UX Design, Content Design, & DesignOps Program Management
I’m a solver of wicked problems and a visionary futurist who:
Knows that good content & design ARE good business
Eradicates silos, status quos, & solutions looking for problems
Keeps pace with technology & science (currently geeking out on AI/ML)
Oversees the end-to-end while attending to the crucial details
Leads others but can jump in to weave the words & push the pixels
Operationalizes change, using diplomacy & visioning to inspire adoption
Builds cultures of psychological safety where innovation & inclusion thrive
Collaborating with awesome people allows me to do impactful work that I’m proud of
Defined first-ever enterprise design strategy for Fintech
Systems thinking, design principles, & design system for efficient, quality product design
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IMPACT
Aligned design with business: Ensured a cohesive approach towards organizational goals by positioning the design work of ~80 product teams as key to achieving both the enterprise multi-year plan and business-unit-specific annual KPIs
Boosted efficiency & quality: Implemented a central design system and collaboration rituals, reducing duplicate work, enhancing efficiency, and elevating design quality based on a new User Research Quality Scorecard that I collaborated with UX Research leaders to create
Improved user experience: Achieved higher scores on adherence to design principles, resulting in improved consistency and quality of user experience across products
Enhanced feedback loops: Elevated quantitative and qualitative user feedback during testing, providing actionable insights for continual improvement
Disseminated knowledge to improve collaboration with design: Educated nearly 10k employees across functions, fostering a profound understanding of UX's purpose and value, driving a company-wide culture shift
PROBLEM
Fragmented experiences: Decades of siloed business units led to fragmented site and app experiences, impacting the firm's brand and user satisfaction
Inefficiencies & tech debt: Lack of high-level cohesion caused inefficiencies and accrued tech debt, hindering the organization's agility and scalability
Lack of widespread UX understanding: Despite executive buy-in, a lack of knowledge about the value of design among employees impeded efforts to improve product and experience quality
SOLUTION
Enterprise design strategy with tenets including:
systems thinking mindset
adherence to universal design principles: Human First, Cohesive, Conversational, Simplified, Modular, Omnichannel, Tailored/Personalized
extensive, yet flexible design system
standards (including accessibility and inclusivity)
metrics to drive consistency and excellence across all business units
Spearheaded career path for 250-person design org
Clarified roles, skills, & impact to improve alignment & growth
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IMPACT
Dramatic NPS surge: Net Promoter Score (NPS) of the design organization witnessed a significant improvement, indicating elevated employee satisfaction and engagement
Enhanced management insights: design managers could assess skill gaps within their teams, aiding in informed alignment decisions and strategic hiring choices
Transparent career advancement: designers reported a perception of increased transparency and fairness in promotion and pay decisions, fostering a positive and trusting work environment
Strategic skill development: Aligned skill-building initiatives for the design org with enterprise-wide skill priorities, including AI/ML, cybersecurity, and cryptocurrency, ensuring a strategic alignment with broader company goals
PROBLEM
Lack of consistent career guidance: The absence of clear career guidance for both designers and design managers led to dissatisfaction and impacted overall morale
Outdated roles and responsibilities: Role descriptions used by HR and recruiting had not been reviewed in over seven years, causing challenges in recruiting qualified candidates and hindering effective performance reviews
Difficulties with employee retention: Research indicated that the lack of clear career guidance was a significant contributor to employee dissatisfaction and attrition, far surpassing concerns related to pay or benefits
SOLUTION
Comprehensive career paths: Outlined career paths for individual contributor designers (from associate through VP) and design managers (from Director through Executive VP)
Clear expectations: Provided detailed value propositions, scope of influence, major activities, and required skills at each level
Alignment with enterprise talent strategy: Populated the Fuel50 career development tool with relevant skills and expectations for each role within the design org to align to an executive mandate of improving mobility to optimize talent retention and reduce costs
Bridged design & business during agile transformation
Positioned design as a valuable business partner, NOT an afterthought
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IMPACT
Accelerated iterations: Aligned design processes with agile methodologies, leading to faster iterations and improved responsiveness to learnings from user research and in-market testing
