About Me
Designer, Thinker, Problem Solver
I'm John Durso.
A Web and Digital Experience Designer based in Metro Detroit. With over a decade in the corporate worlde, I've built my career mostly at Thomson Reuters, where I've grown from Front-End Developer to Web Platform Product Manager, owning the full web experience strategy across US, UK, and Canadian markets.
My work sits at the intersection of design, strategy, and technology. I specialize in component-driven UX, scalable design systems, conversion rate optimization, and high-fidelity developer collaboration. I care deeply about accessibility, performance, and the craft of making things that actually work for people.
Outside of my 9 to 5, I run Sleeping on the Job Media, where I help small businesses, creatives, and professionals build compelling web experiences, social media identities, and digital brands.
Outside of the digital world, I enjoy playing the drums, hanging out with my two dogs, and cheering on every Detroit sports team.
10+
Years in the craft
Outside of Work
Music & Comedy
I play the drums and love attending local music and stand-up comedy events around Detroit.
Detroit Sports
Proud Detroit fan! Lions, Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons. All day, every day.
Photography
Event, personal, and professional photography.
Dog Dad
I love my dogs to death. A lot of my free time is spent hanging out with them.
Skills & Tools
What I Work With
Technical
Core Design & UX
Adobe Experience Cloud
Optimization
Collaboration
Experience
Career Timeline
Download resumeFounder, Web Designer/Developer/Admin
Sleeping On The Job Media
- Design and develop production-ready Next.js and React applications for local businesses and creatives, applying component-driven architecture and reusable design patterns consistent with enterprise-level engineering standards.
- Build fully responsive, accessible interfaces with Tailwind CSS, enforcing consistent design tokens and mobile-first layouts across every project.
- Develop and maintain custom React functional components with Hooks for state management and side effects, mirroring patterns used in modern production application development.
- Integrate RESTful APIs and third-party services into Next.js applications, managing data fetching with server-side rendering and static generation to optimize performance.
- Manage all projects end-to-end using Git version control, maintaining clean commit history and branch strategies consistent with professional engineering team workflows.
Web Platform Manager
Thomson Reuters
- Own end-to-end design & experience strategy for US, UK, and Canadian markets
- Drove 21% increase in conversion rates and 8% increase in sales via A/B & multivariate testing
- Reduced product launch cycles by 17% through scalable component-driven design systems in AEM
- Achieved 18% increase in digital conversions through component-driven UX patterns
User Experience Specialist
Thomson Reuters
- Led interaction design for LegalTracker brand redesign — 28% increase in form conversions
- Achieved 50% increase in page scroll depth through improved layout and navigation
- Primary web accessibility auditor ensuring WCAG 2.1 AA compliance using WAVE scanner
Senior Web Producer
Thomson Reuters
- AEM Superuser governing a global component library used by 15+ web publishers
- Reduced platform downtime by 15% through proactive component governance
- Achieved 40% increase in scroll depth and 10% increase in form conversions
- Led AEM authoring training for 15 global web publishers during WordPress migration
Front-End Web Developer
Thomson Reuters
- Built HTML/CSS/JS templates for campaigns reaching 100,000+ recipients
- Saved the marketing team 70% in development time with reusable component documentation
- Improved multi-channel workflow efficiency by 12% through systems thinking
Education & Certifications
HTML/CSS, JavaScript with jQuery, and Bootstrap (Top 10% Ranking)
TestDome
Claude 101
Anthropic
Develop Global Websites with Adobe Experience Manager
Adobe
Agile Marketing
Thomson Reuters
Associate's Degree in Web Design
Schoolcraft College
Intership: Schoolcraft Webmaster