justin salamanca

Hi, I'm Justin. I make complex things feel simple.

I'm a senior product designer with 7+ years of experience turning complex information into products people can use with confidence, from planning their financial future to getting work done.

Previously at Empower
7 years in enterprise/fintech · Former founding designer
Based in LA · Open to remote
powered by caffeine, running, & pickleball
A
Press A or click the A button!
CASE STUDIES

A closer look at how I've helped people get from stuck to moving forward.

Empower
Design Lead / Sole Product Designer

Personal Cash

A full product redesign that gave people a reason to fund their cash account, with goal tracking and an emergency fund.

A
An idle account with no reason to deposit
→
B
Funded on purpose, with goals to track
Read the case study →
Empower
Product Designer

My Total Retirement

A redesign of a flagship retirement-planning journey, from a wall of widgets to a clear first step.

A
Overwhelmed, unsure where to start
→
B
  • +12% onboarding checklist completion
  • +50% user-reported confidence
Read the case study →
Empower Hackathon 2024
Product Designer

Speech-to-text onboarding

An AI concept that lets people talk through a long form instead of typing it. The model fills the fields; you review and submit.

A
Endless, repetitive form fields
→
B
  • Say it, check it, submit.
  • 🥈 2nd place winner! :) 
Read the case study →
© 2026 Justin Salamanca
Thanks for stopping by!