I build design practices, design systems, and the AI tooling that helps them scale.
20+ years in design. For the last decade, leading UX at Cboe Global Markets, in one of the most regulated corners of finance.
Five case studies.
The full case studies are password protected because they cover internal work. If you don't have the password yet, request access.
Redesigning Cboe.com
Design Lead, circa 2022Turned 15–20 agency page designs into a template system that scaled the public site to hundreds of pages without growing the design team.
PasswordBuilding Cboe's design systems: Contour & Chroma
Design Lead to Director, UX, 2020–presentBuilt two governed design systems, one for products and one for the public site, now unified by a shared token architecture.
PasswordMaking the design system AI‑ready
Director, UX, 2025–presentBuilt a tokens-first foundation for two design systems that became exactly the brief AI agents needed. 30+ employees now build with it.
PasswordModernizing customer onboarding
Director, UXReplaced hand-offs over email, phone, Excel, Word, and PDFs across three teams with one shared app that gives customers and staff real-time visibility.
PasswordBuilding the UX function
UX/UI Designer to Director, UX, 2016–presentFounded Cboe's UX practice from zero in 2016 and grew it into a company-wide capability, with a cross-trained team and 20+ advocates.
Password
How I lead
Three principles.
Think in systems
Whenever work can be reused, I turn it into a system others can build on. Developer guidelines grew into Contour, 15–20 agency page designs became a template system for thousands of pages, and the design systems became the brief that lets AI agents build on-brand interfaces.
Turn partners into advocates
A small team reaches a large company through others. I train engineers, product managers, and designers across departments in UX practice and bring them in as advocates. That network has grown to 20+ people who carry our standards into their own teams.
Grow people into owners
I hire for complementary skills and cross-train until each designer can act as a team of one, then hand over real ownership. A lead designer now owns both design systems and their roadmap, and others own whole areas like trading desk applications and customer onboarding.
About
From a team of one to a company-wide capability.
When I joined Cboe in 2016, there was no UX practice and no product design. I started one from scratch, working through the engineers most open to design, and ran it on my own for four years before building a team of cross-trained designers who can each act as a team of one.
Today, as Director, UX, I lead the team and the two enterprise design systems that 15 partner teams build on. Most recently, I've made those systems AI-ready, so designers and employees across the company can build on-brand, compliant interfaces with AI, safely.
I'm a FINRA Series 7 & 63 license holder, and am fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and German.
Before UX
Twelve years in advertising and production.
Across agencies in Argentina, Brazil, and the US. That's where I learned to tell a story, direct a team, and ship under real deadlines.
Creative Director
Leading concepts and creative teams for national and global brands.
Motion & Video Director
Directing motion design and video production from idea to final cut.
UX Manager
Bringing user experience into agency work, the bridge into product design.
- Microsoft
- Nokia
- Nestlé
- Unilever
- Petrobras
- Under Armour
- Pirelli
- Cadbury
- Carrefour
Let's talk.
I'm exploring senior design leadership roles. The best way to reach me is by email or LinkedIn.
matias.causa@gmail.com