Johnny Farr

Hey, I'm Johnny.

Thoughtful products.Strong teams.

I'm a product design leader who loves untangling messy problems, shaping product direction, and bringing out the best in people.

Currently doing that at FreshBooks.

01

Shape Direction

Find the right problem. Make the path clearer.

02

Grow People

Build judgment, confidence, and ownership.

03

Elevate the Work

Stay close to the details that make a difference.

Recent work at FreshBooks

A few things I've helped
bring to life.

From that first invoice to getting paid, I look for the moments that should feel simpler.

AI & Product Innovation

You've done the work. Why type it all again?

Creating that first invoice can be a frustrating hurdle. I turned customer research into an AI-powered concept that makes getting started a whole lot easier.

Research → Prototype → Controlled experiment

Payments & Checkout

Getting paid shouldn't be the hard part.

We made payment options easier to discover, improved the checkout experience through experimentation, and built a flexible foundation for new ways to pay.

+41% BNPL transactions · +29% BNPL payment volume

Financial Services

Financial tools belong where the work happens.

Small businesses shouldn't have to jump between products to manage their money. I helped shape how lending and Bill Pay fit into the workflows they already use.

Embedded lending strategy · Bill Pay experience

Illustrative wireframes. Full case studies are being updated — get in touch for a deeper look ↗

How I lead

Helping people grow.
Making the work better.

I build the teams, environments, and practices that help good design happen consistently. Clear direction. Honest critique. A close connection to customers.

Give people room to own the work.

I coach designers to make decisions, develop their judgment, and take meaningful ownership.

Make learning part of building.

I establish research and design practices that bring customer insight into everyday product decisions.

Keep the bar high, and stay involved.

I connect systems, guide key decisions, and get hands-on when it helps the team move the craft forward.

Johnny Farr, wearing glasses and a dark sweater
A little about me

A builder at heart.

I turn messy problems into useful products, from invoicing with AI to the ways businesses pay, get paid, and manage cash flow.

That same builder’s instinct shapes how I lead: giving designers room to make decisions, sharpening the work through close partnership, and making customer research part of how the product team builds.

Away from the screen, there's usually , a new to discover in Toronto, or a walk with , my very large dog teddy bear. And when I can, .

On repeat

Always something playing.

A little of what’s been on the sound system lately.

A playlist is on its way.

Around Toronto
The Little Jerry’s warmly lit wooden bar, with shelves of vinyl records and bottles.

Good food. Great records. Hard to leave.

The Little Jerry
418 College Street · Toronto

Off the clock

Meet Zoe.

Johnny and Zoe, a large golden-brown dog, sharing a striped hammock on a leafy deck.
Room for two. Apparently.
Further afield

Same leadership style. Different hat.