I’m Maher, a proudly Kurdish product designer based in San Francisco. For more than 20 years, I’ve been turning complex problems into experiences that feel clear, thoughtful, and human.
My curiosity extends well beyond the screen. It shows up in painting, photography, the spaces I surround myself with, and the details I notice while exploring a new city.
My work spans fintech, enterprise software, consumer experiences, mobile, and AI. I enjoy the challenge of making something complicated feel approachable, whether that’s helping someone move money confidently or helping a team navigate a dense workflow.
I’m drawn to the places where clear thinking and visual craft meet. How information is organized. How an interaction responds. How a small movement helps someone understand what just happened. Those details are part of how a product earns trust.
I’ve built design systems before AI became part of our everyday toolkit, and I’m now exploring how those foundations can guide what we build with it. The possibilities keep expanding. My expectation of the result stays the same: it should be useful, understandable, and thoughtfully made.
I’m a hands-on designer. I enjoy shaping the direction, exploring possibilities, and staying close to the details that make it into the final experience.
I also care about helping other designers grow. Through teaching at UC Berkeley Extension and mentoring designers throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to share what I’ve learned and learn from people finding their own approach.
For me, leadership means giving people context, making room for their ideas, and helping a team move forward with confidence.
I’m proud of my Kurdish roots and the life I’ve built in San Francisco. Both belong in the story of who I am.
Outside work, you’ll often find me swimming, painting, taking photographs, or spending time with friends. I love fashion and interior design, and I can get just as absorbed in the proportions of a room as the layout of an interface.
Travel is one of my favorite ways to learn. Every new city or country feels like attending a different school. I love getting to know cultures through their food, art, architecture, languages, and everyday life. There’s always something that challenges an assumption or opens my eyes to a different way of doing things. I come home with more curiosity than I left with. And New York keeps pulling me back.
And if there’s a pool table or a ping-pong table nearby, I’m probably up for a game.
I’m interested in working with people who care deeply about what they make and how it affects the people using it.
Have something in mind? I’d love to hear about it.
