Amy Kucksdorf

About

I design AI products for legal professionals — chatbots, LLM-powered workflows, and intelligent automation that thousands of legal professionals rely on every day.

I've spent 15 years figuring out how to build trust between people and complex software, and right now that means helping legal pros do their best work — finding efficiencies, surfacing the right information, and getting out of their way.

I'm currently a Principal Product Designer at NetDocuments, where I lead design for an enterprise legal platform used by thousands of law firms worldwide. I own the company's AI product suite, and that work is delivering measurable results — user satisfaction is positive and it's driving revenue growth. I lead one senior product designer and partner closely with a UX researcher, guiding their work day-to-day and mentoring their growth. I also sit across four product squads, partnering with product and engineering to support 20+ engineers shipping AI features. I use Claude every day to prototype, pressure-test ideas, and move from concept to working demo before we commit to building.

I'm a creative thinker with an insatiable curiosity. I love digging into messy problems, and yes, I always have way too many tabs open.

How I think about AI in product
design

Trust is the whole game

In legal, a single bad answer can cost a client. Good AI design means showing your work, surfacing uncertainty honestly, and making it easy to verify and edit. The product has to be useful and defensible — trust is built in the small moments, not the big ones.

Meet users where they are

Sometimes a chat interface is exactly what's needed; sometimes it's the wrong shape entirely. Whether AI shows up as a chat, a suggestion, an automation, or stays invisible in the background, the question is what drives adoption and retention for the people actually doing the work.

Prototyping has changed

I can now test a real working concept with users in days instead of weeks. That shifts what design is for: less about producing artifacts, more about narrowing down the right bet quickly. I expect the designers I work with and mentor to work this way.

AI raises the stakes for research

The faster you can ship, the easier it is to ship the wrong thing. I push my team to stay close to actual users — especially the ones whose work the AI is supposed to help.

How I lead

I lead from a servant-leadership philosophy: my job is to serve the people on my team, the customers we're designing for, and the broader community we're part of. If someone on the team is struggling, they're not on their own. We win together.

In practice, that looks a lot like good design: you listen first, you clarify the problem, and you protect space for the people doing the work to do it well.

At NetDocuments I lead one senior product designer and partner closely with a UX researcher. I run weekly 1:1s, lead design critique, provide project direction, and mentor each person tied to their growth goals. I also work across four product squads, partnering with product managers and engineering leads to support 20+ engineers building AI features — making sure design has a seat at the table early, that we ship coherent work across squads, and that the standards stay consistent. I've built and maintained the interaction patterns, accessibility guidelines, and design system documentation that hold our work together at scale.

Earlier, as VP of Experience at ReadySet VR, I built the design practice from scratch. I established the UX process, hired and grew the team from 5 to 11 across design, marketing, and web development, set creative direction, and directed the user research that shaped the product roadmap. When the pandemic hit, I led a rapid pivot from a face-worn VR hardware product to a web-based SaaS platform — rebuilding the core product under real time and resource pressure.

I care a lot about building teams where people feel like their work matters and their voice is heard.

How I teach

Teaching is part of my practice, not a side thing.

I've taught live, synchronous UX certificate courses for career changers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of Miami, covering design fundamentals, research methods, prototyping, usability testing, and portfolio development. Since 2020 I've mentored 50+ designers through Designlab and ADPList — including through Designlab's Career Services program, where I work directly with graduates on portfolio feedback, iteration, and interview prep to help them land jobs — with more than 10 landing their first design role.

I believe the design community gets stronger when experienced practitioners invest in the next generation, and I'm always open to teaching, guest lectures, workshops, and speaking.

What people say

"Amy is an invaluable team member who is dependable, self-motivated, and self-aware. Her personality and skills together continually impress all those who she collaborates with. Having worked with her for 5+ years on a number of small to large projects, I can say confidently that she can handle anything that comes her way, and she is an incredible strength for any team."

Pamela Dufek Designer  ·  Colleague at Wild Blue Technologies

"Amy is a reliable, self-driven, multitalented individual that has a wealth of knowledge in UI/UX design. Amy's ability to research, collect, and explain information was a significant skill that allowed her to form a design strategy that moved projects forward. She came to credible solutions backed by solid rationale that brought projects to the next level."

Josh Coyer Marketing & Design  ·  Colleague at Wild Blue Technologies

"Amy's insights were incredibly valuable, providing me with practical advice and actionable steps to enhance my leadership skills and advance in my career. Her expertise and willingness to share her knowledge made a significant impact. I highly recommend Amy to anyone seeking guidance in their professional journey."

Gurmandeep Kaur Senior UX Researcher, FoodReady  ·  ADPList

"Great design knowledge, specifically around leading design teams and dealing with stakeholders and the business side of UX. Would love a catch-up in the future!"

Stacey Rey Senior Product Designer, Coherence  ·  ADPList

"In our first meeting, we discussed some of my collaborative stories and how to modify them to make them more vivid and convincing. She provided a lot of insightful advice on how to adjust the stories and choose the right ones for specific questions. It was incredibly helpful."

Ming Li Senior Product Designer, Shopee  ·  ADPList

"Amy is undoubtedly one of the most exceptional mentors I have encountered. Her empathy and enthusiasm are truly remarkable. Every feedback and suggestion she provides is incredibly concise and precise."

Yan Wang Product Designer, Validation Cloud  ·  ADPList

A few things I've shipped

  • NetDocuments AI suite — chatbot, LLM workflows, and intelligent automation for legal professionals. Positive user satisfaction and driving revenue growth.
  • ReadySet VR pandemic pivot — led the redesign from face-worn VR hardware to web-based SaaS under tight constraints; product shipped and helped secure VC funding.
  • ReadySet UX practice — built from zero; team grew 5 → 11.
  • Wild Blue Technologies — nearly seven years leading interaction design across CPG, retail, and innovation-center work spanning web, mobile, desktop, and ecommerce.

Outside of
work

I'm working on my photography, exploring nature, and spending time with my dog Scout.

Get in touch at hello@amy.work