Introduction: Lifelong Learner and UX Visionary

Jim Machajewski’s career as a user experience (UX) design leader is a rich journey marked by continuous learning, innovation, and a passion for people-centric design. He describes himself as a “lifelong learner with a deep appreciation for history’s lessons,” always adding context and perspective to each new endeavor​. Grounded by family and community, Jim’s personal values shine through in his work—he strives to make every digital interaction “as easy and intuitive as possible”​. With over two decades in UX and product design, he has led multi-disciplinary design teams at Fortune 500 companies and spearheaded initiatives that have impacted millions of users. What follows is the story of Jim’s professional journey, from the frenetic dot-com era to leading design for global enterprises, and the values and vision that guided him along the way.

Early Career: Building Foundations in the Dot-Com Era

Jim’s foray into technology began after earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Sam Houston State University (where he dabbled in radio, TV, film, photography, and early web tech)​. Armed with creative and technical skills, he jumped into the late-1990s tech boom. In 1999, Jim joined Scient, a pioneering San Francisco-based internet consulting firm, as a Senior Front-End Technology Engineer. At Scient, he quickly found himself leading small front-end development teams on large-scale web projects. He helped develop an innovative online insurance management application for Hewitt Associates (Sageo.com) and built a content-rich e-commerce site for Boots Pharmacy’s wellbeing.com​. These early projects taught Jim how to blend user-centric thinking with emerging web technologies – experience that would prove invaluable as he moved forward in his career.

After the dot-com bubble burst, Jim continued honing his craft in the early 2000s by taking on various UX roles. He worked as a User Interface Designer at a software firm and even spent time as an independent UX consultant, tackling projects for major brands like Verizon and Kinko’s​. These roles demanded adaptability – one day he might be the sole UI designer on a product, another day consulting on usability for enterprise software. This period of wearing many hats cemented Jim’s reputation as a versatile designer who could thrive in any environment.

Growing as a Leader at Coremetrics and Perot Systems

By the mid-2000s, Jim’s focus shifted toward building and leading UX teams. In 2004, he joined Perot Systems (the Plano, TX-based IT services firm founded by Ross Perot) as a Manager of Information Architecture. Over the next four years, he managed a large team of information architects on high-stakes healthcare projects for clients like Tenet Healthcare and Catholic Healthcare West​. In this role, Jim was not only refining user experiences for complex hospital systems, but also learning how to guide specialists across multiple disciplines. He became adept at translating user needs to technical teams and aligning design efforts with business goals – skills that would define his leadership style.

Seeking new challenges, Jim moved briefly into the product realm in 2008 as Manager of User Experience at Coremetrics, a web analytics software company. Though his tenure at Coremetrics was short (March to October 2008), it was impactful. He developed and implemented repeatable UX design processes for Coremetrics’s analytics products, working closely with product management, dev teams, and marketing to deliver custom interface solutions for key clients. This experience sharpened Jim’s ability to integrate UX strategy into agile product development cycles and proved his knack for instilling user-centered processes in organizations.

Later in 2008, as Perot Systems was acquired by Dell, Jim returned to lead digital strategy for the combined entity. From October 2008 to 2010, he served as a Senior Manager overseeing Perot Systems’ web presence and its integration into Dell’s online ecosystem​. He managed day-to-day enhancements of perotsystems.com and other global sites, delivered data analysis to support online marketing, and helped align Perot’s digital strategy with Dell’s future direction​. Leading a small team of designers, videographers, and photographers, Jim demonstrated an early flair for multidisciplinary team leadership. This role foreshadowed his later successes in blending design, content, and engineering teams into cohesive units.

Driving User Experience at Dell (2010–2016)

In mid-2010, Jim transitioned fully into Dell as the tech giant absorbed Perot Systems. He took on the role of Associate Director of UX Design, and a few years later, rose to Director of User Experience Design at Dell’s Round Rock headquarters​. Between 2010 and 2016, Jim led large UX teams responsible for Dell’s vast online presence across multiple domains: consumer e-commerce (B2C), enterprise and partner portals (B2B), technical support interfaces, and even internal sales tools. He managed a multi-disciplinary group of architects, visual designers, taxonomists, front-end developers, prototypers, and content strategists – essentially a mini digital agency within Dell​.

Jim’s impact at Dell was significant in scale. He was the primary UX owner for Dell’s Premier Portal – the B2B eCommerce platform serving Dell’s largest clients – which represented over $9 billion in annual revenue. He set the design direction for the Dell Sales Application (a web tool used globally by Dell’s sales teams and partners) and oversaw Dell’s global design pattern library and taxonomy, ensuring consistency across dozens of country websites​. Under his guidance, Dell’s online support experience was revamped; notably, this redesign helped Dell’s support site earn recognition as one of the “Ten Best Web Support Sites,” breaking a seven-year dry spell for the company.

