# Ryan Singer

> Ryan Singer spent 17 years at Basecamp (37signals) evolving from UI designer to Head of Strategy, where he invented the product development framework that became Shape Up - a methodology that replaced sprint cycles with six-week appetite-driven building cycles. After leaving in 2020 he founded Felt Presence, a consultancy operating from Portugal, where he works as a fractional CPO and teaches teams how to stop running in circles and start shipping work that matters.

- **Role:** Founder at Felt Presence
- **Organizations:** Felt Presence LLC, 37signals, Basecamp
- **Nationality:** American
- **Known for:** Co-created and shipped Basecamp - one of the world's most influential project management tools, Authored Shape Up (2019), a free online book that changed how thousands of product teams build software, Invented the hill chart - a novel visual tool for tracking project progress through uncertainty

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Joined 37signals (Basecamp) as a founding team UI designer
- **2003-2010** — Evolved from UI Designer to Product Designer, worked on early Basecamp features used by millions
- **2010** — Delivered 'Designing with Forces' talk applying Christopher Alexander's ideas to UI/UX
- **2013** — Published 'Ways to Connect: On Interface and Product Design'
- **2015-2019** — Served as Head of Strategy at 37signals/Basecamp, codified internal product process
- **2019** — Published 'Shape Up: Stop Running in Circles and Ship Work that Matters' (free online)
- **2020** — Departed 37signals after 17 years
- **2021** — Began independent consulting for product and engineering teams
- **2022** — Founded Felt Presence LLC, relocated to Portugal
- **2023** — Spoke at Business of Software on 'Debugging the Product Development Process'; appeared on Shapers & Builders podcast on Shape Up 2.0
- **2024** — Keynoted Y Oslo 2024; spoke at Emerging Tech East; launched 'Shaping in Real Life' course
- **2025** — Featured on Lenny's Podcast (March 2025); spoke at Business of Software on 'Framing and Hard Conversations'

## Achievements

- Co-created and shipped Basecamp - one of the world's most influential project management tools
- Authored Shape Up (2019), a free online book that changed how thousands of product teams build software
- Invented the hill chart - a novel visual tool for tracking project progress through uncertainty
- Codified the 'shaping' phase of product development as a discipline distinct from design or project management
- Applied Christopher Alexander's architectural pattern languages to software product design
- Popularized 'appetite' as a replacement for estimation in software development
- Published 'Ways to Connect: On Interface and Product Design' (2013)
- Keynoted major product conferences including Y Oslo 2024 and Business of Software 2023 and 2025

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Featured on Lenny's Podcast in a highly promoted episode on Shape Up
- **2025-03** — Spoke at Business of Software on 'Framing and Hard Conversations'
- **2024-09** — Keynoted Y Oslo 2024 on 'Start Shipping with Shape Up'
- **2024-05** — Spoke at Emerging Tech East 2024
- **2024-01** — Launched 'Shaping in Real Life' (SRL) course at ryansinger.co/srl/

## Links

- Website: https://www.ryansinger.co/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-singer-9941592b/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/rjs

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ryan-singer
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-26