01 Social product · Mobile · Interaction design
Weavoly
A social app that helps strangers move past surface-level introductions through intentional matching, twelve-hour conversations, and shared activities.
Explore case studyPalm Springs, California
A designer and creative technologist. I shape the product, the flows, and the interface, then build the working prototype. Raised where the desert meets the mountains, and it shows in how I work.
Preston Thoman
01 · Origin
William Preston Thoman, known to everyone as Preston.
From Palm Springs, California. I blend creativity with analytical precision, and a strong focus on innovation and problem-solving.
I study Art, Technology, and the Business of Innovation at USC’s Iovine and Young Academy, focused on product management, product design, and media analytics.
I bring a results-driven mindset to every project I take on, and my work reflects a commitment to continuous learning, adaptability, and delivering meaningful impact in fast-evolving environments.
Driven by curiosity and a passion for growth, I approach challenges with both strategic insight and a hands-on attitude. I value collaboration, clear communication, and building solutions that are effective, sustainable, and long-lasting, working independently or on a team.
- From
- Palm Springs
- Now
- Los Angeles
- Completed projects
- 0
- Years in field
- 0
02 · Path
How I got here.
Not a straight line, but every turn of it points back at the same valley.
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2023
Making things by hand
A chess-themed bobblehead set that turned into a school commission: my first taste of designing for a real person, a real deadline, and a real reaction.
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2025
Iovine and Young Academy
Art, technology, and business in one room at USC. Learning to move between the sketch, the spreadsheet, and the pitch without losing the thread.
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2025
Strategy & storytelling
Pricing a 3D choreography platform, pitching Disney+ on Gen Alpha, leading the documentation of our cohort's mural. Each was about figuring out why people care before deciding what to make.
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2026
Product in a newsroom
At Annenberg Media, translating between editors, designers, and product managers, and learning that the best feature is the one people actually use.
-
Now
Building my own
Carrying Weavoly, Evident, and Daybook from first concepts into working prototypes, and designing a game on the side. Looking for teams who care about people as much as the product.
03 · Selected work
Selected work.
Three projects carried from first concept to prototype: two products designed around how people behave, and an AR lens that won its hackathon.
02 Creative tools · Social platform · Product design
Evident
Helps creative people see how their work changes over time, through side-by-side comparisons, practice-specific criteria, and trusted feedback.
Explore case study03 AR / XR · Health education · Audio design
Proximity Pulse
An AR training app for Snap Spectacles that turns bystanders into people who know what to do in a cardiac arrest, with step-by-step lessons, then compression practice with live feedback on placement, depth, and rhythm.
Explore case studyMore work
Products, games, strategy, and media, most of them still in motion. Filter by kind, or scroll the shelf.
01
In development
Room To Forget
My own game, built around memory, puzzle-solving, and the choices players make. Pixel-art characters drawn to read at tiny sizes, palettes kept consistent colour by colour, and assets tested in Unity and Godot. The defining mechanics stay under wraps for now.
- Game Design
- Pixel Art
- Unity
- Godot
02
Prototype
Daybook
A social habit tracker that makes everyday consistency shared and playful: one-tap check-ins, friends, collectible stamps, and weekly recaps. It rewards overall consistency instead of punishing a missed day, and treats coming back after time away as an achievement of its own.
- Behavioral Design
- Interface Design
- Data Storytelling
- Mobile Prototyping
03
Ongoing
Annenberg Media
Implementing and testing site updates in Arc XP for USC Annenberg Media's digital publishing workflow, and working with product managers and UX designers to turn editorial and user needs into technical requirements, resolve tickets, and communicate scope and constraints.
- Arc XP
- Front-end
- Product Management
- QA
04
Synchora
Go-to-market and subscription-pricing strategy for a digital 3D choreography platform, aimed at early adopters and built around predictable recurring revenue.
- Go-to-Market
- Pricing
- Market Research
05
Disney+ · ProductSC
A Disney+ strategy for engaging Gen Alpha with classic films, backed by user and market research, competitive analysis, roadmapping, go-to-market planning, and success metrics, developed and pitched as a team.
- Product Strategy
- User Research
- Roadmapping
06
Mural Documentation
Led documentation of the Cohort 12 IYA mural at USC, running capture across a team of contributors, then editing the footage into a documentary-style film of the mural from concept to reveal.
- Team Leadership
- Video Editing
- Post-Production
07
Commission
Bobblehead Commission
A chess-themed bobblehead set, 3D-scanned and printed, that grew from a Makerspace project into a commissioned going-away gift for the school’s founding principal of 17 years.
- Capture Scanning
- Digital Modeling
- Prototype Iteration
04 · Capabilities
What I reach for.
Eight disciplines I actually work in, from CAD and code through to campaigns and cut footage, and what I reach for in each.
01 3D Modeling
SOLIDWORKS, Autodesk Meshmixer
Mechanical parts, assemblies for product development, and simulation tools used to validate a design before anything gets made.
02 Web Development
HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Docker, Node
Responsive sites and applications, from static pages to dynamic ones, including portfolios, news media sites, and interactive web experiences.
03 Project Management
Excel, PowerPoint, Canva
Leading teams to timely delivery, budget adherence, and a result worth shipping, coordinating across functions, and doing the talking when it is pitched to a panel or an investor.
04 Product Design
Illustrator, Figma
User-centred design, prototyping, and high-fidelity visuals: ideation, design systems, and implementation-ready specs that close the gap between engineering and product.
05 Data Analysis
PHP, SQL
Backend work in PHP and database work in SQL: processing, analysing, and visualising data, building data-driven applications, and keeping queries fast against large databases.
06 UI/UX Design
Figma, Illustrator
Interfaces for web and mobile, built on user research, wireframes, and prototypes, aimed at work that is intuitive, accessible, and worth looking at.
07 Video Editing
Adobe Premiere, CapCut, ScreenFlow
Storytelling, pacing, and effect across promotional pieces, tutorials, and personal work, plus colour grading, sound design, and post-production on my own film cycles or directed projects.
08 Search Engine Marketing
Google Ads
Keyword research, campaign optimisation, and performance tracking, plus the creative side of it, lifting click-through and conversion through A/B testing and analysis.
Certifications
SOLIDWORKS Design Associate (CSWA)
3D modelling, assembly design, and engineering drawings. Taken as an academic exam at the University of Southern California.
Credential C-4Z93TKD6LF
Google Ads Search Certification
Keyword strategy, ad creation, bidding optimisation, audience targeting, and performance measurement for paid search.
Credential 162775536 · valid to Oct 2026