Increased stakeholder engagement: Improved stakeholder engagement by integrating design insights into agile ceremonies, ensuring a holistic understanding of project goals and user needs
Optimized user-centric delivery: Streamlined design workflows within agile sprints, ensuring a more user-centric approach and quicker delivery of impactful solutions
PROBLEM
Missed opportunities for innovation and improvement: During a pilot agile transformation with one business unit (to learn and iterate before the entire enterprise went agile), design was not considered a key player within the agile framework, leading to missed opportunities for designers to have a tangible impact on the development and improvement of digital products
Significant uptick in redundant work: With each product team working autonomously, the number of teams working on various jobs and critical tasks increased dramatically, leading to inefficiency and poor user experiences
Dramatic decrease in designer engagement and satisfaction: Designers who were part of this pilot transformation gave feedback that they were frustrated by being relegated to "making things pretty," and the design organization's NPS dropped significantly
SOLUTION
Design-embedded agile sprints: Integrated design into agile cycles, allowing for parallel and iterative workflows that enhanced collaboration and delivery speed
Metrics-driven insights: Introduced key design metrics within agile ceremonies, providing tangible data on the impact of design decisions and fostering data-driven collaboration
Cross-functional workshops: Facilitated cross-functional workshops to foster a shared language between design and business teams, breaking down communication barriers
Launched strategic central design resource hub
From scattered, outdated resources to a clear “one source of truth”
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IMPACT
Overall transformation: Design managers hailed the centralized hub as of "immense value," while designers experienced enhanced job satisfaction, feeling heard and supported in their roles
Onboarding quality and efficiency: Design managers reported significant reductions in onboarding time and noted that new hires were better able to contribute to product teams
Career pathing satisfaction: Usage of career pathing tools surged, leading to more productive quarterly and year-end reviews and fostering individual growth within the organization
Empowered skill-building: Learning path completions by the design org increased dramatically, and designers felt more empowered and confident in their career progression
Insight amplification: Event attendance and recording views soared, providing valuable insights for designers to understand and meet business KPIs, and there was increased utilization of valuable resources from partners in research, content, and accessibility
Enhanced engagement and communication: Engagement with established design goals and KPIs saw a significant uptick, and communication between design managers and their teams became more streamlined
PROBLEM
Resource disarray: Multiple resource, onboarding, and learning hubs led to confusion, frustration, and redundant work within the 250+ person design organization
Onboarding challenges: Onboarding speed, effectiveness, and satisfaction were compromised due to scattered resources
Underutilization of UX insights: Valuable insights from partners in research, content, and accessibility were underutilized, impacting the potential for informed design decisions
SOLUTION
More efficient work execution: Consolidated core tools, resources, insights, processes, rituals, and goals/KPIs in a centralized SharePoint communication site, streamlining day-to-day operations
Holistic skill-building: Aligned learning paths with design career pathing, providing a comprehensive skill-building experience
Dynamic live learning events: Introduced live learning events with executive speakers across business units, enhancing engagement and knowledge sharing
Revamped onboarding experience: Designed a net new onboarding experience with a seamless handoff from enterprise onboarding, fostering quicker integration and satisfaction
Guided career development: Implemented a comprehensive career pathing guide for individual contributor designers and design managers, ensuring clear paths for professional growth
Thought Leadership
Guest Speaker: Better Products by Design podcast
Hear my take on the role of tools like Figma and methods like Agile, staying authentic, fighting the urge to "box-check,” and the irreplaceable role of humans as AI-driven design becomes ubiquitous.
Critical thinking, creativity, & connection
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Mentor & teacher
While fostering critical thinking and creativity in others, I find myself equally enriched by their diverse perspectives
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VTS facilitator & consultant
I use Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) as a proven method to improve critical thinking, communication, innovation, and inclusion
Learn more at Neuro Atelier -
Artist & writer
Making art and music feeds my soul, connects me with others, and sharpens my creativity and storytelling skills