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.

John Durso

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

HTML/CSSSass/SCSSJavaScriptMobile-First CSSWordPressWebFlowSquarespaceShopifyReact

Core Design & UX

Interaction DesignVisual DesignTypographyComponent-Driven UXDesign SystemsInformation ArchitectureWireframingUsability Testing

Adobe Experience Cloud

Adobe Experience ManagerExperience FragmentsContent FragmentsAdobe AnalyticsAdobe Target

Optimization

A/B TestingMultivariate TestingClick-Rate OptimizationWCAG 2.2 AASEOKPI Tracking

Collaboration

Agile/ScrumJiraWorkfrontStakeholder ManagementCross-Functional Teams

Experience

Career Timeline

Web Platform Product Manager

Thomson Reuters

Jan 2022 – Present
  • 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

Mar 2021 – Jan 2022
  • 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

Jan 2019 – Mar 2021
  • 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

Nov 2016 – Jan 2019
  • 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

Associate's Degree in Web Design

Schoolcraft College

Internship: Schoolcraft Webmaster