Team Leadership
Building UX From The Ground Up
When I walked into this company, “UX” was corporate speak for “people who make buttons less ugly.” Two designers — one a veteran, the other a rookie — were trying to solve real problems while being treated like digital decorators. In a company serving users where accessibility wasn’t optional, this wasn’t just inefficient; it was unacceptable. It was financial suicide waiting to happen.
Problem
The company had no UX strategy or research foundation, and design was treated as decoration.
Role
Built UX function from zero, embedded research into product lifecycle, and led organizational strategy.
Solution
Strategic hiring, launched research operations, created scalable processes, and proved UX value through results.
Impact
75% increase in research-backed launches, 25% faster cycles, and UX became a strategic business driver.
UX Embedded Organizationally
Product and Engineering shifted from treating UX as downstream decoration to upstream strategic partner
Research Pipeline Established
75% increase in actionable user feedback across web, mobile, and embedded platforms
Design System Operationalized
Single source of truth deployed across 25+ platforms, eliminating design inconsistencies and reducing dev friction
Cycle Time Acceleration
25% reduction in design-to-release cycles through research-backed decision making and systematic processes
PROBLEM
THE SETUP: CORPORATE THINKING AT ITS FINEST
The company was hemorrhaging money from three years of financial mismanagement while VCs circled like vultures. UX was an afterthought in a business where user accessibility wasn’t a nice-to-have — it was a matter of regulatory survival.
I had two choices: build something fast that looked busy, or construct a function so strategically vital that even corporate sociopaths couldn’t kill it. I chose violence.
Built the UX team from scratch, led strategy, and integrated research into every stage of the product lifecycle.
APPROACH
STARTING FROM SCRATCH TO BUILD THE MACHINE
Starting from scratch meant that every hire was a matter of life or death. I needed to prove we weren’t just pixel pushers before some executive decided UX was expendable overhead. The strategy: build something so essential they couldn’t kill it without crippling their own product engine.
01.
Strategic Hiring
Strategic Hiring
Strategic Hiring
Added senior design firepower and fresh blood. Convinced leadership that research wasn’t academic school work—it was competitive warfare.
02.
Embedding UX Sprints
Embedding UX Sprints
Embedding UX Sprints
Introduced design sprints and checkpoints that made ignoring UX impossible. No more “make it pretty when the real work is done.”
03.
Research as Ammunition
Research as Ammunition
Research as Ammunition
Created a research pipeline that turned user behavior into business ammunition. Data murdered opinions in product meetings.
04.
Design System That Removed Chaos
Design System That Removed Chaos
Design System That Removed Chaos
Built a component library that spanned around 25 platforms, no more “I like a lot of buttons.” A single truth that reduced cross-platform inconsistencies.
This wasn’t just process improvement—it was organizational reprogramming. We embedded user research so deeply into the product lifecycle that removing it would require major surgery. For the first time, the company started worshipping user data instead of executive opinions. UX earned a seat at the table by delivering results that generated revenue for stakeholders, not because we begged for respect.
OUTCOMES
PROVING VALUE IN BLOOD AND METRICS
Three years later, the financial reality hit. VC demands, market pressure, and years of operational bloat demanded corporate surgery. When the CPO left during the crisis, I stepped into the interim role and spent three months making the brutal decisions: layoffs, contractor cuts, SG&A reductions.
Three rounds of layoffs. Every department bled talent. All Product VPs were eliminated.
The UX team survived intact.
They didn’t choose this path due to politics or favoritism; instead, our creation has become vital to their success! The research pipeline, design system, and embedded processes have evolved into essential components of the business infrastructure. Removing them would hinder product development, highlighting their true importance.
When the final cuts were made and I was eliminated, along with the remaining Product leadership, the UX function continued to operate without missing a beat. That’s not a failure — that’s the ultimate validation. We built something that transcended individual leadership and became organizational muscle memory.
75
%
Increase in User feedback collected
Increase in User feedback collected
Accessibility became a default expectation rather than an afterthought
Accessibility became a default expectation rather than an afterthought
25
%
Decrease in Design-to-release cycles
Decrease in Design-to-release cycles
The UX team stopped being “those people who make things pretty” and became trusted strategic partners.
WHY IT MATTERS
BUILDING ANTI-FRAGILE TEAMS
This wasn’t just team building. It was creating sustainable organizational capability. The accurate measure of strategic UX leadership isn’t just immediate results — it’s building functions that continue delivering value through organizational transitions.
The real validation came from seeing the team and processes maintain their effectiveness and strategic positioning even through significant company changes. We built something more durable than individual leadership tenure.
That’s strategic UX: creating organizational muscle memory around user-centered decision-making that becomes part of how the company operates, regardless of who’s leading it.
This wasn’t team building. It was building a self-perpetuating machine. UX became high-grade infrastructure—surviving implosion, surviving longer than myself. That’s strategic design—create a legacy that doesn’t need its creators.
