Hi! I'm Charles Dao.

Senior Product & UX Designer | 30+ Years Driving Enterprise Design Solutions | Partner to Fortune 500 & Startup Teams.

I’m currently updating the website and will be adding more projects shortly.
If you’d like to learn more about my work in the meantime, feel free to reach out.

Professional Summary

I have successfully delivered hundreds of high-impacts UX projects for industry leaders in Gen AI, Finance, Tech, Healthcare, Retails, and more, establishing decades long partnerships with many clients and millions of users. Developing systems from scratch, working within legacy systems, or leading and mentoring UX teams? I got you covered.

Testimonials

Charles is an innovative designer with deep expertise in navigation UX design for complex applications. He quickly masters new domains and knows how to lead large, complex projects within enterprise companies—all while remaining a hands-on expert in UX design… More v

I’ve been working with Charles Dao, the founder of Dao Design, for more than 24 years—16 years at EMC Corporation and 8+ years at Dell Technologies.

Charles’ design consultancy has supported me in countless ways over the years. Our collaboration dates back to 2000 when Charles and I first introduced the UX discipline to EMC’s storage organization, designing a complex multi-storage systems management application.

Charles is an innovative designer with deep expertise in navigation UX design for complex applications. He quickly masters new domains and knows how to lead large, complex projects within enterprise companies—all while remaining a hands-on expert in UX design.

Having worked as a UX design consultant for numerous companies, both large and small, Charles has gained invaluable experience. He excels at running UX projects efficiently, even within limited budgets, while consistently delivering high-quality results.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have worked with Charles all these years and highly recommend him. Less ∧

Hanna Yehuda

Experience Strategy, Senior Distinguished Engineer | Dell Technologies

Charles possesses a remarkable eye for detail, ensuring every element is meticulously considered and flawlessly executed. You can always depend on Charles to deliver high-quality work on time and with precision. He approaches challenges with a thoughtful mindset, carefully analyzing complex requirements to develop elegant and effective solutions… More v

I've had the pleasure of working with Charles at Dell on the AIOps project for over 6 years. Charles possesses a remarkable eye for detail, ensuring every element is meticulously considered and flawlessly executed. You can always depend on Charles to deliver high-quality work on time and with precision. He approaches challenges with a thoughtful mindset, carefully analyzing complex requirements to develop elegant and effective solutions. Charles has a strong ability to grasp even the most intricate project specifications, translating them into intuitive and user-friendly designs. His commitment to understanding user needs and business goals makes him a valuable asset to any team. Less ∧

Corinne Schulze

User Experience Design Lead | Dell Technologies

Charles has consistently impressed me with his ability to take highly complex product requirements and transform them into intuitive, user-friendly designs. His ability to simplify intricate workflows without losing functionality has had a real, positive impact on our product. What stands out about Charles is how quickly he delivers high-quality designs and his thoughtful approach to each UX challenge… More v

I’ve enjoyed working closely with Charles over the past two years on our AIOps product at Dell. Throughout this time, Charles has consistently impressed me with his ability to take highly complex product requirements and transform them into intuitive, user-friendly designs. His ability to simplify intricate workflows without losing functionality has had a real, positive impact on our product. What stands out about Charles is how quickly he delivers high-quality designs and his thoughtful approach to each UX challenge. He listens, asks the right questions, and balances user needs with business goals. His designs not only look great — they make complex features easy to use.

Charles is a trusted partner, and his contributions have been key to the success of many major features. I look forward to working with him on future projects and highly recommend him to any team looking for a skilled and thoughtful UI/UX designer. Less ∧

Juan Martín Montiel

Product Manager | Dell Technologies

Working with Charles has been a pleasure. Charles asks all the right questions in pursuit of a solid understanding of customer needs, goals, and flows, allowing him to design thorough, elegant, and complete user experiences. I am fortunate and grateful to have worked with Charles.

