Welcome to TapCool

Hi, I’m Ethan Machado, a collaborative and strategic design leader working at the intersection of content, user experience, and technology. Check out my case studies of recent work below or browse my blog posts for writing samples.


Case Studies


From fun, short-term projects to full-blown enterprise engagements that helped transform a company’s digital presence

Designing for Digital Transformation

Emerson Electric (2016)

An industrial conglomerate wanted to consolidate its websites to drive cultural and business change.

Creating a Content Marketing Hub

JLL (2018)

An international real estate company wanted to unify its style and approach to marketing content around the globe.

Reimagining the Industrial Internet

ValveLink (2019)

A valve manufacturer wanted its IIoT app to look more modern and become easier to use despite complex logic.

Rethinking Registration

MyEmerson (2020)

An engineering platform wanted to boost registration rates while retaining required fields and business rules.

Piloting the Future

Starfinder (2019)

A popular RPG wanted to test if customers would enjoy experiencing the game as a voice skill on Alexa devices.

Modernizing a Design System

Emerson Electric (2021)

A design system needed an update to enable consistent styles across the digital ecosystem.

Recent Writing

What You Can Expect

✓ Creative Thinker

✓ Servant Leader

✓ Compassionate Critic

✓ Storyteller

✓ Deadline-driven

✓ Dedicated and Dependable

A Little More About Me

Life Before Remote

My last vacation was March 3-7, 2020, in Arizona. Working on my “squint”.

Life Online

They say a man’s home screen is a window into his soul.

New Life

My third son used to interrupt my Zoom calls, but now he’s in kindergarten.