More Projects
Team Leadership
Building UX From The Ground Up
When I walked into this company, “UX” was corporate speak for “people who make buttons less ugly.” Two designers — one a veteran, the other a rookie — were trying to solve real problems while being treated like digital decorators. In a company serving users where accessibility wasn’t optional, this wasn’t just inefficient; it was unacceptable. It was financial suicide waiting to happen.
Problem
The company had no UX strategy or research foundation, and design was treated as decoration.
Role
Built UX function from zero, embedded research into product lifecycle, and led organizational strategy.
Solution
Strategic hiring, launched research operations, created scalable processes, and proved UX value through results.
Impact
75% increase in research-backed launches, 25% faster cycles, and UX became a strategic business driver.
UX Embedded Organizationally
Product and Engineering shifted from treating UX as downstream decoration to upstream strategic partner
Research Pipeline Established
75% increase in actionable user feedback across web, mobile, and embedded platforms
Design System Operationalized
Single source of truth deployed across 25+ platforms, eliminating design inconsistencies and reducing dev friction
Cycle Time Acceleration
25% reduction in design-to-release cycles through research-backed decision making and systematic processes
PROBLEM
THE SETUP: CORPORATE THINKING AT ITS FINEST
The company was hemorrhaging money from three years of financial mismanagement while VCs circled like vultures. UX was an afterthought in a business where user accessibility wasn’t a nice-to-have — it was a matter of regulatory survival.
I had two choices: build something fast that looked busy, or construct a function so strategically vital that even corporate sociopaths couldn’t kill it. I chose violence.
Built the UX team from scratch, led strategy, and integrated research into every stage of the product lifecycle.
APPROACH
STARTING FROM SCRATCH TO BUILD THE MACHINE
Starting from scratch meant that every hire was a matter of life or death. I needed to prove we weren’t just pixel pushers before some executive decided UX was expendable overhead. The strategy: build something so essential they couldn’t kill it without crippling their own product engine.
01.
Strategic Hiring
Strategic Hiring
Strategic Hiring
Added senior design firepower and fresh blood. Convinced leadership that research wasn’t academic school work—it was competitive warfare.
02.
Embedding UX Sprints
Embedding UX Sprints
Embedding UX Sprints
Introduced design sprints and checkpoints that made ignoring UX impossible. No more “make it pretty when the real work is done.”
03.
Research as Ammunition
Research as Ammunition
Research as Ammunition
Created a research pipeline that turned user behavior into business ammunition. Data murdered opinions in product meetings.
04.
Design System That Removed Chaos
Design System That Removed Chaos
Design System That Removed Chaos
Built a component library that spanned around 25 platforms, no more “I like a lot of buttons.” A single truth that reduced cross-platform inconsistencies.
This wasn’t just process improvement—it was organizational reprogramming. We embedded user research so deeply into the product lifecycle that removing it would require major surgery. For the first time, the company started worshipping user data instead of executive opinions. UX earned a seat at the table by delivering results that generated revenue for stakeholders, not because we begged for respect.
OUTCOMES
PROVING VALUE IN BLOOD AND METRICS
Three years later, the financial reality hit. VC demands, market pressure, and years of operational bloat demanded corporate surgery. When the CPO left during the crisis, I stepped into the interim role and spent three months making the brutal decisions: layoffs, contractor cuts, SG&A reductions.
Three rounds of layoffs. Every department bled talent. All Product VPs were eliminated.
The UX team survived intact.
They didn’t choose this path due to politics or favoritism; instead, our creation has become vital to their success! The research pipeline, design system, and embedded processes have evolved into essential components of the business infrastructure. Removing them would hinder product development, highlighting their true importance.
When the final cuts were made and I was eliminated, along with the remaining Product leadership, the UX function continued to operate without missing a beat. That’s not a failure — that’s the ultimate validation. We built something that transcended individual leadership and became organizational muscle memory.
75
%
Increase in User feedback collected
Increase in User feedback collected
Accessibility became a default expectation rather than an afterthought
Accessibility became a default expectation rather than an afterthought
25
%
Decrease in Design-to-release cycles
Decrease in Design-to-release cycles
The UX team stopped being “those people who make things pretty” and became trusted strategic partners.
WHY IT MATTERS
BUILDING ANTI-FRAGILE TEAMS
This wasn’t just team building. It was creating sustainable organizational capability. The accurate measure of strategic UX leadership isn’t just immediate results — it’s building functions that continue delivering value through organizational transitions.
The real validation came from seeing the team and processes maintain their effectiveness and strategic positioning even through significant company changes. We built something more durable than individual leadership tenure.
That’s strategic UX: creating organizational muscle memory around user-centered decision-making that becomes part of how the company operates, regardless of who’s leading it.
This wasn’t team building. It was building a self-perpetuating machine. UX became high-grade infrastructure—surviving implosion, surviving longer than myself. That’s strategic design—create a legacy that doesn’t need its creators.
