Design Leadership
"User first, experience second, and then Design + technology "
Summary
Hello, and welcome to my portfolio! I am thrilled to share my experience as a design leader and demonstrate how I have successfully combined my design, research, and experience strategy skills to seize new opportunities and drive business value. As a Head of Practice at UXReactor, I have been responsible for managing managers and overseeing design research and marketing creative service teams. Additionally, I work closely with clients as a Chief Experience Officer, collaborating with business executives to design and implement strategies that align with their objectives. Join me as I showcase my achievements and demonstrate the value I can bring to your organization.
Mr role: Design head for my practice and Chief Experience Officer for the client
Duration: Sine May 2022
Team size: 18 people, 3 managers
Company size: 65 employees
Headquarters: Pleasanton, California
Industry: Design Services
Founded: 2014
Leadership
As the Head of Practice at UXReactor and the Director of Design at SAP, I have honed my organizational and leadership skills by managing multiple teams and design units. I believe in fostering a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and excellence. By promoting a culture of continuous learning and professional development, I ensure that my teams stay at the forefront of design practices and industry trends. Moreover, by empowering my managers to lead their respective teams, I enable distributed leadership that leverages our talented professionals' collective expertise and experience. Here are my top achievements as a design manager:
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Hiring, grooming, and retaining top talent: Rather than solely relying on monetary incentives to attract the best skills, I have excelled at identifying promising individuals and nurturing their potential to become industry leaders. By building teams with diverse skill set that complements one another, I have created a high-performing unit that rivals the best in the industry.
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Design consistency: As the head of the creative service and visual design team, I have brought design consistency to every artifact we produce, including design deliverables, pitch decks for potential new clients, our website showcasing our expertise, and every artifact we deliver to our clients.
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Improving efficiency: Upon joining UXReactor, I recognized various inefficiencies in planning, research, design, and delivery. I pinpointed these areas through meticulous analysis and collaborated with the leadership team to implement measures that significantly increased efficiency. As a result, we can now deliver higher-quality designs with reduced time and effort. For example, the experience benchmarking method took 4-5 weeks to complete, and now we can do it in less than two weeks with a very high-quality outcome.
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Cultivating a culture of empathy: Managing a distributed team across the globe can sometimes lead to silos and overlooking cultural differences. In my practice, I prioritize empathy, ensuring we deeply understand and empathize with our people and customers. I emphasize wins by publishing weekly shoutouts and having regular one-on-one sessions with my reports to support their growth, efficiency, and career advancement.
Collaboration
Collaborating as a Chief Experience Officer
As a Chief Experience Officer, I have worked closely with business executives to shape their organizations' strategies. By integrating design and research strategies into their broader objectives, I have helped clients create impactful, user-centered experiences that drive business growth. My ability to bridge the gap between design and business has been instrumental in uncovering new opportunities and developing innovative solutions. Here are some key highlights:
1. Introducing workshops with customers: I introduced workshops to bring customers into the design process, aligning their expectations with a user-centered vision. This collaborative approach ensures that our design solutions are tailored to meet their needs effectively.
2. Removing organizational silos: To foster a collaborative environment within Guardhat, my first client at UXReactor, I facilitated regular workshops with critical corporate functions such as Sales, Marketing, Delivery, Product, and Engineering. By promoting cross-functional collaboration, we broke down silos and enabled a more streamlined and efficient workflow.
3. Influencing strategic decisions: Through regular brainstorming sessions with the CEO and Head of Product, I successfully advocated for a stronger focus on user experience, design, and technology. By integrating design thinking into their decision-making process, we ensured that the end-user remained at the forefront of their strategic initiatives.
Value
Driving Business Value through Design
Design is not merely about aesthetics; it is a powerful tool that can drive business value. Leveraging my user research and design expertise, I make research-driven decisions that form the foundation for impactful design initiatives. I have successfully helped organizations achieve their business objectives by implementing effective design and research strategies. My strong project management and strategic thinking skills enable me to navigate complex challenges, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget. Through these endeavors, I have fostered a culture of design appreciation within organizations and positioned myself as a trusted advisor. Here are a couple of examples:
1. Strategy development for Guardhat: As an IoT company, Guardhat had a significant market opportunity worth 170 billion dollars. By conducting thorough user research and facilitating workshops with key stakeholders, I developed a five-year experience roadmap that paved the way for them to address this market opportunity effectively.
2. Trusted advisor role for Actian: As a trusted advisor, I work closely with the Chief Customer Experience Officer at Actian, guiding strategic initiatives. By leveraging my design and research expertise, I contribute valuable insights that inform their decision-making process.
Final words
Thank you for taking the time to review my portfolio. As a design leader with extensive experience working as a hands-on designer, managing teams, collaborating as a Chief Experience Officer, and driving business objectives through the design, I am confident I can significantly impact your organization. My track record of empowering teams, delivering innovative solutions, and achieving business success sets me apart as a valuable asset.
I look forward to the opportunity to contribute my skills and expertise to your team, helping you create exceptional user experiences and drive meaningful business outcomes.