In + Out
In, I'm a hands-on design technologist: I design the experience and direct AI agents to build it. Out, I'm hiking, backpacking and photographing wild places. Work in tech, play in the wild.
I started working on the web in 1998, when the web wasn't really working yet. After agency jobs in Pennsylvania and Reno, I founded Zach Lyon Creative in 2003 and spent two decades designing and building brands, websites and apps for travel, tourism, entertainment and science clients.
Along the way I co-founded Minute7, a QuickBooks time-tracking SaaS that I grew and sold to my partner. Then I built Joinify, a real-time platform for destination apps, and Hive Science, citizen-science apps for Lake Tahoe research and NASA-funded snowpack science.
Today I'm in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where I design and engineer products under Amoeba Media, most recently Trail Sherpa, an offline trail app for the Pennsylvania Wilds. I use AI coding agents every day, and I bring the judgment to know what they get wrong.
Formally trained in graphic design at Penn State, I care about the details as much as the architecture. Off the clock I'm a hiker, backpacker and landscape photographer: just another nemophilist with a camera.
What I'm looking for
A full-time, hands-on role as a senior individual contributor: remote, hybrid, or Central PA. I do my best work designing and building, not managing people, and I'm glad to partner closely with engineers, scientists and stakeholders.
Design Engineer
Owning the space between design and code: prototypes, design systems and production UI.
Product / UX Designer
Research, flows and interfaces for apps, SaaS and internal tools.
Design Technologist
Interactive prototypes and AI-built products, directed by design.
Data & mapping interfaces
Dashboards, maps and scientific data made clear and usable, from field apps to research tools.
Let's talk.
Hiring, freelance, or just want to compare notes on design and AI? I'd love to hear from you.
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