More Projects
Team Leadership
Building UX From The Ground Up
When I walked into this company, “UX” was corporate speak for “people who make buttons less ugly.” Two designers — one a veteran, the other a rookie — were trying to solve real problems while being treated like digital decorators. In a company serving users where accessibility wasn’t optional, this wasn’t just inefficient; it was unacceptable. It was financial suicide waiting to happen.
Problem
The company had no UX strategy or research foundation, and design was treated as decoration.
Role
Built UX function from zero, embedded research into product lifecycle, and led organizational strategy.
Solution
Strategic hiring, launched research operations, created scalable processes, and proved UX value through results.
Impact
75% increase in research-backed launches, 25% faster cycles, and UX became a strategic business driver.
UX Embedded Organizationally
Product and Engineering shifted from treating UX as downstream decoration to upstream strategic partner
Research Pipeline Established
75% increase in actionable user feedback across web, mobile, and embedded platforms
Design System Operationalized
Single source of truth deployed across 25+ platforms, eliminating design inconsistencies and reducing dev friction
Cycle Time Acceleration
25% reduction in design-to-release cycles through research-backed decision making and systematic processes
PROBLEM
THE SETUP: CORPORATE THINKING AT ITS FINEST
The company was hemorrhaging money from three years of financial mismanagement while VCs circled like vultures. UX was an afterthought in a business where user accessibility wasn’t a nice-to-have — it was a matter of regulatory survival.
I had two choices: build something fast that looked busy, or construct a function so strategically vital that even corporate sociopaths couldn’t kill it. I chose violence.
Built the UX team from scratch, led strategy, and integrated research into every stage of the product lifecycle.
APPROACH
STARTING FROM SCRATCH TO BUILD THE MACHINE
Starting from scratch meant that every hire was a matter of life or death. I needed to prove we weren’t just pixel pushers before some executive decided UX was expendable overhead. The strategy: build something so essential they couldn’t kill it without crippling their own product engine.
01.
Strategic Hiring
Strategic Hiring
Strategic Hiring
Added senior design firepower and fresh blood. Convinced leadership that research wasn’t academic school work—it was competitive warfare.
02.
Embedding UX Sprints
Embedding UX Sprints
Embedding UX Sprints
Introduced design sprints and checkpoints that made ignoring UX impossible. No more “make it pretty when the real work is done.”
03.
Research as Ammunition
Research as Ammunition
Research as Ammunition
Created a research pipeline that turned user behavior into business ammunition. Data murdered opinions in product meetings.
04.
Design System That Removed Chaos
Design System That Removed Chaos
Design System That Removed Chaos
Built a component library that spanned around 25 platforms, no more “I like a lot of buttons.” A single truth that reduced cross-platform inconsistencies.
This wasn’t just process improvement—it was organizational reprogramming. We embedded user research so deeply into the product lifecycle that removing it would require major surgery. For the first time, the company started worshipping user data instead of executive opinions. UX earned a seat at the table by delivering results that generated revenue for stakeholders, not because we begged for respect.
OUTCOMES
PROVING VALUE IN BLOOD AND METRICS
Three years later, the financial reality hit. VC demands, market pressure, and years of operational bloat demanded corporate surgery. When the CPO left during the crisis, I stepped into the interim role and spent three months making the brutal decisions: layoffs, contractor cuts, SG&A reductions.
Three rounds of layoffs. Every department bled talent. All Product VPs were eliminated.
The UX team survived intact.
They didn’t choose this path due to politics or favoritism; instead, our creation has become vital to their success! The research pipeline, design system, and embedded processes have evolved into essential components of the business infrastructure. Removing them would hinder product development, highlighting their true importance.
When the final cuts were made and I was eliminated, along with the remaining Product leadership, the UX function continued to operate without missing a beat. That’s not a failure — that’s the ultimate validation. We built something that transcended individual leadership and became organizational muscle memory.
75
%
Increase in User feedback collected
Increase in User feedback collected
Accessibility became a default expectation rather than an afterthought
Accessibility became a default expectation rather than an afterthought
25
%
Decrease in Design-to-release cycles
Decrease in Design-to-release cycles
The UX team stopped being “those people who make things pretty” and became trusted strategic partners.
WHY IT MATTERS
BUILDING ANTI-FRAGILE TEAMS
This wasn’t just team building. It was creating sustainable organizational capability. The accurate measure of strategic UX leadership isn’t just immediate results — it’s building functions that continue delivering value through organizational transitions.
The real validation came from seeing the team and processes maintain their effectiveness and strategic positioning even through significant company changes. We built something more durable than individual leadership tenure.
That’s strategic UX: creating organizational muscle memory around user-centered decision-making that becomes part of how the company operates, regardless of who’s leading it.
This wasn’t team building. It was building a self-perpetuating machine. UX became high-grade infrastructure—surviving implosion, surviving longer than myself. That’s strategic design—create a legacy that doesn’t need its creators.