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Chris Ballard
Product Design Manager at The New York Times
Chris Ballard is the Product Design Manager at The New York Times, where he leads a team of four designers focused on enhancing the future of messaging within the organization.1 He joined The New York Times in December 2021 as a Senior Product Designer and was promoted to his current role in June 2022.1
Ballard has a strong background in digital design and user experience. Before joining The New York Times, he held positions at several prominent organizations, including:
- Senior Product Designer at The Atlantic (May 2019 - December 2021)
- Senior UX Designer at Mapbox (March 2018 - May 2019)
- Senior Product Designer at The Washington Post (May 2014 - March 2018)
He emphasizes a design philosophy that values practicality and user experience, often described as "blue collar design". In his current role, Ballard is involved in shaping design strategies that facilitate communication between the newsroom and its readers, including projects aimed at improving newsletter designs and other digital interfaces.1
Outside of work, Ballard enjoys typography and spending time outdoors. He can often be found at coffee shops with his dog or exploring the wilderness.1
Highlights
A PSA: Open The New York Times app today and you'll see some incredibly exciting updates.
For audio fans, there's a new destination for award-winning original audio journalism in the new Listen tab, as well as automated voice that will read you stories when they're published.
You'll also see a new tab for You – yes, you – that my team has been crafting for months. A one-stop destination for all your unique favorite corners of The Times, as well as quick access to your saved and recently viewed journalism.
The best part? It grows with you over time as you read, reflecting your expanded interests and history as a Times reader in real-time. The more you read, the more valuable the app is, without having to do any extra work to set it up. Over time, we'll be layering on new and exciting features that truly make this a unique destination for You.
A massive effort led from concept to execution by two incredible visionary designers — Victoria Pandeirada & Mimi Fang. As well as our amazing product, eng, data partners Paige Collins, Gopi Krishna Borra, Malini Patel, Lily Moaba, Lauren Campbell, Sarah Adler Hartman, Jonathan Ellis & so many others. Congrats to this team!
The New York Times newsletter design team is expanding! We're looking for a curious & passionate designer to help us expand our newsletter reach and envision new storytelling experiences for readers in their inbox. Work with NYT journalists, data scientists, and the best product team around. (And me!) Reach out with q's!
