Ray Butler
Design Technologist

I design systems that design themselves.

My number one goal is to figure out your real problem.

01

Background

Ray Butler at work

I design GenAI experiences by combining service design, UX generalist practice, and system architecture.

My work focuses on how intelligent systems behave within real services—across workflows, roles, and decision points—not just how they appear on screen.

This includes shaping AI participation, defining human oversight, and ensuring experiences remain understandable and trustworthy as complexity grows.

"I design systems that support better decisions, not just faster ones."

02

Experience

BFL Freight Lines tractor trailer

I've worked on GenAI-enabled and enterprise systems where decisions are distributed, exceptions are common, and outcomes compound over time.

My experience includes collaborating with product, engineering, operations, and leadership teams to design AI-assisted workflows with clear human oversight.

The work often sits between strategy and delivery—connecting intent to implementation while staying grounded in operational reality.

"AI should augment judgment, not replace it. Automation should earn its place."

03

Approach

Design methodology

GenAI experiences require more than good interfaces—they require disciplined system design.

My approach focuses on understanding system behavior before introducing intelligence. That means identifying decision points, defining where AI should participate, and designing for confidence, override, and accountability.

This allows teams to move forward with intention instead of reacting to downstream consequences.

Areas of Focus

Where I create impact

Strategy

Vision to Execution

Clarifying where GenAI creates real value. I help teams define use cases, constraints, and success criteria before committing to models or tooling.

  • Product Strategy
  • Roadmap Development
  • Stakeholder Alignment

Facilitation

Aligning Teams

Aligning people around intelligent systems. I facilitate cross-functional conversations that surface assumptions and establish shared understanding.

  • Workshop Design
  • Design Sprints
  • Consensus Building

Design

End-to-End Experience

GenAI experience and service design, from research to deployment. This includes service blueprints, interaction models, and AI decision flows.

  • Service Design
  • UX Architecture
  • AI Workflows

Execution

Concept to Reality

From concept to operational reality. I stay close to implementation to ensure designs remain usable, trustworthy, and grounded once deployed.

  • Implementation
  • Quality Assurance
  • Iteration

Skills

Tools, technologies, and methodologies I work with.

Design

Figma Sketch Adobe XD Prototyping Wireframing Design Systems User Research Usability Testing Information Architecture Interaction Design

Development

HTML/CSS JavaScript React WordPress PHP Git REST APIs Responsive Design

AI & Technology

GenAI Systems Prompt Engineering AI UX Design LLM Integration Conversational AI AI Ethics

Strategy & Process

Service Design Design Thinking Workshop Facilitation Stakeholder Management Agile/Scrum Product Strategy Journey Mapping Systems Thinking

My Bookshelf

Books that have shaped my thinking and practice.

Design & UX (42)

The Design of Everyday Things
The Design of Everyday Things Don Norman
Don't Make Me Think
Don't Make Me Think Steve Krug
Articulating Design Decisions
Articulating Design Decisions Tom Greever
Creative Confidence
Creative Confidence Tom & David Kelley
Inspired
Inspired Marty Cagan
Refactoring UI
Refactoring UI Adam Wathan & Steve Schoger
About Face
About Face Alan Cooper
Laws of UX
Laws of UX Jon Yablonski
Designing Interfaces
Designing Interfaces Jenifer Tidwell
Designing Connected Products
Designing Connected Products Claire Rowland et al.
Design for Care
Design for Care Peter Jones
Experience Design
Experience Design Patrick Newbery & Kevin Farnham
Designing Human-Centric AI Experiences
Designing Human-Centric AI Experiences Akshay Kore
A Project Guide to UX Design
A Project Guide to UX Design Russ Unger & Carolyn Chandler
Flow
Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Design Thinking
Design Thinking Tim Brown
Forms that Work
Forms that Work Caroline Jarrett & Gerry Gaffney
The UX Book
The UX Book Rex Hartson & Pardha S. Pyla
Information Architecture
Information Architecture Christina Wodtke & Austin Govella
Strategic Writing for UX
Strategic Writing for UX Torrey Podmajersky
User Story Mapping
User Story Mapping Jeff Patton
Communicating the User Experience
Communicating the User Experience Richard Caddick & Steve Cable
Search Patterns
Search Patterns Peter Morville & Jeffery Callender
The New Designer
The New Designer Manuel Lima
Handbook of Usability Testing
Handbook of Usability Testing Jeffrey Rubin & Dana Chisnell
GUI Bloopers 2.0
GUI Bloopers 2.0 Jeff Johnson
Universal Methods of Design
Universal Methods of Design Bruce Hanington & Bella Martin
The Elements of Voice First Style
The Elements of Voice First Style Ahmed Bouzid & Weiye Ma
Design Beyond Devices
Design Beyond Devices Cheryl Platz
Conversations with Things
Conversations with Things Diana Deibel & Rebecca Evanhoe
Customers Know You Suck
Customers Know You Suck Debbie Levitt
Customer Experience Excellence
Customer Experience Excellence Tim Knight & David Conway
The Cult of the Customer
The Cult of the Customer Shep Hyken
Intersection
Intersection Milan Guenther
Emotionally Intelligent Design
Emotionally Intelligent Design Pamela Pavliscak
Drive
Drive Daniel H. Pink
Designing with the Mind in Mind
Designing with the Mind in Mind Jeff Johnson
Designing for Behavior Change
Designing for Behavior Change Stephen Wendel
Design for How People Think
Design for How People Think John Whalen
Designing with Sound
Designing with Sound Amber Case & Aaron Day
Designing for Emerging Technologies
Designing for Emerging Technologies Jonathan Follett
Designing Autonomous AI
Designing Autonomous AI Kence Anderson

