Product Designer · UX/UI · Front-End Developer
I design products.
Then I ship them.
I’m Ryan Spitzel, a product designer with 8+ years of experience turning complex ideas into clear, polished digital products. Most recently, I designed and built Pluvi from concept to App Store.
Flagship case study · Pluvi
One calm workspace for an artist’s entire world.
Independent musicians manage releases, shows, merchandise, press materials, analytics, and promotion across a mess of disconnected tools. I set out to make that work faster, clearer, and considerably less overwhelming.
The finished product
Not a concept deck. Not a redesign exercise. A real product people can download and use.
01 · The problem
Artists were doing product management just to be artists.
Every release creates administrative work: update links, make a page, add credits, promote the show, build an EPK, create a QR code, check analytics, update merch, repeat.
The tools existed, but the experience was fragmented. The core design question became: how much of that work can disappear without taking control away from the artist?
02 · Product strategy
Design the system around the artist, not the feature list.
Enter information once.
Music, shows, and merch can flow into the public profile instead of being rebuilt in multiple places.
Make publishing feel immediate.
Editing and public-facing output live close together so the product feels fast instead of dashboard-heavy.
Reduce release-day maintenance.
Release pages can move from pre-save to streaming without requiring artists to rebuild the experience.
Keep the tool calm.
Dense workflows are broken into focused surfaces, with visual hierarchy doing more work than instructions.
03 · Designing the product
A system large enough to grow without feeling large.
I designed a scalable product system spanning onboarding, artist profiles, music and release management, shows, merchandise, analytics, subscription flows, account management, and artist utilities.
The interface had to support very different information types while still feeling like one product. Reusable hierarchy, spacing, controls, states, and interaction patterns became the backbone rather than treating every feature as a standalone screen.
Reusable patternsClear hierarchyFast editingConsistent states
04 · Design + engineering
I didn’t hand off the prototype. I built the product.
Pluvi was engineered using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Capacitor with a Supabase backend and database. Working across design and implementation meant I could test interaction ideas in the actual product, understand technical constraints early, and iterate without losing intent between design and development.
FigmaHTMLCSSJavaScriptCapacitorSupabaseGitApp Store
05 · Launch & iteration
Shipping was part of the design process.
I took Pluvi through Apple’s App Store review process, implemented subscription onboarding and account management, and continued improving the product after launch using user feedback, usability observations, and product analytics.
The launch reached 100 downloads in its first week. More importantly, it created a real feedback loop: decisions could now be evaluated against how people actually used the product.
Beyond Pluvi
Eight years across product, UX, visual design, and delivery.
2025 — Present
Pluvi
Founder, Product Designer & Developer. Product strategy, UX/UI, design system, engineering, subscriptions, analytics, App Store launch, and continuous iteration.
2023 — Present
Freelance
Product & UX Designer creating websites, digital products, prototypes, design systems, and brand experiences from discovery through implementation.
2017 — 2023
ICF Next
Project Manager & Graphic Designer leading cross-functional delivery across design, engineering, analytics, and strategy while contributing hands-on digital and visual design work.
Let’s make something useful
Design thinking is better when it survives contact with reality.
I’m currently exploring Product Designer and UX/UI opportunities where I can bring strong visual craft, systems thinking, and an unusually hands-on understanding of how products actually get built.