My values

Open Collaboration and Transparency, Positive Impact and Well-being, Intellectual Honesty

These values are at the core of my work philosophy. I partner with organizations and teams that share a commitment to these principles, leading to impactful and meaningful outcomes.

Open Collaboration and Transparency: My commitment to open collaboration and transparency underpins my approach to product design. By engaging in open dialogue, sharing insights, and maintaining clear communication, I create a space where ideas can freely flow. This transparency not only builds trust but aligns teams towards common goals, fostering a collaborative and effective work environment.

Positive Impact and Well-being: At the heart of my work is the pursuit of solutions that prioritize the well-being of individuals and communities. I strive to create user experiences that not only meet business objectives but also contribute positively to society. My focus is on designing inclusive and empathetic solutions that promote societal betterment and bring about lasting positive changes.

Intellectual Honesty: I approach challenges in product design with an open mind and a willingness to recognize and learn from my knowledge gaps. This intellectual honesty is not just about finding immediate solutions but about gaining a deeper understanding of the nuances of each project. It’s essential for me and my team to share this value, as it cultivates a culture of growth, learning, and mutual respect.

Together, these values shape my approach to design and collaboration, ensuring that every project I undertake is both meaningful and impactful.

Experiences

For the past 11 years, I have

Led the design overhaul of a SaaS platform for an ed-tech start-up serving 2M users over 180+ higher-ed institutions across the U.S. ;

Spearheaded the development and maintained a design system used by 20+ product and engineering team members ;

Co-founded a start-up in the online education. Generating 6 figure revenue in the span of 18 months ;

Worked directly with clients in agencies, defining product scopes, goals, user’s assumptions and pain points ;

Led product feature design on a multi-million dollar e-commerce marketplace ;

Built fast responsive websites with HTML5, CSS, Javascript, responsive design and Agile methods ;

Designed aesthetic user interfaces, mockups and prototypes of systems for websites and mobile applications ;

Performed user research activities with a design thinking and lean approach ;

Launched hundreds of marketing campaigns that generated customer fidelity and revenue growth ;

and more…

Who

What sets me apart

I thrive working with cross-functional teams where customers and stakeholders buy-in is essential to business success.
I can contribute at every stage of your product from concept to launch:

Product conception - Initiating with in-depth research and stakeholder interviews, I distill insights to conceptualize user-centric solutions, and strategically roadmap the product’s evolution, ensuring alignment with customer needs and business objectives.

Product development - Leveraging front-end development skills and knowledge in Agile methodologies, I streamline the design-to-development transition, ensuring timely iterations and a product that aligns seamlessly with user expectations and technical feasibility.

Product launch - Collaborating closely with sales, marketing, legal, and PR teams, I can bridge communication gaps across departments, ensuring a synchronized and impactful product launch in the market.

Product enhancement - Continuously analyzing user feedback and market trends, I guide teams in refining and expanding product functionalities, elevating user experience, and driving sustainable growth.

I’m ready to add value to any team looking for an experienced and polyvalent Senior Product Designer.

Testimonials

What my teammates say about me

Don't wait on the chance to add Mathieu Fortune to your team!
I had the pleasure to work along side Mathieu at Mentor Collective for nearly 3 years -- Me in the role of Senior Product Manager, and him in the role of Senior Product Designer. When running a product squad, a designer can really make or break a team's flow, and I can say without a doubt that Mathieu was always a key player in allowing us to ship high quality product work, quickly! He has a gift for being able to envision the big picture (think 1-5year plan), and also be able to work with the team to break that work out iteratively, so we can be continuously shipping, learning, and improving.

One of the ways Mathieu accomplished this while I worked with him, was via building out a reliable design system that not only supported our current product, but was able to grow and evolve as the product grew and evolved. The roll-out of this update was smooth and easy for the whole team to understand.
Additionally, Mathieu's documentation is pristine. In fact, on one occasion while I was reviewing Mathieu's Figma designs, my husband (a VP of Product at a startup) looked over my shoulder and said, "Whoa, did your designer do that?! I've never seen such an organized Figma file!" For Mathieu, design work doesn't stop at building out a UX/UI that solves the user problem -- He follows through to make sure he communicates this design out to the development team in order to turn the ideas into a reality. Clear layers, research documentation, handoff notes, and a background in frontend engineering makes Mathieu a dream designer for engineers. I lost count of the number of sprint retros where the engineers sang his praises.