By fostering close collaboration between the Global Site Design team and external agency partners, Jim championed a user-centered design process at a massive corporate scale. Colleagues recall that he was a dynamic yet supportive leader – “one of the brightest, fast-thinking and most innovative UX Directors…with terrific organizational agility to get things done,” in the words of one former teammate​. During his Dell years, Jim also earned internal accolades such as Dell’s Gold and Silver Champion awards​, reflecting how his leadership translated into business results. In 2014, the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce selected Jim for its prestigious Leadership Round Rock program, with Dell sponsoring his participation​. This experience further enriched his leadership skills and community engagement, as we’ll see later.

Scaling Design at Amazon (2016–2022)

After successfully driving UX at Dell, Jim sought an even bigger canvas. In May 2016, he joined Amazon and embarked on a new adventure in Seattle’s fast-paced, customer-obsessed culture. Amazon tasked Jim with opening and leading a brand-new Austin UX Design Studio – effectively planting a fresh Amazon design presence in Texas. As the Head of the Austin studio and Manager of UX Design, Jim was responsible for building the team from scratch and embedding Amazon’s design ethos in a new locale​. He managed the build-out of the physical studio space, established its operations, and even built the first on-site usability lab in Austin for Amazon​. This lab enabled local teams to conduct user research and testing conveniently, underscoring Jim’s belief in grounding design decisions in real user insights.

What started as a small satellite office quickly flourished under Jim’s leadership. He expanded the Austin cross-functional UX team from just 3 designers to over 80 in a few years​ – a testament to his recruiting and team-building prowess. Designers, researchers, writers, and engineers were brought together into a tight-knit community of practice. One colleague from this period recalls how “feeling like [Jim] always had my back was empowering, and his guidance and feedback always made my designs stronger.”​ Jim’s approachable mentorship style helped each team member grow, even as the group scaled rapidly.

Within Amazon, Jim focused on Amazon Business, the company’s B2B e-commerce marketplace serving business customers. As Senior Manager of UX Design for Amazon Business, he set the strategic direction for improving the end-to-end buying experience for enterprises on Amazon’s platform​. He led a matrixed organization of around 30 UX practitioners and collaborated closely with product and engineering leaders. The results of these efforts were tangible – during his tenure, Amazon Business saw organic revenue growth exceeding $30 billion annually​. Jim’s team played a key role in that success by continually enhancing the user experience for procurement managers, bulk buyers, and small business owners using the service.

Known for his calm and thoughtful demeanor even amid Amazon’s high-speed environment, Jim “leads by example, fostering an environment that’s collaborative [and] inclusive, where everyone’s input is valued” according to a peer​. Under his guidance, the Amazon Austin design studio became a thriving hub, proving that great UX leadership can scale culture as much as product. By April 2022, after six years, Jim had made an indelible mark at Amazon – not just in the form of successful products and a huge team, but in the mentorship and example he provided future design leaders.

Building a Unique B2B Platform at Varis (2022–2024)

Ever eager for a new challenge, Jim next took on a role in a more startup-like setting. In April 2022, he became Director and Head of UX Design at Varis, a business-to-business eCommerce venture within the ODP Corporation (Office Depot’s parent company). At Varis, Jim led a diverse design team charged with creating a unique B2B procurement platform from the ground up​. This was a chance to apply his enterprise UX expertise in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.

During his two years at Varis, Jim orchestrated all aspects of the user experience – from establishing UX operations and research practices to crafting the product’s creative vision and interaction design strategy​. He worked hand-in-hand with cross-functional partners in marketing, sales, and business development to ensure the platform’s design aligned with market needs. Jim’s leadership was pivotal in translating complex procurement workflows into intuitive digital experiences for Varis’s customers. By fostering close collaboration between designers and stakeholders, he helped Varis quickly iterate and refine its product-market fit.

Colleagues at Varis appreciated Jim’s supportive and empowering leadership style, which he consistently brought from his big-company experience. One team member noted that “one of Jim’s greatest strengths lies in his adept management of large design teams, fostering a collaborative environment where team members feel empowered to contribute their ideas…resulting in successful outcomes.”​ Even in a smaller organization, Jim cultivated a culture where designers felt heard and valued. By the time he left Varis in April 2024, the UX foundations Jim put in place had set the product on a course for success in the competitive B2B eCommerce space.

