Void Digital Strategy & Design
(AKA Chris Steib)
…is user-centric Product Development effort that has helped dozens of companies grow their business by identifying and solving their user’s most important problems. Born out of a hand-coded entrepreneurial (now-defunct) side-hustle in 2004, Void has operated, grown, and evolved continuously ever since.
Services include executive product leadership and management consulting, agile process coaching and implementation, product training and fundamentals, user experience strategy, and tactical design.
Clients
You’re a fast-growing startup or mid-size tech company with a SAAS, ecommerce, B2B, or marketplace product and might be…
in need of a Head of Product, but without the budget for a full-time one,
missing the product strategy and roadmap to get to product-market fit,
frustrated that your current product and design operations can’t meet the pace of your aggressive business strategy,
lacking good, tactical, project-based UX design, or
If any of the above are true, reach out and let’s talk.
And if you’re looking for an affordable personal portfolio or small-business website, I’ve got you covered there, too. Click here to learn about my web design services.
The Work
Chris has been doing digital product and design work for more than 20 years. Here are a few of his favorite projects.
The Knot
As VP of Product, I oversaw the re-platforming of the company’s flagship product (at the time the word’s most popular wedding-planning website), while rebuilding and leading several product teams including content, marketplace, ecom, innovation, mobile, planning tools, customer service, and user research. The Knot was acquired in 2018 for $933M.
“Chris is a talented product leader, superb at tackling a range of product challenges. That said, he might have a sweet spot:if I were running an early-mid stage, design-centric company, he'd be the guy to call to take on product.”
—Brent Tworetzky, Head of Product
“Chris is a user-first product leader in the truest sense. He is always asking why to ensure that every decision that is made is one that is based in fact and designed to support what the user ultimately needs and wants. He was part of the leadership team that brought modern product thinking to XO and was an integral part of the relaunch of The Knot across all platforms.”
—Kathy Wu Brady, EVP Ecommerce
I joined a group of smart and scrappy builders in 2018 to design, launch, iterate on a mobile-first residential construction management platform. Buildbook.co debuted at the 2019 International Builder’s Show, was acquired by industry leader Housecall Pro in 2022, and has grown into an industry-changing suite of tools.
“Chris was instrumental as a product thought partner, planner, and voice of reason as we put the initial version of the product into market. Chris remained a key part of our early team, helping us drive forward product development with the right mix of customer insight, pragmatic product thinking, imagination, and velocity. To say he left BuildBook in a better place than he found it would be an understatement. If you ever get the chance to work with Chris, don't think twice."
—Carson Miller, Buildbook.co founder
Hired by The Muse in February 2020, I led the Product team through a major transition during the pandemic and subsequent job market fluctuation, while overseeing a shift in product strategy, operations, and a redesign of their core platform.
Working alongside an incredibly boot-strapped team, I oversaw the design, launch, and iteration of ROAM’s one-of-a-kind online luggage customization platform, and later optimized that experience for touch screens at their Bloomingdale’s retail location.
“Chris is one of the most thoughtful, diligent and well-rounded thinkers I have had the pleasure of working with. Can't recommend him highly enough.”
— Louis Monoyudis, CMO
As fractional Head of Product, I stepped into a product leadership gap and worked with the CTO and COO to operationalize product, growth, and UX design, while also building a youth-oriented platform that succeeded in garnering more than a quarter-million voter registrations.
“A PM’s first product role is so formative and important to their career as they start to understand how to build trust with a team and stakeholders, how to develop strategic muscle and product sense. Having really strong mentors at that time can really accelerate learning of a craft that can otherwise be overwhelming to first time PMs. Chris was (and still is) that mentor that helped form my thinking and how I show up as a product person - I am forever grateful for his mentorship and guidance in such an important time of my career.”
— Ashley Baldwin, Product Leader & Entrepreneur
“An expert is someone who knows some of the worst mistakes that can be made in his subject, and how to avoid them.”
—Werner Heisenberg