All of this, and I still haven't talked about:
1. The abundance of user research work Mathieu planned, conducted, neatly summarized, and shared with the team
2. The discovery and brainstorming activities he would regularly lead
3. The absolute pleasure it is just to work with somebody as kind, caring, and user focused as Mathieu

Mathieu is hands down, one of the best designers I've had the pleasure to work with, and if you're lucky enough to add him to your team, I'm sure you'll feel the same way.

Kelley J. - Senior Product Manager @ Mentor Collective

Mathieu was a Senior Product Designer on my team at Mentor Collective. In his time at Mentor Collective, I came to rely upon him for his insightful questions and probing perspective. He championed the need for a more modern design system for our B2B and B2C applications. He took ownership of the design system's process, deliverables and even the maintenance. The look and feel of the Mentor Collective platform (and the ability to scale it up) is a direct result of Mathieu's efforts. Lastly, Mathieu is a designer who not just designs for what is needed now, but strives to anticipate the next set of needs. His research and design will not just meet your immediate needs but plants the seeds for future directions.

Stephen M. - VP of Product @ Mentor Collective

Mathieu would be a wonderful asset to any team and is one of the strongest product designers I've ever worked with. Having worked alongside him in the Research and Design team at Mentor Collective, I can attest to his wide range of design and technical expertise. He is empathetic, communicative, inquisitive and adaptable. He is great at giving/receiving feedback and always strives to improve his craft. I have no doubt he will be a great leader and teammate in any future team he joins. I hope to have the chance to work with him again in the near future!

Abbie M. - Product Designer @ Mentor Collective

One of my greatest sources of excitement in moving from a marketing role onto the Research and Design team was getting to work more closely with Mathieu. I had seen from a distance his dedication, attention to detail, and collaborative nature; all these qualities held up when we had the opportunity to work as a team. He is curious, diligent, and cares so deeply about the end user's needs. Mathieu is a genuine pleasure to work with, and any organization would be lucky to harness his thoughts and talents for their benefit.

Amma M. - UX Writer @ Mentor Collective

Mathieu's designs and portfolio speak for themselves. My reason for recommending him is his talent for listening, inquiring, and processing information from others. Mathieu can take in novel information and turn it into something that makes everyone in the room better—better at communicating, better at their job, better at what they are trying to accomplish. He is an outstanding colleague and I am grateful for working with him.

Shannon L. - Principal Product Manager @ Mentor Collective

I had the pleasure of working closely with Mathieu as a software engineer while he served as our Senior Product Designer. Mathieu is an exceptional talent who consistently delivers outstanding results. One of Mathieu's greatest strengths is his ability to think and deliver quickly. His agility in problem-solving is remarkable, allowing us to tackle complex projects with ease. What sets Mathieu apart is his background as a frontend engineer, providing valuable insights into the engineering aspects of user-centric projects. Mathieu's out-of-the-box thinking and solution-oriented mindset make him a valuable asset to any team. If you're looking for a talented and versatile Senior Product Designer who excels in both creativity and technical understanding, I highly recommend Mathieu. His contributions have been instrumental in our projects' success, and I have no doubt he will continue to shine in his career.

Kervin V. - Software Engineer @ Mentor Collective

I was fortunate to work with Mathieu for over two years on the same product squad at Mentor Collective and can confidently recommend him as a talented designer. As a Senior Product Designer, his dedication to research and data-driven design ensured that user experiences were not only visually compelling but also highly effective. Threading this needle is not always easy! Mathieu’s attention to detail and creative solutions are standout qualities that consistently elevated his work. What sets Mathieu apart is his ability to be a creative thought partner when it comes to bridging the gap between design and engineering, demonstrating a commitment to collaboration and teamwork. He consistently engaged in productive dialogue with engineers to improve design handoff processes and sprint workflows, and excelled in finding innovative design workarounds to technical limitations, which makes him an invaluable asset to any project. When he joined Mentor Collective, Mathieu was faced with a design landscape that had long been without a dedicated designer. He approached the buffet of design needs with creativity and impressive resolve. Our excitement and gratitude that he joined our team only increased the longer he was there. One of his most impactful early contributions to the team was collaborating with engineering to establish a thoughtful design system, aligning it with branding while enhancing usability and accessibility across the platform. This new design system was quickly used to redesign a highly visible dashboard that had unique data and usability challenges, and saw a notable increase in visitor engagement after launch. And he was just getting started! Mathieu's abundant contributions undeniably left a positive and lasting impact on our projects and the team. Any team would be lucky to have him.

