Make the system easy to understand
People should be able to understand what is happening, why it matters, and what they can do next.
About / 01
I work where product, UX, and engineering meet.
I'm Pete Zenger. I like complicated software, clear interfaces, small teams, and the moment a difficult problem becomes easy to explain.
Start a conversationThe through-line
The interface is only as clear as the thinking behind it.
For more than a decade, I've shipped products from scratch, scaled systems, led engineering teams, and stayed close to the details that make software feel calm, capable, and trustworthy.
“The details are not the details. They make the design.”
I do my best work between disciplines: translating product intent into system behavior, turning technical constraints into clear choices, and keeping the experience coherent as a prototype becomes a real product.
I write because good decisions are worth reusing. The articles collect patterns from building software; the reviews bring the same care to games and the time they ask of us.
02 / Working principles
How I approach the work.
Make the next step easier
A good workflow clears away setup work, preserves context, and makes the next useful action easy to see without forcing everyone down one path.
Pair evidence with judgment
Prototypes, product signals, and honest feedback lead to better decisions. Judgment still matters; evidence gives it something real to work with.
03 / In practice
Where I put these ideas to work.
Now
Product UX at Redpanda Data
I’m improving how people understand and operate a high-performance data platform, where clear state and trustworthy feedback matter.
Studio
Big Hit Maker
Product, UX, and engineering work for teams that need a sharp outside perspective and a practical path to shipping.
Practice
More than a decade of building
Products from zero to one, systems serving millions, engineering leadership, and plenty of lessons from the gap between a good idea and a useful product.
04 / Contact
Have an interesting problem?
Get in touch about product and UX work, technical writing, consulting, or something I've written.
Projects and longer conversations
hello@bighitmaker.com