Scott Thompson

Product Manager | Dell Technologies

Charles consistently demonstrated outstanding communication skills, strong leadership, and an impressive depth of understanding across both our products and the broader design system we were building. I highly recommend Charles, as his professionalism and craftsmanship would make him a valuable partner to any organization… More v

I had the pleasure of working with Charles on our design system initiative, where he guided his own team in delivering high-quality components based on our requirements and goals. Throughout the project, Charles consistently demonstrated outstanding communication skills, strong leadership, and an impressive depth of understanding across both our products and the broader design system we were building. I highly recommend Charles, as his professionalism and craftsmanship would make him a valuable partner to any organization. Less ∧

Shuqi Yan

Senior UX Designer | Dell Technologies

Charles consistently led the team in delivering highly impactful and user-centric solutions for advanced network automation and management. Charles possesses a remarkable expertise in translating complex business needs into intuitive and efficient user experiences. He has a strong command of the entire design process, from user research and wireframing to high-fidelity design and prototyping… More v

I had the opportunity to work alongside Charles on the design team at NetBrain Technologies for nearly three years. As I was starting my career at that time, nine years ago, Charles served as an invaluable mentor.

During our collaboration on numerous projects, I witnessed firsthand his exceptional ability to solve complex design challenges rooted in intricate technical logic. Charles consistently led the team in delivering highly impactful and user-centric solutions for advanced network automation and management.

Charles possesses a remarkable expertise in translating complex business needs into intuitive and efficient user experiences. He has a strong command of the entire design process, from user research and wireframing to high-fidelity design and prototyping. His portfolio showcases his proficiency in designing a wide range of systems, including cloud-based applications, enterprise solutions, and network automation tools.

Beyond his technical skills, Charles’s long history of client retention and referrals speaks volumes about his unwavering commitment to delivering high-quality work and consistently exceeding client expectations. He is a seasoned professional with a strong work ethic and a genuine passion for creating exceptional user experiences. I have no doubt that Charles would be an invaluable asset to any design team. Less ∧

Yan Zhang

Senior Product Designer | NetBrain Technologies

I had the pleasure of working with Charles at Dell, and his depth of knowledge and expertise is truly remarkable. Having been with Dell for over 20 years, Charles has contributed to countless projects, bringing invaluable insights and a deep understanding of Dell’s products. His ability to apply that knowledge to drive efficiency and establish effective working standards has had a lasting impact.

Beyond his technical expertise, Charles is an incredible team player. He is approachable, easy to work with, and always willing to share his knowledge. His collaborative nature makes complex projects smoother, and his problem-solving skills ensure that challenges are met with well-thought-out solutions. Anyone who has the opportunity to work with Charles will quickly recognize the value he brings to a team. I highly recommend him to any organization looking for experience, expertise, and a strong, dependable professional. Less ∧

Minsuk Kim

UX Designer | Dell Technologies

I have worked with Charles several times during my career as a product manager. He has been able to successfully overhaul the user interface for our products, taking them from developer oriented designs to true user-centric designs. Charles has great skill at understanding the true business needs and bringing out the value of a product. He also has a very welcoming personality and our developers became big fans of Charles' designs… More v

Von Duran

Director, Operational Risk & Regulatory Compliance | IHS Markit

Charles is extremely attentive and his turn-around time is fantastic when working against tight timelines. His work is extremely clean and I appreciate his attention in design discussions around customer requirements.

Ruth Hammell

Senior Product Manager | Curaspan Health Group

I have worked with Charles on multiple projects, and at multiple organizations. He is a top-notch UI/UX designer with great insights on usability. I am always impressed by his work, and professionalism.

Bennett Malbon

Chief Product & Technology Officer, Co-Inventor | NovaSeek Research

I highly recommend Charles to anyone looking for assistance with software user interface design.  He did a great job helping us design the user interface and user experience for our new flagship software product.  He was able to quickly understand our business domain and rapidly created prototype designs that we iterated through to reach a final design… More v

I highly recommend Charles to anyone looking for assistance with software user interface design. He did a great job helping us design the user interface and user experience for our new flagship software product. He was able to quickly understand our business domain and rapidly created prototype designs that we iterated through to reach a final design. He then helped our development team incorporate the new UI into the finished product.

