Mike Finch is a designer, hacker, and advisor.
He's a principal designer at Praetorian and OWASP. You can find him behind a desk or in the woods.
What I've been focused on lately
LLMs & Artificial Intelligence
As Large Language Models become essential to our world, how can we thoughtfully ensure these systems are ethically designed and deployed?
The Design of Disinformation
How do our design patterns inform and educate users? How can we nudge them in the right direction? What does truth look like? How can you tell?
Private by Design
In this world of algorithms and big data, how do we ensure our user's privacy is preserved while still creating top-shelf experiences?
User Experience v. Security
Are there times when a user's security should take a backseat to their in-the-moment experience? What are those pros and cons?
Brands I've Designed For
What My Peeps are Saying
“I’ve worked with Mike on dozens of design projects and he never fails to disappoint.”
Gabriel Weinberg
DuckDuckGo Founder + CEO“Mike consistently went above and beyond. He worked long hours against tight deadlines and produced amazing designs that has our open source community producing work that looks like it came from a multi-billion dollar corporation.”
Steve Wilson
Contrast Security Chief Product Officer“Mike ranks as one of the most talented designers I've had the privilege to work with.”
Tony Corneto
HackerOne Senior Director of Design“Mike provides strong design direction... He works extremely efficiently, creates high quality designs and is in-tune with all the best UX practices.”
Alice Steinglass
Salesforce EVP“Mike dramatically improved the quality of our design work. I recommend him highly.”
Hadi Partovi
Code.org Founder + CEO“Mike’s one of the most talented and dedicated designers I’ve collaborated with. His ability to seamlessly blend user-centric design with business objectives is truly remarkable.. I wholeheartedly recommend Mike.”
Denny Deaton
HackerOne Head of Security Assessments“Mike is an awesome and super talented designer. Highly recommended!”
Maria Giudice
Founder + Co-author of Rise of the DEO“Mike is an immensely talented colleague. His design brings our resources to life, making our work more beautiful, appealing, and usable.”
Alison Macrina
Library Freedom FounderFeatured Out-and-About
Searching the Internet Privately
A webinar with SpiderOak discussing the different attack surfaces users should be aware of when searching online.
Designing for Privacy + Open Source
I was interviewed by Tutanota about my motivations for contributing to open source and passion for private software.
RWD Seattle
I had the priviledge of speaking at Ethan Marcotte and Karen McGrane’s incredible Responsive Web Design workshop in Seattle.
Designing with a Privacy-First Mindset
I was interviewed by Tresorit about the challenges and nuances of designing private applications for mainstream users.
Responsive Web Design Podcast
An interview with Ethan Marcotte and Karen McGrane about easy methods for adopting a responsive workflow.
Designing for the Enterprise
I was emcee and panel moderator for this discussion exploring the challenges and opportunities in designing enterprise software.
Time to Get Personal
Comics Are King
Some of my best friends are comic characters. Don’t judge me.
Watch Your Back
I'm a privacy/security wonk. You can't be too careful these days.
The People's Museum
Good street art can rival the most magnificent museum pieces.
Music > Everything
From Beck to the Beastie Boys, I take my music collection seriously.
Under the Needle
I love the art and tradition of tattoos. I’ve even got a few myself.
Stop and Vote
Design is political.
As a consequence, so am I.
My Creative Side
When I was a kid I used to draw heroes. Now I draw wireframes.
Pale Blue Dot
I’m stoked on cosmology and astrophysics. Space is raaaaaad.
Don't Break a Hip
I used to live at the skatepark before getting older and fatter wiser.
The Daily Uniform
I only wear black t-shirts. Like a skateboarding Johnny Cash.
Beauty Secrets
I’ve cut my own hair for 20 years. That’s how aging punk-rockers roll.
Books are Beautiful
I spend an ungodly amount of time in libraries and book stores.
Let's do something great together
My availability varies, but I'm always interested in rad new ideas and do-gooder organizations. If you've got something I should see, let's chat!
