Arista Networks
Head of Design / Product Design Manager
2021–2023
Company Profile
Company Size
3,000 → 4,000
Team Size
6 → 20
Domain
Cybersecurity
Company Stage
Public · S&P 500
Revenue
$2.95B → $5.86B
Org Context
Awake → Arista integration
Summary
At Arista Networks, I led design for the acquired Awake Security NDR product while helping scale the broader CloudVision design organization. I combined product strategy, accessibility, information architecture, and operating-model work to make complex cybersecurity data easier to understand—and to help a growing, distributed team deliver with more consistency.
Team Leadership
Multiplying design output
I joined Awake as Head of Design and stayed through its transition into Arista, where my role grew from personally leading the work to increasing what the team could accomplish without me. I hired and led a globally distributed security design team and helped scale the broader design organization from 6 to 20. As we grew, I introduced hiring rubrics, career ladders, critique practices, and clearer ways to match designers to stretch opportunities. I still stayed close to the product, but increasingly measured my impact by the quality of decisions the team could make without me in the room.
Growing new leaders
One of the parts of management I enjoy most is watching someone become capable of a problem they once found intimidating. I used stretch assignments, pairing, and regular coaching to gradually expand designers’ ownership—from features, to product areas, to helping guide other designers. Two designers I coached at Arista eventually moved into management roles themselves. That remains one of the outcomes I’m proudest of: not simply growing the design team, but growing more people capable of leading it.
What sets Chris apart is his down-to-earth nature, creating a stress-free atmosphere that encourages collaboration. He prioritizes the human side of the workplace, valuing the well-being of each team member. Chris is not just a supervisor but a mentor who cultivates an environment where creativity thrives, making him an invaluable asset to any team or organization seeking a design leader with technical expertise and genuine compassion for his colleagues.
Breanna (BG) Kingman
Senior Product Designer
Arista Networks
Network Detection & Response
Accessible security operations at enterprise scale
I led and personally designed the team’s largest release. Customer feedback and analyst research showed that the product’s colors, status states, icons, and navigation created barriers—particularly for colorblind users and Tier 1 and Tier 2 threat analysts. I led a large refactor that paired accessibility improvements with a clearer information architecture grounded in the MITRE framework and the jobs analysts perform during triage. The result made the path from a detected signal to an understanding of threat activity more legible, while creating a scalable foundation for future product areas.
Chris has done a great job addressing design shortcomings in the NDR product when compared with industry best practices. He has established technical systems and design processes that improve communication and collaboration as well as accelerated implementation work both within the NDR team and more broadly at Arista.
Keith Amidon
Co-Founder & Distinguished Architect
Awake Security
PANDA Design System
A PureScript system built with engineering
The redesign had to be viable for engineering, not just desirable for design. I partnered with engineering to build PANDA, an accessible PureScript design system that made reusable components more scalable for cybersecurity products. In roughly two months, it established shared patterns for color, luminosity, and component behavior—and gave the organization a path toward an open-source PureScript design system.
DANZ Monitoring Fabric
Making network visibility actionable
I directed the design strategy for DMF, Arista’s network TAP aggregation solution. In 2023, we shipped a customer-requested single-pane-of-glass view that brought the information network operators needed into one place. I shaped the information hierarchy so users could configure, monitor, and troubleshoot complex fabric activity with a clearer understanding of system state.
Market Impact
Design that sharpened product storytelling
Clearer navigation and information presentation also strengthened how Arista demonstrated the NDR product. The 5.0 release gave researchers and marketing a more coherent end-to-end story, helping them show product value with greater clarity. Customer support signals around discoverability declined after release, and subsequent analyst recognition highlighted usability and performance as meaningful strengths.
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