jf.Johnny Farr
Product design leader · Toronto

Hey, I'm Johnny Farr.I make complex problems simpler, and the teams behind them stronger.

I lead design across financial services and AI at FreshBooks. Connecting product thinking, customer insight, and the craft of making useful things.

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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.

Selected work / FreshBooks

A few things I've helped
bring to life.

Making complex products simpler for businesses and the people who run them.

AI invoice builder

Exploring how AI can make creating an invoice feel less like paperwork and more like a natural part of getting work done.

Payments & checkout

An extensible checkout experience, refined through experimentation and designed to support new payment providers.

Embedded financial services

Shaping connected experiences across Bill Pay, Lending, and financial onboarding for small businesses.

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

How I lead

Excellent work
needs more than
a good brief.

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

Always an itch to build.

I like turning an idea into something people can actually use. A product, a team, a better way of working. I care about the craft, the customers it serves, and the people doing the work.

Away from the screen, there's usually music on, a new corner of Toronto to explore, or a walk with Zoe, my very large dog.