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Jax EngelDesigner & Engineer

About me

  • 11+ years product design
  • Accessibility advocacy
  • Design systems leadership
  • Design-to-code automation

I design products and the systems behind them, and I write the code that carries both into production. I architect token systems for multi-brand products and build Figma-to-code pipelines. My background spans interface design, complex workflow automation and WCAG accessibility across fintech, automotive and SaaS.

I recently joined Spectrum, where I work on the ecommerce design system. My most recent role was at Toyota, where I led design token architecture, token-to-code pipelines and developer tooling across a multi-brand product ecosystem.

Earlier work includes AI-assisted survey analysis at ServiceNow case study, an accessible, rebranded design system at Indeed case study, and a self-serve Salesforce integration at ActBlue case study.

Approach to work

Curiosity and documentation

I start with questions and careful listening. What I learn goes into clear documentation, so the next person can pick it up without starting over. At Indeed I answered daily system questions and contributed to onboarding sessions.

Focus and trade-offs

When I commit to a task, I aim to get it right the first time. I set honest expectations up front, rank the goals and agree with the team on how to weigh speed against quality. At Toyota I ran sprint planning for five designers.

Accessibility and teaching

Accessibility is the part of the craft I most enjoy sharing. I coach teammates on WCAG, code and Figma, and I build the guidance into the components and documentation they already use. At Indeed I documented 20 components with WCAG and right-to-left guidance. At ActBlue I led accessibility work that other teams adopted.

Prototyping with AI

AI is my newest way to prototype. Working in code lets me take an idea to a running prototype and hand engineers something they can build from. At Toyota I built a CLI that keeps Figma variables in line with code, and used Python and AI to create 200+ stories in bulk.

Personal life

I live in Fort Worth, Texas with my partner and our four rowdy pets: Kirby, Midna, Zelda, and Beau. When I'm not in Figma or VS Code, you can find me playing narrative-heavy video games, analyzing complex Zelda lore timelines, or watching 2-hour video essays on obscure topics.

Meet my pets! Kirby, Beauregard, Midna, and Zelda. Because I work remote, they're always around and up to no good (but are very cute).

  • A black dog named Kirby with a white chest and a pink bandana looks up and to the side with a big open-mouthed smile.
    Sweet and cuddly boy.
  • A gray cat named Beauregard looks straight at the camera with wide golden eyes, sitting on a cream quilt and wearing a black collar with a tiny Christmas tree charm.
    Menace to society.
  • A tortoiseshell cat named Midna naps with her eyes closed on a couch, curled up next to a blue fleece blanket.
    Thinking evil thoughts.
  • A black cat named Zelda sits on a gray-blue blanket, her paws stretched out in front of her, and glances off to the side with yellow-green eyes.
    Having zero thoughts.