator and design leader. While at Etsy, he applied innovative design thinking methodologies to drive loyal, happy customers and help the business grow.» —B. Ellis
«As a collaborator, Michael is a fun, dynamic thinker who pushes everyone around him to do their best work.» —B. Ellis
«Our work together forever inspired me, and I continue to reference it on an almost daily basis both at work, and in my personal life.» —B. Ellis
«Michael inspires us with the clarity and insight of his strategic thinking and encourages us as leaders to dig deeper within ourselves.» —VP Engineering, Etsy
colophon
This website is set in Oracle and Writer, typefaces by Dinamo and Pangram Pangram. Titles and decks feature ligatures—single characters that replace two or more letters—enhancing the rhythm and harmony of the text. Quotations are framed with guillemets, a nod to the classical French types that inspired Writer. Hederas mark the end of articles.
The writing, design, and development of this site was done by me.
Dedicated to my first child, Noah, who was born during the creation of this site.
© 2025 Michael R. Yap. All Rights Reserved.
epigraph
«The details are not the details, the details make the product.»
—charles and ray eames
«Good work, done well, for the right reasons, and with the right companions, is one of the great human joys.»
—david whyte
«We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.»
—alain de botton