I found Charles easy to work with and extremely responsive to our requests. Less ∧

Paul Tecca

Director of Product Management | Virtify, Inc

I have had the pleasure of working with Charles and his team on several vision prototypes. Charles was able to quickly and efficiently develop concepts into a click-able reality. The results were always better than expected and he always incorporated our feedback throughout the process. Bottom line is that if you hire Charles he will make you look good.

Mark Wickersham

Senior Director, Technology Product Management | Fidelity Investments

Charles is one of the very best interaction designers I have had the pleasure to work with. He intuitively understands what customers need and how to make things simple and understandable. He is also extraordinarily efficient, and works well with a wide variety of people. He has earned my undying respect and highest recommendation… More v

I have known Charles for more than 20 years, from our early shared days at Spinnaker Software through our time consulting together, and most recently as a client in my role as VP of Web Design with Fidelity Investments. Charles is one of the very best interaction designers I have had the pleasure to work with. He intuitively understands what customers need and how to make things simple and understandable. He is also extraordinarily efficient, and works well with a wide variety of people. He has earned my undying respect and highest recommendation. Less ∧

Andy Knight

Vice President of Design | Fidelity Investments

I've had the pleasure of working with Charles on a number of varied and successful projects. He listens to the various stakeholders, internalizes their needs, and invariably produces creative design solutions. I enthusiastically endorse Charles and Dao Design's services!

Matthew Metcalf

Senior Project Management Professional

Charles worked with us to develop a complex UI. The objective was to come up not only with a great design but an easy to use and very functional interface for a web authoring and publishing application. Charles exceeded everyone's expectations. During the entire process Charles demonstrated a high level of professionalism and responsiveness that really helped to drive the project to completion.

Robert Caslin

Solution Manager | Idiom Technologies

Why are you not working with Charles already? Charles is extremely intelligent & innovative with a great eye for design. He & his associates provide high-quality solutions in very short order & with great flexibility.

Carl Yang

Director, Strategic Business Analysis | Fidelity Investments

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Key Achievements

24+ Yrs, 400+ Projects Completed

Built Long-Term Enterprise Partnerships: Partnered with Dell and EMC for 24+ years, delivering UX systems for enterprise storage and cybersecurity platforms that improved operational visibility and drove product adoption across global teams.

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15+ Yrs, 300+ Projects Completed

Pioneered Financial UX Systems: Led 15+ years of UX initiatives at Fidelity Investments, including the first integrated Fidelity.com platform, enabling unified navigation across business lines and improving customer trust and advisor efficiency.

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11+ Yrs, 150+ Projects Completed

Advanced Financial Systems Integration: Delivered enterprise-wide UX across SunGard Financial Systems during an 11+ year tenure, improving investment and benefits management platforms that improved accuracy, speed, and regulatory compliance.

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10+ Yrs, $750M BlackRock Acquisition

Scaled Intelligent Network Platforms: Directed 10+ years of UX design for NetBrain Technologies, creating AI-driven diagnostic and automation tools used by 2,500+ enterprises worldwide, contributing to NetBrain’s $750M acquisition by BlackRock.

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6+ Yrs, 3,000+ Facilities Deployed

Elevated Healthcare Technology: Designed a five-module suite for Curaspan deployed in 3,000+ hospitals, optimizing referral coordination and discharge processes and directly influencing Curaspan’s acquisition by NaviHealth.

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Constructed Enterprise Search Engine

Drove IPO-Stage Product Success: Built the UX foundation for Northern Light’s enterprise search engine, including the “Custom Search Folders” feature that became a major differentiator and helped position the company for a planned IPO before its acquisition by Divine, Inc.

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