Lindsay W. - Senior Software Engineer @ Mentor Collective

You want Mathieu on your team. I worked with him on multiple projects while at Mentor Collective, including the launch of a brand-new on-demand learning platform capable of scaling to support 1-million learners. Mathieu collaboratively engaged in research, ideation, and designs for the project. He was an incredibly valuable thought partner for the project, proving recommendations that created deeper value for users. He also took the time to teach me new skillsets (such as HTML). His guidance, expertise, talent, and collaborative personality make him a true asset to any team. I hope to work with Mathieu again in the future!

Jennifer K., Product Manager @ Mentor Collective

Mathieu is great to work with. I was working with him during his mission at Gleeden. He was able to understand business requirements and technical limitations while delivering quality work. Mathieu is an extremely talented and driven individual that I would love to work with again.

Solène Paillet, Marketing Director French Division @ Gleeden

I consider myself lucky to have closely worked with Mathieu for over two years on the same product team. In his role as a Senior Product Designer, he led many significant initiatives to design new features and revitalize core parts of our apps - taking on challenging projects involving processing large amounts of data and creating beautiful designs for data visualization. Mathieu’s attention to detail, focus on accessibility and user research were essential factors that resulted in a great looking and intuitive product with many features seeing increased usage after his redesigns. As an engineer, I was appreciative of Mathieu’s collaboration with engineers to create a design handoff process that enabled us to jump into implementation efficiently. With his background in frontend engineering his feedback was always organized and detailed, which enabled quick and smooth iteration. In addition to his technical expertise, Mathieu is truly great to work with and brings enthusiasm, adaptability and care for the user’s experience that make him a valuable addition to any team.

Cass P. - Software Engineer @ Mentor Collective

Mathieu is a such a great professional! He was always helpful and always wiling to teach and share his knowledge. His skills are outstanding, I was a witness of all the great projects he accomplished during the time we worked together at Bakerly. Not only he is professional in his field but a great person. He was always friendly and reliable, a great person to work with!

Tatiana D., Senior Sales Operative Manager @ Bakerly

I worked closely with Mathieu on a number of pretty complex web projects. Mathieu has proven to be an excellent designer and developer who is easy to collaborate with. He asks pertinent questions and offers efficient alternatives and smart solutions that move a project forward. Beside his excellent work as a developer, Mathieu’s has an admirable work ethic-generally the first one in the door in the morning, gunning to get started, and always willing to learn something new. I have been impressed by Mathieu more times than I can count and his easy attitude makes him a great part of any team.

Cliff Grente, Software Developer @ Gleeden

Mathieu helped me with several web and design projects linked to my companies. Mathieu is very easy to work with, he knows how to handle situations and answers all the challenges on the spot. He follows through and closes actions. He is very knowledgable and skilled at what he does and guides his customers towards the current trends in the industry. It was a pleasure to work with him. I highly recommend him and definitely looking forward to working with him again in the future.

Jordan Cohen, CEO @ MaintenanceQuebec

Mathieu was a great asset in 1001pharmacies' development team. He used his UX and Front-end development skills to serve our e-commerce website, as well as our current web site re-design. His professionalism led him to work with commitment and high motivation until his last day in our team. These actions allow me to recommend him without hesitation, and I invite you to give him a shot to prove his true value. Feel free to contact me directly for more information.

Cédric O'Neill, co-founder and former CEO @ 1001pharmacies.com

Working with Mathieu on UX subjects was very exciting... He's always learning about topics around user-centered design and doesn't hesitate to challenge project ideas to move forward. Also, he has a real eye for aesthetics! I can only recommend you to work with Mathieu.

Audrey Lambert, former digital marketing manager @ 1001pharmacies.com

Mathieu is an avid UX/UI Designer. Thanks to his exceptional design skills and clear explanations in projects (whose collaboration was rich in learning/teaching and very rewarding), he did them by providing much value to the different projects. Motivated and passionate, he helped me and other colleagues to improve themselves. It's a pleasure to work with him, and I recommend him for future web projects.

Sébastien Correaud, former front-end developer @ 1001pharmacies.com

I worked with Mathieu for a year. Deeply involved in the projects he worked on, he managed to find the most qualitative solution for each challenge he encountered. His creativity and sixth sense for usability is a great asset for a team.

Guilhem Marty, former CTO @ 1001pharmacies.com

UI developer, Front-end developer, Web designer, Ux designer, Web teacher, Web project manager, HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, Sass, Less, Bootstrap, Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Sketch, Invision, Marvel, Usability tests, User interviews, Data analyst, SEO, Gulp, Webpack, Responsive web design, Mobile, Wordpress, Drupal, Jekyll, Symfony.