Mike Jensen is a technologist, a front-end engineer, and a UX designer.
They lead design system creation at Spreetail.

You probably already read my blurb on the main page, but it’s hard to get to know somebody through a handful of paragraphs.

So how about a few more?

I’m Mike. You can use he/him or they/them pronouns interchangeably for me. I live in a little green house in the lovely city of Lincoln, Nebraska.

It's a Biography, Baby.

I’m a problem-solver. I’m happiest when I’m creating solutions that directly help someone, regardless of how “technical” that solution might be. Being challenged and encouraged to grow outside of my comfort zone really drives me. Coming from a background in Computer Science, I love fusing the analytical with the creative - combining development and design to make really kick-ass products, services, and processes for people.

I’m constantly learning. I thrive when I get to know something new or take a deep dive into a topic that I already know. As a voracious reader, I finished 60 books and read over 20k pages last year! On top of that, I dig deep into linguistics, typography, and transit systems in my free time. Don’t get me started on subways and trains, you won’t get me to shut up.

I’m a big ol’ extrovert. I get so much energy and joy from working with others, or even just talking to someone. I love getting to know others, understanding what drives them and helps them.

I’m a very musical person. I’m honestly always singing, playing, performing. I get so much satisfaction out of the collective unity experienced in making music with others. A lot of my time is spent singing in several ensembles (professionally and just for fun), and playing a smattering of stringed instruments - most recently picking up the lyre. Because why not?

I’m an activist. I hold a lot of causes close to my heart, especially environmental and queer issues. Being based in Nebraska, I’m constantly involved in legislative advocacy, education, and testimony - particularly when it comes to fighting for the rights of other LGBTQIA+ Nebraskans.

Bullet Points for Fellow Millennials:

  • Entirely too excited about design systems
  • Entirely too excited about rail-based transit
  • Entirely too excited in general
  • Plant parent
  • Taurus Sun, Aries Moon, Taurus Rising
  • MBTI: ENTJ
  • Enneagram Type 3w2
  • English, French, and Russian speaker
  • Strict serial comma user
  • Figma evangelist (unofficially, but like...)
  • Book collector (fiction > nonfiction)
  • Big into board games
  • D&D/TTRPG enthusiast
  • Deceptively tall

Design Skills

Figma
  • Creation and management of organizational-level projects and teams
  • Norm setting, digital asset management
  • Component library creation and management
Deep conceptual design
Mind mapping
Card sorting
Interaction design
Information architecture specialist

Engineering Skills

React
Typescript
Styled-System
Styled-Components
HTML/CSS
GraphQL
Gatsby
Git
Gitlab CI/CD
Figma Plugin API design and development

Community Involvement

Nebraska AIDS Project Board Member
Lincoln Municipal Transit Board Member
Voting Advocate with Civic Nebraska
Professional Choral Vocalist with Abendmusik

Experience

2020-Present
Spreetail
UX Engineering Lead

2017-2020
Spreetail
UX Engineer
2020-2021
Spreetail
Chair of the Spreetail Pride Alliance

More on LinkedIn

Awards and recognition

Q1 2022
Community Leader of the Quarter

Q1 2021
Community Leader of the Quarter