Catt Small
Staff Product Designer at Dropbox and Author of The Staff Designer
Catt Small is a Staff Product Designer who has done design work for companies of all sizes including Asana, Etsy, SoundCloud, and Nasdaq. She started codin
An observer at heart, Catt focuses on ways to improve the lives of people through design. She is interested in ways to increase empathy through interactive media. Many of her personal projects center around the human experience and tackle issues related to interpersonal relationships, self-expression, gender, and race. In addition to her product design work, Catt makes video games by herself and with friends. She is co-organizer of the Game Devs of Color Expo, an annual event that amplifies the creative power held by people of color in games. In her spare time, she writes about professional development and creates artwork of all kinds.
Catt’s work has been covered by many publications including Net Magazine, VentureBeat, BuzzFeed, and Black Enterprise . She has spoken at schools and events across the world including Yale, Columbia University, AIGA Design Conference, Beyond Tellerrand in Germany, UX Week, Microsoft’s Codess Seattle, Google’s Women Techmakers NYC, and TEDxFoggyBottom. Her games have been in a variety of exhibitions at venues such as IndieCade and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. You can view her work at cattsmall.com
Rosenverse talks by Catt:
" The vision really does say This is where we could be in the future and that emotional component is really important. "
Craft a Vision that Actually Gets Shipped
April 30, 2026
" The difference between director and principal often lies in whether you’re inspired more by leading people or focused on outputs and craft. "
What's Next for ICs: Exploring Staff and Principal Designer Roles
February 22, 2024
" You only have agency over what you can execute on, so your ability to influence strategy depends on your expertise. "
Morning Insights Panel
December 6, 2022
" Vision decks should be something that can be referenced time and time again, not just a binder on a shelf. "
Moving from Execution to Strategy as a Designer
December 6, 2022