Tre Stewart as a trail guide holding a lantern

Open to Design Leadership opportunities.

Wayfinder.Trust builder.Culture shaper.

For more than 15 years, I have helped design teams break through barriers and unlock their true potential. At Walmart, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and DirecTV, I ignite new possibilities and guide teams forward, especially when the trail disappears. My mission: leave every team stronger than I found it.

Let’s connect. Email me

Experience

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Field Notes

A design leader who charts the course by experience, not by a rigid script.

I thrive when the trail fades, the stakes climb, and the team needs more confidence than the moment offers.

Award markers

FTE Most Innovative Airline Initiative Smart Ramp, Alaska Airlines, 2025

Webby Award Best Mobile User Interface, Walmart, 2022

Tre Stewart

Field note

Tre Stewart Wayfinder

With over twenty years spanning consumer identity, aviation, and operations, my work has touched millions at Walmart, American, and Alaska.

I don’t just design solutions; I design the conditions that make them possible: coaching senior designers, shaping operating models, and bringing design into the rooms where decisions are made.

Current camp Manager, Product Design Alaska Airlines employee tools

Featured work

Choose your case-study route.

Three field-tested stories from hard terrain: adoption, people leadership, and identity. Hover a poster for the trailer cut, then open it for the case-study preview.

01 Alaska Airlines Operational tools

Deployment Isn't Adoption

We replaced a legacy mobile platform with RAMP Upload, rolling it out to 117 stations. That is when we realized deployment and adoption are two different challenges, so we made instrumentation a launch requirement.

99.6% Submission success

Alaska Airlines

Deployment Isn't Adoption

We replaced RSA Mobile with RAMP Upload across 117 stations. Then we found out those are two different problems.

The problem

We measured
if we shipped.
Not if it worked.

RSA Mobile was the legacy system of record for ramp upload scanning and load submission. Fragmented workflows, limited visibility for Central Load Planning, and no telemetry — no way to know if agents were using a feature, struggling with it, or working around it entirely.

We launched RAMP Upload in waves. The data showed that deploying devices and installing the app did not guarantee agents were actually using it. These were separate issues, and we lacked the tools to address adoption.

My approach

Instrumentation
as a launch
requirement.

Two moves in parallel. First, I made adoption instrumentation non-negotiable — not a post-launch add-on, but part of what "shipped" means. Pendo gave us daily active users, station-level usage patterns, and where agents were dropping off. Once we could see the gaps, we used in-app guides to deliver workflow guidance in context at the worst-adoption stations.

Second, I established a phased rollout, starting small before scaling to system-wide launch. The legacy platform required weeks for a single fix; RAMP Upload enabled same-day hotfixes. I designed the release process to ensure responsible use of this capability.

At our most challenged stations, the real issue was not resistance to the app but a lack of timely guidance on the new workflow. In-app guides bridged this gap without retraining or manager intervention.

Impact — RSA Mobile is retired. RAMP Upload runs at network scale.

From deployed
to adopted.

117

Stations active
on RAMP Upload

99.6%

Submission success rate
6,011 submissions

12,828 / 14,299

Submissions made across
scheduled flights

0 GIRs

No ground incident reports
attributed to RAMP Upload

What I'd do differently

Instrumentation
first. Launch
second.

We added adoption tracking after rollout began, which was not ideal. Pendo should have been part of the initial launch criteria, with active user tracking defining "live at a station." When stations made real adoption gains, agents deserved feedback on their impact. We missed a chance to reinforce positive behavior and build trust for future changes.

SITUATION View full case study ↗

Deployment Isn't Adoption cinematic still

Deployment Isn't Adoption mobile preview still

Deployment Isn't Adoption adoption still

02 Alaska Airlines People leadership

The Goodwill Bank

A designer joined my team carrying three flags: not proactive, struggles with ambiguity, and risk-averse. Five months later, he was presenting solo in the executive suite, fielding questions from the managing director.

5 mo. November to executive presentation

Alaska Airlines

The Goodwill Bank

A designer transferred to my team with three flags on his record. Five months later he was presenting solo in the executive suite.

What I inherited

Not proactive.
Struggles with ambiguity.
Risk-averse.

When he transferred to my cargo team in November, the read from his previous manager was clear: not proactive, struggles with ambiguity, risk-averse. His PM said he'd surface an opportunity and he'd sit on it. When requirements weren't defined, he'd freeze.

I listened. I took notes. Then I set out to form my own view.

What I found was more specific: he came from a team dynamic that had slowly worn down his confidence. The skills were there. He was watching the room, deciding if it was worth using them. Before I could ask him to take more risks, he needed proof that this environment would respond differently.

