About
I make things carefully, and ask why.
I’m Aslan French, a design technologist and researcher living in Austin, Texas.
I trained as a traditional studio artist, then ended up in tech. Around 2015, I got interested in neural networks (now called AI) as a medium for making images and taught myself enough Linux and terminal stuff to run models locally. I'd been using computers creatively for years, an OG Macromedia Flash kiddie, and self taught digital painter, but this is when I started learning how to engage with code directly.
Professionally, I have worked across UX, design systems, civic technology, public-sector software, research, writing, and front-end implementation. I am highly technical, but I do not really think of myself as an engineer. I think of myself more as a builder. I make things. I own the full stack from stakeholder facilitation, user research, UI and visual design, frontend implementation and prototyping, service design and strategy, and governance.
Check out my case studies, read some of my writing, or look through my side projects.
You can reach me at howdy@aslanfrench.work, or schedule a chat at schedule.aslanfrench.work.
Now
Updated June 2026 from Austin, Texas.
I’m preparing to start the MSIS program at UT Austin this fall. My attention is mostly on civic technology, public-interest systems, service design, and how AI tools can help people make sense of complex work without flattening it.
Right now I’m rebuilding this website and portfolio, organizing Open Austin work, and developing a few essays around technology, design, aesthetics, and institutional life.
I’m especially interested in public-sector design systems, civic tech infrastructure, AI-assisted knowledge work, agentic service design workflows, and the messy practical work of making organizations more legible.
I’m selectively open to conversations around internships, campus work, civic tech, public-interest technology, and thoughtful collaboration in Austin.
This section is written in the spirit of Derek Sivers’ /now page idea.