Meet the SpruceID Team: Scotty Matthewman

About Scotty

Applying my industrial design background to tech products, I have worked in the startup and agency worlds and, most recently, in corporate innovation. After finding my way into Blockchain tech and innovative tech in general, decentralized and digital identity became a very interesting area to explore.

I was excited to join SpruceID because I’d have the opportunity to design things that have never been designed before, and both the company and industry's values align with the impact I’d like to have: improving accessibility and inclusion through experience optimization.

Can you tell us about your role at SpruceID?

I am the Senior Designer on the team, so I work on product design, website design, brand and marketing materials, demo prototypes and videos, and communication artifacts. In addition to design work, my role involves product strategy discussions and user research.

What advice would you give to a designer who is early in their career?

I would say that being genuinely curious is necessary. You have to seek out how things work or why things are the way they are if you want to make educated decisions in your designs; otherwise, you’re just shooting in the dark.

I think the life of a professional designer is a lot different than that of a design student. Nothing is as simple as it is when you receive an assignment, so you will always have to go out and proactively understand the constraints, capabilities, business value, etc., of anything you’re working on. 

Additionally, it’s way easier to spend a lot of time on something when it’s interesting to you, so find what’s interesting, and you’re more likely to find a great path. In my opinion, every other skill in design stems from curiosity and wanting to learn.

What are you currently learning, or what do you hope to learn?

The obvious answer is all the tech behind our product. I’m not an engineer, but understanding the moving parts, at least at a high level, helps me make more educated decisions in the designs.

What has been the most memorable moment for you at SpruceID so far?

Our team offsite in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was an awesome experience. I had just recently joined SpruceID, and because we had the majority of the team in one place, I got to know many people early on. I think in-person experiences like this can help build rapport and chemistry in a team, which can enable them to work quickly and effectively.

How do you define success in your role, and how do you measure it?

Success in my role is taking abstract problems and delivering the most intuitive, effective solutions.

These may not be official measurements, but it’s a big win when someone says, “Oh! Yeah, that would work!” because you bring a new, creative way of designing something.

You feel like you solved the puzzle. It’s very gratifying and promising when your chosen solution feels like the obvious choice.

What is your favorite part about working at SpruceID?

I have really enjoyed being on a team made up of very smart people who are all trying to make ambitious strides. It is clear how great everyone is at what they do, so I am humbled to be included in this group.

Fun Facts

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?: I like to play basketball, walk through NYC, spend time with friends, go to comedy shows, surf when I can, and take singing classes, which have been such a fun part of living in New York.

If you could be any tree, what tree would you be and why?: I would be a maple tree. I used to make furniture, and I always loved using maple. The color and grain are so pretty and clean, and it gives very clean, Nordic and Japanese vibes

About SpruceID: SpruceID is building a future where users control their identity and data across all digital interactions.

Want to work with us? Check out our open roles here.