About
I'm Ryan Bollenbach, the designer behind boompah.
I've been designing and building digital products since 2009. Boompah is a one-person product studio for teams who need quality work without agency overhead.
Background
Designer first.
Developer by necessity.
Both by choice.
Over the years, I've worked across industries: SaaS, e-commerce, hospitality, healthcare, and more. The common thread is helping teams turn ideas into products that people actually use.
I started as a designer, learned to code out of necessity, and now do both. That means fewer handoffs, faster iteration, and designs that account for technical constraints from the start.
More recently, I've been focused on how AI is changing search and content strategy. I write about this in the Insights section.
Principles that guide the work
What I value and how it shows up in the work.
Clarity over cleverness
Good design makes things obvious. If users have to think too hard, something's wrong.
Speed with intention
Moving fast matters, but not at the expense of getting it right. I aim for both.
Honest communication
No surprises. If there's a problem, you'll hear about it before it becomes a bigger one.
How I Work
Small client load means you get my full attention.
I take on a small number of clients at a time. This keeps me close to the work and means you're talking to the person actually doing it, not a project manager relaying messages.
I'm direct about what's possible, what's not, and what tradeoffs look like. If something isn't working, I'll say so early.
Most projects start with a discovery conversation to understand your goals and constraints. From there, we figure out the right scope and timeline together.