Kat Jones –
Product Designer for the industries people have to trust.

Hi, I'm Kat — I design for lending, compliance, and platforms people rely on every day.

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I design for lending, compliance, and platforms people rely on every day.

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Selected Works

A few projects I'm proud of — real problems, real tradeoffs, real outcomes.

Selected Works

A few projects I'm proud of — real problems, real tradeoffs, real outcomes.

Built and shipped a real Claude Skill to make AI-assisted design safe on a compliance-sensitive lending platform.
MTF Connect
Making a design system AI-ready

Design Systems

Built and shipped a real Claude Skill to make AI-assisted design safe on a compliance-sensitive lending platform.
MTF Connect
Making a design system AI-ready

Design Systems

A mobile-first inventory tool that cut stock management time by 50%+ for the salons who used it.
Timely iOS stock app
Timely iOS Stock App

Mobile / Product Design

A mobile-first inventory tool that cut stock management time by 50%+ for the salons who used it.
Timely iOS stock app
Timely iOS Stock App

Mobile / Product Design

Spotted that three "unrelated" support workflows shared the same structural DNA, and designed one reusable model instead of three separate ones.
MTF Connect
Unifying Payment Waiver, Hardship & Repo

Product Design & Systems Thinking

Spotted that three "unrelated" support workflows shared the same structural DNA, and designed one reusable model instead of three separate ones.
MTF Connect
Unifying Payment Waiver, Hardship & Repo

Product Design & Systems Thinking

A full front-end rebuild of Timely's core feature, still the standard experience for 55,000+ businesses worldwide today.
Timely calendar
Timely calendar redesign

Product Design

A full front-end rebuild of Timely's core feature, still the standard experience for 55,000+ businesses worldwide today.
Timely calendar
Timely calendar redesign

Product Design

Expertise

From complex systems to confident decisions, I design for platforms where getting it wrong has real consequences.

Expertise

From complex systems to confident decisions, I design for platforms where getting it wrong has real consequences.

Complex systems, made usable

Designing for regulated, high-stakes platforms – lending, compliance, financial services – where clarity and auditability matter more than visual novelty.

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Complex systems, made usable

Designing for regulated, high-stakes platforms – lending, compliance, financial services – where clarity and auditability matter more than visual novelty.

01

Complex systems, made usable

Designing for regulated, high-stakes platforms – lending, compliance, financial services – where clarity and auditability matter more than visual novelty.

01

Research that changes the brief

Grounding design decisions in real user research, not assumptions – and being willing to reframe the problem when the research says the brief was wrong.

02

Research that changes the brief

Grounding design decisions in real user research, not assumptions – and being willing to reframe the problem when the research says the brief was wrong.

02

Research that changes the brief

Grounding design decisions in real user research, not assumptions – and being willing to reframe the problem when the research says the brief was wrong.

02

Systems that scale beyond one project

Building design systems and AI-ready documentation that let a whole team – not just one designer – work consistently and confidently.

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Systems that scale beyond one project

Building design systems and AI-ready documentation that let a whole team – not just one designer – work consistently and confidently.

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Systems that scale beyond one project

Building design systems and AI-ready documentation that let a whole team – not just one designer – work consistently and confidently.

03

About Me

About Me

Kat Jones

Hi, I'm Kat, I've spent 10+ years designing for products where getting it right actually matters – from a newsroom platform used by millions, to booking software running tens of thousands of businesses across NZ, AU, and the UK, to fintech and compliance tools built for people who can't afford to get the details wrong.

I care about understanding the real problem before I design a solution, and about partnering closely with product and engineering so what ships holds up in the real world – not just in a prototype.

Alongside my own project work, I mentor and support new designers joining the team – contractor or permanent – helping them ramp up on the product, the systems, and how we work.

Outside of design, I run Lulu & Oats, a small flower studio here in Hawke's Bay – same care for craft, completely different medium.

Contact me

Senior Product Designer

MTF Finance

Feb 2025 – Present

Senior Product Designer

MTF Finance

Feb 2025 – Present

Product Designer

Firmcheck

Jul 2024 – Nov 2024

Product Designer

Firmcheck

Jul 2024 – Nov 2024

Marketing Designer

Aglow

Jul 2024 – Feb 2025

Marketing Designer

Aglow

Jul 2024 – Feb 2025

Product Designer

Timely

Jul 2019 – Jun 2024

Product Designer

Timely

Jul 2019 – Jun 2024

What People Say

Real feedback from the product leads and engineering partners I've worked alongside – across fintech, SaaS, and media.

What People Say

Real feedback from the product leads and engineering partners I've worked alongside – across fintech, SaaS, and media.

  • Kat brings positive energy and works effectively across engineering, product, and marketing to deliver products that are both visually strong and aligned with business and user needs.

    Para Muraleedharan

    SVP Product, Timely & Evercommerce

  • Kat led a series of experiments to speed up TimelyPay's setup journey, partnering cross-functionally to improve the design, measure results, and communicate clear insights — moving the needle on the metric.

    Amanda Judd

    Head of Product Design, Timely & Salonbiz

  • On a short-term contract in the AML and accounting space, Kat brought positive energy and strong communication, adapted quickly to technical constraints, and delivered designs now live with customers.

    Amanda Prisk

    Chief Product Officer at Firmcheck

  • Kat brings positive energy and works effectively across engineering, product, and marketing to deliver products that are both visually strong and aligned with business and user needs.

    Para Muraleedharan

    SVP Product, Timely & Evercommerce

  • Kat led a series of experiments to speed up TimelyPay's setup journey, partnering cross-functionally to improve the design, measure results, and communicate clear insights — moving the needle on the metric.

    Amanda Judd

    Head of Product Design, Timely & Salonbiz

  • On a short-term contract in the AML and accounting space, Kat brought positive energy and strong communication, adapted quickly to technical constraints, and delivered designs now live with customers.

    Amanda Prisk

    Chief Product Officer at Firmcheck

  • Kat brings positive energy and works effectively across engineering, product, and marketing to deliver products that are both visually strong and aligned with business and user needs.

    Para Muraleedharan

    SVP Product, Timely & Evercommerce

  • Kat led a series of experiments to speed up TimelyPay's setup journey, partnering cross-functionally to improve the design, measure results, and communicate clear insights — moving the needle on the metric.

    Amanda Judd

    Head of Product Design, Timely & Salonbiz

  • On a short-term contract in the AML and accounting space, Kat brought positive energy and strong communication, adapted quickly to technical constraints, and delivered designs now live with customers.

    Amanda Prisk

    Chief Product Officer at Firmcheck