Strategy & Business (10)

Good Strategy Bad Strategy
Good Strategy Bad Strategy Richard Rumelt
Zero to One
Zero to One Peter Thiel
The Lean Startup
The Lean Startup Eric Ries
The Innovator's Dilemma
The Innovator's Dilemma Clayton Christensen
Measure What Matters
Measure What Matters John Doerr
Blue Ocean Strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy W. Chan Kim
Competing Against Luck
Competing Against Luck Clayton Christensen
Playing to Win
Playing to Win A.G. Lafley & Roger Martin
Built to Last
Built to Last Jim Collins
The Emergent Approach to Strategy
The Emergent Approach to Strategy Peter Compo

Thinking & Psychology (11)

Thinking, Fast and Slow
Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman
Range
Range David Epstein
Atomic Habits
Atomic Habits James Clear
Deep Work
Deep Work Cal Newport
The Culture Code
The Culture Code Daniel Coyle
Influence
Influence Robert Cialdini
Predictably Irrational
Predictably Irrational Dan Ariely
Mindset
Mindset Carol Dweck
The 48 Laws of Power
The 48 Laws of Power Robert Greene
Bullshit Jobs
Bullshit Jobs David Graeber
The Laws of Human Nature
The Laws of Human Nature Robert Greene

Product & Research (9)

Sprint
Sprint Jake Knapp
Hooked
Hooked Nir Eyal
The Mom Test
The Mom Test Rob Fitzpatrick
Building a StoryBrand
Building a StoryBrand Donald Miller
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
The Hard Thing About Hard Things Ben Horowitz
Continuous Discovery Habits
Continuous Discovery Habits Teresa Torres
Escaping the Build Trap
Escaping the Build Trap Melissa Perri
Empowered
Empowered Marty Cagan
Transformed
Transformed Marty Cagan

Team Building (9)

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni
Team of Teams
Team of Teams General Stanley McChrystal
Radical Candor
Radical Candor Kim Scott
Leaders Eat Last
Leaders Eat Last Simon Sinek
Turn the Ship Around
Turn the Ship Around L. David Marquet
The Ideal Team Player
The Ideal Team Player Patrick Lencioni
Dare to Lead
Dare to Lead Brené Brown
Start with Why
Start with Why Simon Sinek
The One Minute Manager
The One Minute Manager Ken Blanchard & Spencer Johnson

UX Management (7)

Org Design for Design Orgs
Org Design for Design Orgs Peter Merholz & Kristin Skinner
Design Leadership
Design Leadership Richard Banfield
The User Experience Team of One
The User Experience Team of One Leah Buley
Articulating Design Decisions
Articulating Design Decisions Tom Greever
Design Is a Job
Design Is a Job Mike Monteiro
Creative Confidence
Creative Confidence Tom Kelley & David Kelley
User Experience Management
User Experience Management Arnie Lund

Let's Work Together

I work with teams who want to design GenAI experiences deliberately—balancing innovation with responsibility, clarity, and long-term impact.

Get in Touch