I am a UX Designer with over 15 years of experience specializing in product launches and digital platforms. My journey has taken me through fast-paced startups and established platforms, all focused on creating intuitive user experiences that drive measurable ROI.…

James Southorn

I am a UX Designer with over 15 years of experience specializing in product launches and digital platforms. My journey has taken me through fast-paced startups and established platforms, all focused on creating intuitive user experiences that drive measurable ROI.…

Available to hire

I am a UX Designer with over 15 years of experience specializing in product launches and digital platforms. My journey has taken me through fast-paced startups and established platforms, all focused on creating intuitive user experiences that drive measurable ROI.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Senior Product Designer at PistonHeads
January 1, 2023 - Present
Helped PistonHeads facilitate more than £10 million in total GMV and 704+ vehicle sales by taking the auction platform from an idea to a live launch. Smoothing user journeys boosted yearly revenue by 204% in 2025.
Founding Product Designer at MindLabs
December 1, 2020 - October 1, 2022
Developed the app from the ground up, designing an immersive, video-led wellness experience that significantly boosted user engagement.
Senior Product Designer at ZAVA
July 1, 2016 - July 1, 2018
Developed a design system that supported the health platform's expansion into 6 European countries and re-engineered questionnaire flows to reduce drop-off.
Lead Product Designer at Car Throttle
November 1, 2013 - June 1, 2016
Scaled the platform from a small blog to a massive community engine with over 10 million monthly visitors and achieved high app downloads.

Education

BSc Multimedia Technology at University of Hertfordshire
January 1, 2004 - January 1, 2008

Qualifications

Start the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate
February 1, 2023 - February 1, 2023
Coursera
Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design
December 1, 2022 - December 31, 2022
Coursera

Industry Experience

Gaming, Healthcare, Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment, Retail, Professional Services, Other, Consumer Goods
    PistonHeads Auctions

    ![PistonHeads Auctions](https://www.twine.net/signin

    Building a high-trust bidding engine for the UK’s most iconic car community.

    July 2024

    PistonHeads has been the “digital home” for British car culture for over 25 years. I was brought in as Lead Product Designer to architect and launch their first-ever native auction platform—transforming the brand from a traditional classifieds and content site into a high-volume, real-time transaction powerhouse.

    The Challenge

    PistonHeads had spent 25 years establishing itself as the UK’s most trusted automotive community, but its traditional classifieds model was facing a strategic threat from high-velocity, niche auction platforms. The business needed to pivot into a commerce-heavy model without alienating a loyal (and often critical) user base that lived in the forums.

    The technical and UX hurdles were significant: we had to integrate a high-stakes, real-time bidding engine into a legacy ecosystem. Any friction in the bidding process—from page latency to confusing anti-sniping logic—wouldn’t just lead to a lost sale; it would cause a deficit in community trust that could damage the brand’s 25-year reputation.

    The Solution

    I led the “Zero-to-One” design effort to build a trust-centric auction architecture. By focusing on “Micro-Trust” moments, we designed a transparent bidding experience that included real-time price updates, automated outbid notifications, and a streamlined seller-onboarding flow that reduced listing friction.

    The final design successfully bridged the gap between a classic forum and a modern marketplace. By prioritising mobile-first responsiveness and WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards, we ensured the platform was robust enough for high-pressure bidding environments. This strategic execution delivered immediate ROI, generating £3.5M+ in GMV within the first year and establishing a new, high-growth revenue vertical for the business.

    **[View PistonHeads Auctions](https://www.twine.net/signin