The sequence that mattered

Make a deposit
before you ask
for behavior.

Six weeks in, before he’d done anything to earn my advocacy, I was in a 1:1 with our director, calling out what product was doing wrong. They’d put him on ULD domain work before he’d been onboarded into the domain, and were wondering why he wasn’t driving. I raised it directly. He found out about that conversation later.

Before I asked for a change, I made a deposit. Coaching does not start with the behavior you want to change. It starts with the environment.

From there: frequent, predictable 1:1s that offered real access, not just check-ins. One concrete target at a time. Supervised field visits to SeaTac cargo ops, then independent ones. When he was meant to own a room, I stepped back and sent coaching notes afterward. Once you take the floor back, there is no clean way to return it in the same meeting.

Where he landed — March 31, executive review

Solo. Executive room.
5 months.

5 mo.

November to
executive presentation

Solo

Presented to MD of
product & design

Designers he now
coordinates as IROPS lead

He presented to Alaska's managing director of product and design — field observations, process maps, design decisions, error handling, agent testing, Q2 roadmap. The MD asked precise process-level questions throughout. His overall read: "This is great." Six months earlier, this was a designer who was nervous presenting to his own PM.

What I'd do differently

Name the gap
sooner.

The observation period lasted two months before I named a concrete goal, and that delay had a cost. Product was bypassing him, passivity was setting in, and I was still assessing. Three or four weeks of signal is enough to name a gap and give someone one thing to practice. That timeline cost him. I also did not bring his PM into the coaching loop early enough. She saw the same patterns, and a short conversation in November would have given him consistent signals from two directions at once.

SITUATION View full case study ↗

03 Walmart Consumer identity

Identity Crisis

Phone verification cut account creation by 40%, yet net GMV per account rose by 56%. That is not a contradiction. That is the product.

+56% Net GMV per account after verification

Walmart

Identity Crisis

Phone verification cut account creation by 40%, yet net GMV per account rose by 56%. That is not a contradiction. That is the product.

01 — The problem

$180M in fraud.
Three orgs.
No shared architecture.

Over 100 million users. More than $180 million lost to fraud each year. Only 11 million of a 52 million verified-phone goal reached. Bots were farming accounts to steal Walmart+ trials, and 15% of accounts had undeliverable email addresses. Three product orgs were building identity in parallel silos, with no shared architecture.

Product’s stance: requiring phone verification at sign-up adds friction, reduces accounts, and lowers GMV. The debate stalled, with both sides relying on instinct instead of proof.

02 — My role

Design the
controlled test.

I partnered with product to design a controlled test instead of debating. Mandatory OTP phone verification at account creation versus a no-verification control, rolled out to 50% of web traffic for eight days, then to all users.

The question was never whether friction would hurt conversion. We knew it would. The real question: are the accounts we are losing worth keeping?

I also co-designed the FIDO passkey flow: friction at the gate, smoothness after. Once identity is verified, authentication becomes faster, not harder.

03 — Outcome

Verified phones:
11M → 52M+

+56%

Net GMV per account
$75 → $117 / year

+136%

Contribution profit / account
$0.58 → $1.37

$8.4M

Annualized contribution
profit increase

−64%

Account takeover
bad-count rate

What I'd do differently

Set the metric
before launch.

A 40% drop in account creation looks catastrophic on a dashboard. It took stakeholder work after the readout to reframe the result. Next time, I would align on the success metric—fewer, higher-quality accounts—before launch, not after. The data was right. The setup for the data was not.

SITUATION View full case study ↗

Trail Markers

The markers I follow through uncertain terrain.

These are not slogans. They are the repeatable moves beneath the work: how I diagnose, build trust, create structure, and hand ownership back to the team.

Marker 01

Diagnose before directing.

The first answer is usually a story the organization tells itself. I go to the conditions, listen for the constraint, and make the real problem visible.

Seen in: RAMP adoption, identity friction, baggage field research.

Marker 02

Structure creates capability.

Clear rituals, decision rights, and quality gates are not bureaucracy. They are how talented people stop wasting energy guessing how to move.

Seen in: Jetstream governance, design ops, peer review systems.

Marker 03

Trust precedes risk.

People do bolder work when the environment proves it can hold them. Coaching starts with the conditions, not the behavior you want changed.

Seen in: the Goodwill Bank coaching arc.

Marker 04

Give ownership away on purpose.

A leader should make the room safer, clearer, and ultimately less dependent on them. The real win is when the team can carry the work forward without me.

