Generative Pulse
First-to-market AI category. 199 leads, 139 upgrades, G2 Leader status in 6 months.
0-to-1 ProductAI StrategyMarket Definition
Coming soonUX Leadership & Product Builder
I’ve never thought of this as a design job.
I’m Kirk Gustafson. I think about it as a strategy problem with design as the sharpest tool available.
At Muck Rack I’ve helped drive 2.55x ARR growth, delivered multi-million dollar revenue impact in a single year, and won the company’s Biggest Business Impact award for work most people wouldn’t expect from a design leader. That’s the point.
0.00×ARR growth over tenure
$0.0MRevenue impact in 2025
0eNPS vs. 40 company avg
0UX orgs built & scaled
Selected Work
Building the Foundation
Defined how an organization thinks. Three journeys, four principles, five competencies, component library operating model.
Product StrategyTeam LeadershipDesign Systems
Coming soon
Reimagining UX Through AI
57 structured experiments. Research +60% faster, Design +80% faster, compound savings across every sprint.
Organizational ChangeAI AdoptionTeam Operations
Coming soon
AI-Native Product Delivery
Four AI products, one principle: show your work. 38.78% media list creation, 57.48% search adoption.
AI Product DesignDesign LeadershipConsistency at Scale
Coming soon
Kirk is a brilliant designer, strategist, and trusted advisor. His ability to clarify confusion, structure ambiguity, and locate daylight in a dark, snarky mess is remarkable. He defines the path forward and inspires his team to walk that path together.UX Leader
He doesn’t just advocate for users — he connects design decisions directly to business outcomes in ways that change how the whole team thinks about what to build.Cross-functional Partner
About
Most design leaders come from one context.
LinkedIn Open to opportunities
UX LeadershipProduct StrategyAI-Native Product DesignAgentic UXDesign SystemsResearch OperationsDesign OpsGTM ExecutionTeam Building & CoachingCross-functional Leadership
I come from three — agency, startup, and growth-stage SaaS. That range is what gives me a different lens on product problems. I’m not pattern-matching to what design usually does. I’m asking what the problem actually needs.
At Muck Rack I’ve operated well beyond traditional UX scope — authoring product opportunity docs, defining success metrics alongside engineering and product leadership, directing research programs that change what ends up on the roadmap, and running GTM initiatives end to end. In 2025 that work influenced multi-million dollar revenue impact.
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