Continuing the Journey: Walmart and Beyond

In 2024, Jim Machajewski’s journey came full circle to another Fortune 100 company. He stepped into a new role as Senior Director and Head of UX Design for Walmart Business, Walmart’s emerging B2B initiative​. In this position, Jim leads a renewed focus on user and business customer experiences at one of the world’s largest retailers. His initial mandate includes implementing a new product design methodology, defining complex business customer organization segments, and mapping user journeys specifically tailored to business buyers​. In many ways, it’s a perfect culmination of Jim’s expertise: combining the scale of Amazon and Dell with the B2B domain knowledge from Amazon Business and Varis. He is also growing a world-class UX team to support Walmart’s product and engineering groups, aiming to help the Walmart Business division reach an ambitious $250+ million in annual gross merchandise volume.

Even as he breaks new ground at Walmart, Jim remains the same humble, thoughtful leader that colleagues have praised throughout his career. “With Jim, it’s different,” says one long-time collaborator. “You get a quiet, thoughtful professional who is constantly analyzing, making decisions, making progress and moving the ball towards success.”​ In other words, he leads not with flash or ego, but with steady determination and a focus on outcomes – a style that continues to win the respect of teams and executives alike.

Educator and Community Leader

Outside of his corporate roles, Jim has a deep commitment to education and community service. He has served as an Adjunct Professor in the UX/UI Program at the University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, sharing his industry expertise with up-and-coming UX professionals​. Over two years, Jim taught intensive UX/UI courses and proudly graduated 74 students, many of whom have since embarked on their own design careers​. His blend of real-world case studies and emphasis on user-centric design thinking left a lasting impression on his students. Teaching was also a two-way street for Jim – the experience enriched his own perspective, reminding him of the importance of mentorship and the fresh ideas that new designers bring.

In his local community of Round Rock, Texas, Jim has been a dedicated volunteer leader for the Round Rock High School Dragon Band Boosters (a non-profit supporting the high school’s band program). As an elected executive board member – and eventually President – of the boosters, Jim applied his design and leadership skills to benefit young musicians. “I managed all booster communications, established a new visual identity, [and] documented the band’s success through photo and video production,” Jim notes of his volunteer role​. Indeed, from 2015 onward he served as the boosters’ information officer, revamping their newsletters and website, and even designing a fresh logo for the band parents’ organization. He was often seen on Friday nights and competition Saturdays with camera in hand, capturing moments of the marching band’s journey. Under his tenure, the booster club’s communications became more effective and engaging, helping increase parent involvement and community support. Jim’s leadership culminated in his presidency of the booster association, where he coordinated parent volunteers and fundraisers that contributed to the band’s award-winning programs.

This blend of professional excellence, teaching, and volunteerism speaks to Jim Machajewski’s character. Whether he’s leading a UX team to deliver a complex product or rallying parents to support students, he brings the same energy, empathy, and strategic thinking. It’s clear that mentorship and community-building are not just side notes in Jim’s story, but integral chapters.

Design Philosophy and Legacy

Through each phase of his career, Jim has held a clear philosophy: technology must serve people, and great user experience comes from understanding those people deeply. He believes in crafting exceptional experiences rooted in user insights to effectively address real-world challenges​ – a credo evident on the front page of his portfolio. His leadership style reflects this user-first mindset. Team members consistently mention how Jim encourages everyone to truly get to know their users and to value every team member’s input in that process​. He fosters collaboration and inclusivity, creating a safe space for ideas to flourish. One former colleague, summed it up: “Jim’s exceptional UX insight always sees to the heart of the problem being solved, whether [it’s] a small interaction [or] a large scale strategy…meeting the needs of the user.”​ This ability to balance big-picture strategy with attention to detail – all while keeping the user’s needs at the center – is a hallmark of Jim’s approach.

As a leader, Jim is known for empowering his teams. One person who worked on Jim’s team, appreciated that “feeling like he always had my back was empowering, and [Jim’s] guidance and feedback always made my designs stronger.”​ Such testimonials illustrate how Jim not only drives projects forward but also invests in the growth of his people. He leads by example and with empathy, believing that successful outcomes are a result of collective effort and an openness to learning. It’s telling that many of Jim’s former team members have gone on to become leaders themselves – a quiet but powerful part of his legacy.

From the start of his journey to the present, Jim Machajewski has stayed true to the idea that great UX is a team sport guided by a clear vision. He has built and guided teams to achieve remarkable results across startups and global corporations alike. Along the way, he’s remained grounded, whether drawing inspiration from history, family, or his love of music and photography. Jim’s story demonstrates that a strong design leader can wear many hats – strategist, mentor, storyteller, technologist, community volunteer – and through it all, keep the user at the heart of the narrative. It’s a journey still in progress, but one that already offers valuable lessons in leadership, empathy, and the pursuit of designing a better world for everyone involved.