I'm Erika Kodama, a product designer based in San Francisco with over five years of experience in fintech.

I've led design on products used by millions of workers, including savings tools, earnings features, tip payout systems, and complex onboarding flows. The work is usually complicated under the hood. My job is making sure it doesn't feel that way to the person using it.

I'm most useful when I'm in the problem early, partnering with product, engineering, and compliance to define what we're solving before we get to how. I care about edge cases, failure states, and the moments where users get stuck.

Outside of work I teach Pilates. It's taught me how to guide people clearly, give feedback that actually lands, and build toward something incrementally. That mindset shows up in how I design.

AI & my design practice

AI is part of my process at every stage, not something I reach for occasionally.

The most distinctive thing I've been doing is using Claude Code to pull directly from our GitHub repos and generate production-accurate screens in Figma. Instead of designing against a static component library, I work with what's actually in the codebase. It surfaces constraints early and keeps design and engineering in sync.

Day to day, I use AI to synthesize research, pressure-test decisions, write microcopy, and draft documentation. It handles the mechanical work so I can focus on judgment and craft.

I'm actively looking to move from using AI in my process to designing the AI experiences themselves. That's what's next for me.

"From designing TipCalc end-to-end to owning Unified Onboarding, Erika brings care, craft, and curiosity to everything she touches. She digs deep, asks the right questions, and always makes the product better for users."

Adam, Director of Product Design at Branch
"Erika's attention to detail is unparalleled and her openness to feedback enables her to iterate quickly and effectively. She fosters an environment where critique is embraced and everyone is encouraged to grow. She also played an instrumental role in my onboarding, making sure I felt included and confident from day one. Her combination of problem-solving skills, leadership, and design expertise makes her a valuable asset to any team."

Jooyoung, Product Designer at Branch