Seen in: executive-ready designers, shared operating models.

Echo Ridge

Signals that carry back.

The work only matters if people can move with it. These echoes are proof that the markers above show up in real rooms, teams, and careers.

7 references 3 direct managers 4 disciplines

Item 1 of 14

Trust before risk · Walmart

Erin Sian Williams

Sr Director, UX Design · Walmart

Managed Tre directly

Tre is a natural leader and especially shines in helping other designers gain confidence in their role; he helps teammates get comfortable sharing bolder ideas, sharpen their critical skills, and push their work to new places.

Tre Stewart taking a selfie with Alaska Airlines teammates beside an aircraft during field research — **Field context** Getting close to the environment before shaping the product.

Mentorship · American Airlines

Diego Brunot

Manager · American Airlines

Managed Tre directly

Tre has an innate ability to make people feel comfortable and supported, fostering a collaborative and positive work environment. I have seen him reach out to peers during vulnerable moments, providing the mentorship and support needed to help them succeed.

Virtual weekly sync with Tre Stewart and teammates in a video meeting grid — **Weekly sync** Small rituals that keep partnership close.

Strategic craft · Walmart

Demetrios Roumbos

Product Designer · Walmart

Worked on the same team

What sets Tre apart is his remarkable attention to detail paired with strategic vision. He has an uncanny ability to spot subtle inconsistencies while never losing sight of the broader project and problem at hand.

Tre Stewart and a colleague facilitating a hands-on American Airlines workshop with attendees around laptops — **Workshop facilitation** Hands-on guidance while teams make the work real.

Customer focus · Walmart

May Mak

Sr Product Manager · Walmart

Worked on the same team

In our design sessions, Tre is always asking and reminding me, “Why are we doing what we’re doing and what is the benefit to the customer?” His relentless questioning is a testament to his customer-first focus.

Virtual working session with Tre Stewart and teammates in a video meeting grid — **Remote critique** Distributed teams still need a room for the work.

Depth of ownership · Walmart

Michelle Hang Bui

Sr Product Designer · Walmart

Worked with Tre on a partner team

I have never met a designer who is so thorough, involved, and knowledgeable in their focus area to be able to articulate the nitty gritty of every use case to educate others and build incredible experiences.

Animated American Airlines team photo with Tre Stewart and teammates holding playful props — **Team energy** The kind of trust that makes critique easier.

Learning through complexity · Walmart

Steph Houle

Sr Manager, Product Design · Walmart

Managed Tre directly

Tre navigated complex problems, like implementing FIDO, by learning through the process and solving for the best user experience possible. Whether it was advanced prototyping or teaching Figma, he was always willing to help.

Baggage office hours video meeting with Tre Stewart and product partners — **Office hours** Open space for product questions before decisions harden.

Resilient leadership · American Airlines

Benjamin Parail

Principal UX Designer

Worked with Tre across two companies

Tre brought a resilient passion to every challenging or complex problem. He advocates for his team by giving them a voice, leading with courage, mentoring young designers, and teaching new skills.

Wayfinder.Trust builder.Culture shaper.

A design leader who charts the course by experience, not by a rigid script.

Deployment Isn't Adoption

We measuredif we shipped.Not if it worked.

Instrumentationas a launchrequirement.

From deployedto adopted.

Instrumentationfirst. Launchsecond.

The Goodwill Bank

Not proactive.Struggles with ambiguity.Risk-averse.

Make a depositbefore you askfor behavior.

Solo. Executive room.5 months.

Name the gapsooner.

Identity Crisis

$180M in fraud.Three orgs.No shared architecture.

Design thecontrolled test.

Verified phones:11M → 52M+

Set the metricbefore launch.

The markers I follow through uncertain terrain.

Diagnose before directing.

Structure creates capability.

Trust precedes risk.

Give ownership away on purpose.

Signals that carry back.

Erin Sian Williams

Diego Brunot

Demetrios Roumbos

May Mak

Michelle Hang Bui

Steph Houle

Benjamin Parail

Back atbasecamp,ready for the next ascent.

We measured
if we shipped.
Not if it worked.

Instrumentation
as a launch
requirement.

From deployed
to adopted.

Instrumentation
first. Launch
second.

Not proactive.
Struggles with ambiguity.
Risk-averse.

Make a deposit
before you ask
for behavior.

Solo. Executive room.
5 months.

Name the gap
sooner.

$180M in fraud.
Three orgs.
No shared architecture.

Design the
controlled test.

Verified phones:
11M → 52M+

Set the metric
before launch.

Back at
basecamp,
ready for the next ascent.