Calvin Iwata

About

I design products and the systems behind them. Right now that means UI/UX for Apple software platforms as a product manager, concepting and prototyping alongside designers, engineers, and executives, with a lot of my attention on generative AI experiences.

I did not start here. My first degree is in public health, and I came to design sideways through a web design program while working. That route turns out to be the useful part: I spent years as a visual designer shipping brand and marketing work before I ever owned a user flow, so I know what it costs downstream when a system is inconsistent, and I know how to make one that other people will actually keep using after I leave.

The through-line across eleven roles is the same instinct in different clothing. Build the thing, then build the thing that makes the thing repeatable. A Photoshop Action so a batch of launch images can't drift. A presentation template with instructions in it so a deck starts correct. An information architecture the team can extend without me.

I also taught for three semesters at Berkeley, which is where I learned that explaining a decision well is a separate skill from making it, and that most people asking for career advice actually want a worked example. That's most of why this page exists.

Experience

  1. Apple

    Feb 2026 – Present

    UI/UX Product Manager

    Craft UI/UX for Apple software platforms, concepting and prototyping with designers, engineers, and executives. Design generative AI experiences now used across the organisation.

  2. Apple

    Sep 2024 – Feb 2026

    UI/UX Project Manager

    Led UI/UX for Services internal tools, built the design system and component patterns behind them, and shaped which features shipped.

  3. Apple (Contract)

    Oct 2023 – Sep 2024

    Designer

    Defined a scalable feature roadmap with cross-functional stakeholders, grounded in user research, accessibility standards, and the HIG.

  4. UC Berkeley

    Jan 2022 – May 2023

    Graduate Student Instructor

    Taught research, prototyping, and critique, guiding students through end-to-end design workflows.

  5. IBM

    May 2022 – Aug 2022

    Senior UI/UX Designer

    Facilitated UX workshops for MVP features, defined requirements, and mapped user flows with engineering and data science.

  6. Joele Frank

    Mar 2021 – Dec 2021

    Senior Graphic Designer

    PR campaigns and corporate materials, with reusable templates to keep high-volume client work aligned.

  7. LinkedIn

    Mar 2020 – Mar 2021

    Graphic Designer

    Owned the UX evolution of internal SharePoint sites, reshaping information architecture with cross-functional partners.

  8. Apple (Contract)

    Jul 2019 – Mar 2020

    UI Production Designer

    Pixel-perfect, HIG-aligned NPI visuals for major launches, with image-production automation to keep assets consistent.

  9. Independent Financial Group

    Apr 2017 – Jul 2019

    Visual Designer

    Designed and branded a custom WordPress CRM for financial advisor acquisition.

  10. Lawyers Title

    Mar 2016 – Apr 2017

    Web Designer

    Web-based reporting dashboards for data-driven decisions.

  11. American Diabetes Association

    Aug 2014 – Jan 2015

    Visual Designer

    Creative assets to align stakeholders and improve the donor experience.

Education

  1. UC Berkeley

    Aug 2021 – May 2023

    M.S. Information Management

  2. San Diego Mesa College

    Mar 2016 – Aug 2017

    A.S. Web Design

  3. UC Irvine

    Sep 2010 – Jun 2014

    B.S. Public Health