Leadership
Leading my team through growth
My team grows with purpose, compassion, and drive. They’re talented individuals that bring their passion for great experiences and inspire those around them. Through a shared vision, we create compelling, human-centered experiences in a creative environment.
A successful design team has room for growth
Our users are everything
A deep understanding of
the user generates empathy. Empathy generates a desire to make their
world that much better.
Share the vision
Set a foundation of solid design
principles and content strategy to guide design decisions while
staying connected to the broader experience vision.
Establishes design systems
Quality design systems include a balance of design and people processes:
- Consistent visual design languages
- Interaction models based on our shared vision and design principles
- Qualitative and quantitative metrics for informed growth
- Communication strategies to keep everyone aligned
Stop, collaborate, and listen
Work closely with
our product and development partners so they are involved from
discovery to delivery and beyond for shared ownership.
Measure impact and iterate
Benchmark KPIs and
continue to measure the impact of our work in support of our product
partners’ goals.
Proudest Leadership Achievement
My proudest achievement as a design leader is when my team’s vocabulary is echoed back by partners and leaders in the organization when talking about our mission. It proves that my team and I are truly effective in providing a strong design foundation and culture. A close second is when I am able to promote from within my team and watch new design leadership flourish.
A successful leader is a servant leader
Servant leader
I am there to lift up my team and
be their biggest fan. I help them elevate their personal brand within
the organization by evangelizing their craft and showing how their
work impacts the company.
Building trust
I trust the team to be inclusive
and make thoughtful design choices. Conversely, the team trusts that I
provide guidance and a seat at the table.
Creating a design culture
I foster open
discussions about all aspects of design through continued learning and
design critiques with the team or privately.
Staying in the mix
I keep my ears open to what’s
happening in and around the team and react appropriately.
Sharing experiences
I mentor through shared
experiences and heartfelt conversations. I invest in their career as
well as them personally.
Coaching
I encourage each person to explore what
motivates them, where they want to take their career and invest in
what truly interests them. Together, we align their individual goals
to their answers and develop those abilities.
Open communication
I stay up to date with
consistent check-ins through regular team meetings and personal 1:1s
where we discuss challenges, and priorities, as well as career and
personal development.
Design Leadership Across the Organization
Championing great design within an organization while building a team that is valued and respected is key to the success of my design organization.
Introduce UX to the organization
Explaining the
fundamentals of a user experience practice can be the first step in an
organization. Illustrating our process, deliverables, and how we
collaborate with product partners is key. Design is a vital partner in the business.
Create a long term vision
Along with our product,
business, and technology partners, I develop a long-term vision to
guide the design of our products.
Educate the ROI of Design
The bottom line is affected by good design in many ways and
setting up KPIs to report back to the business can be vital to the
success of a design organization. (Legacy link: )
Establish Design Thinking into the organization
Introduce and explain the benefits of Design Thinking across the organization.
Examples of Design Thinking in practice include:
- Inviting the product teams to get to know the users and gain perspective to build empathy – empathy helps define problems
- Collaborating early and often for shared ownership across organizations
- Focusing on solving the users’ problems, not just creating “cool features”
- Conducting user research to test and validate product decisions
- Iterate to greatness
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