Joe Smiley

Captain
DISC Type : DS

Design Director at Microsoft Gaming at Microsoft

Irvine, California, United States

Overview

Joe is an accomplished design leader with experience at Microsoft, Blizzard, and Disney, specializing in building high-performing teams focused on human-centered design. Colleagues describe him as innovative, methodical, and an expert in his field. He holds an MBA from the University of Virginia and has served as a judge for the MIT $100k challenge.

He is passionate about the power of design to create meaningful change, drawing inspiration from his time at Walt Disney Imagineering. He believes that great design should solve difficult problems and can be a catalyst for change in any industry, not just in technology.

Joe holds a patent for a system and method related to micro-market management.

Personality Overview

Dynamic But Sincere

Decisive But Calm

Output-Driven

They are very professional in their approach and can weigh multiple perspectives together.  They exhibit a rare combination of being result-oriented but patient at the same time. They might take some time to make their mind up but once they do, they don't change it easily.

Topics They Care About

Human-Centered Design
His core philosophy is that technology should adapt to humans. He focuses on empathy and deep discovery to create intuitive, user-centric products.
Future of UX
He recently authored an article on 2026 design trends, focusing on multimodal interfaces, emotionally aware systems, and the role of AI in design.
Disruptive Innovation
His ideas on using design for disruptive innovation are a central theme in his professional brand, including his personal blog, DSRUPTR. com.

Media Appearances

Joe has no verified media appearances

Work History

10-2023 - 11-2025
Design Director at Microsoft Gaming at Microsoft
12-2021 - 10-2023
Design Director at Blizzard Entertainment
11-2021 - 6-2022
Head of Design (Interim) at Blizzard Entertainment
9-2020 - 12-2021
Group Design Manager, Ecommerce at Blizzard Entertainment
2017 - 2020
Director, User Experience at E*TRADE

Education

Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from University of Virginia Darden School of Business
BA from Virginia Tech

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 26 Location : Irvine, California, United States Job Level : N/A Designation : Design Director at Microsoft Gaming at Microsoft
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Insights For Selling To Joe

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Ask them at the end if they see a strong value prop in your product; expect an honest answer
  • Focus on the results that your product produces, expect some strategic questions in return
  • Let them know of potential risks but suggest mitigation methods alongside

DONT's

  • Don't get into pricing discussions early on, steer conversation towards proven results
  • Don't focus too much on mutual contacts or bother about other stakeholders, focus on them
  • Don't shy away from asking hard questions, but be extra polite

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Joe is

  • Strong proof of impact and their conviction will matter the most, but they wouldn't want to act unilaterally either
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Joe

  • They will say no if they are not convinced but you will have to prompt them.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Joe move?

  • They will want to understand things well but can move fast once they have a clear picture.
  • Can Joe take some risk or not?

  • They have good risk tolerance but are likely to think it through once or twice.

You And Joe

Personality Compatibility


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