Matt D. Smith

Matt D. Smith (@mds) is a designer, educator, and entrepreneur with two decades of experience in interface design. He earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia and has led digital product design projects for agencies, startups, and companies around the world.

In 2013, Matt introduced the widely adopted Float Label pattern, a design convention now used by Apple, Google, Shopify, Netflix, Slack, and countless others. He also co-created Contrast, a MacOS accessibility tool trusted by over 10,000 designers, and built Flowkit, a Figma plugin with more than 25,000 users. More recently, he has been advancing AI collaboration through FloatPrompt, a framework for structured thinking and creative workflows.

Matt has shared his expertise as an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia, as a guest lecturer at Harvard, and on stage at events including Adobe MAX, Epicurrence, and Dribbble Hang Time.

Today, he is best known as the founder of Shift Nudge, the professional training program for interface designers. Through Shift Nudge, Matt is focused on equipping designers worldwide with the frameworks, clarity, and craft needed to shape the future of digital products.