Strategy & Innovation
DATA THAT DRIVES STRATEGY
The organization had no product usage data and feedback from customers that was spread out between workers in the field, support tickets, infrequent user interviews, but none of it informed design decisions. Product teams lacked a unified view, leadership had no data-driven roadmap, and opinions filled the void. UX credibility was low, and impact was invisible.
This is all too common in companies today. I've seen it multiple times in my career where companies have all the best intentions but either don't have the focus or the right people to start utilizing data to make decisions on what direction or changes will make the impact they are looking for.
Role
Director/Vice President of UX
Duration
Ongoing 3 Years
Contribution
Data Strategy, Insight Ecosystem Design, Stakeholder Alignment
Target Audience
Org with fragmented usage data and decision-making capabilities
Unified feedback system
Used by Product, UX, and Support to track and update customer satisfaction and key areas of improvement
Decreased opinion-based decision-making
Keeping stakeholders and executives informed on research and data to make decisions
Faster issue detection
Through real-time and tagged feedback, consistent communication, and empathy for the users
Elevated UX’s credibility
Having the UX viewed as a strategic input, not a reactive function that is often overlooked
PROBLEM
UNIFYING SCATTERED DATA CHANNELS
The company relied on multiple, disconnected feedback channels across apps, devices, and support teams. Valuable insights were buried in silos, often overlooked or delivered too late to influence decisions. Product teams lacked a single source of truth, and leadership had no clear way to connect user feedback with business outcomes.
The company had data about the overall users and the overall usage but they didn't have any insights as to what was happening within the products. Were customers getting stuck, were they interacting with new features, did they need to find workarounds for undiscovered issues?
Defined the data strategy, built the ecosystem, and aligned teams around insights that drove action.
APPROACH
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
All feedback lived in silos: support logs, email surveys, in-app triggers, behavioral analytics. Nobody knew what mattered. Roadmaps were shaped by loud voices, not customer needs. So the first place to start was to try and track down where all the pipelines of feedback were located. We started with the obvious which was customer support, but then met with different teams and just asked what info they had. We found out there were bits and pieces spreadout in many different teams.
Next thing was to figure out a platform that allowed us to determine the usage data for each products. after en extensive review of different platforms we decided to go with Pendo. We chose them because of our need to incorporate the tool is so many different platforms. It took a bit to work with the devs to get it added but once we did we found some surprising insights.
01.
Mapped the Feedback
Mapped the Feedback
Mapped the Feedback
Audited every source of user feedback and identified gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for consolidation.
02.
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Implemented tools and dashboards that tracked usage patterns and surfaced trends in real time.
03.
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Connected qualitative research, quantitative analytics, and customer experience metrics into a single flow that informed decisions at every level.
04.
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Created frameworks that linked data directly to business priorities, ensuring insights didn’t just sit in reports but shaped roadmaps.
We could see the funnels within onboarding and throughout the products as a whole. We saw what features people were and weren't using. Guides were made to work in the products to help educate users of new feature sets. We found that some product features just weren't hitting the mark, which allowed us to either remove those to make a cleaner experience or start innovating on some new concepts to improve engagement.
Overall, user feedback mixed with product usage data gave individual teams the insights needed to make clear decisions. Often making adjustments before any real issues arose and even stakeholders didn't realize that problems were headed off before they would be made aware.
OUTCOMES
WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
The new system gave teams visibility into real user behavior and feedback, enabling faster decisions and reducing reliance on opinion-driven debates. Leadership gained confidence in the data, product changes became more targeted, and user pain points were addressed sooner. UX credibility grew because every recommendation was backed by evidence.
Getting teams to add the code for Pendo took a little convincing because they didn't understand the advantages of usage data. I hired a researcher who took on the challenge of working directly with each team to get it implemented and setup correctly. We then were able to make dashboards that highlighted metrics that anyone could view. A change that teams found enlightening and informative once in place.
Data-driven decisions can change the entire focus of a company when utilized correctly.
WHY IT MATTERS
MAKING DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS
Data by itself is not valuable. What matters is how teams use it to make better decisions. This project bridged the gap between raw information and strategic action. Instead of chasing opinions, teams worked with facts. Instead of reacting, they planned with confidence.
The result was a culture shift: data stopped being an afterthought and became a driver of innovation. Insights shaped strategy, and strategy shaped outcomes that users and the business could feel. Opinions will always be there but now with data at their fingertips we prefer to think of them as hypotheses.
More Projects
Strategy & Innovation
DATA THAT DRIVES STRATEGY
The organization had no product usage data and feedback from customers that was spread out between workers in the field, support tickets, infrequent user interviews, but none of it informed design decisions. Product teams lacked a unified view, leadership had no data-driven roadmap, and opinions filled the void. UX credibility was low, and impact was invisible.
This is all too common in companies today. I've seen it multiple times in my career where companies have all the best intentions but either don't have the focus or the right people to start utilizing data to make decisions on what direction or changes will make the impact they are looking for.
Role
Director/Vice President of UX
Duration
Ongoing 3 Years
Contribution
Data Strategy, Insight Ecosystem Design, Stakeholder Alignment
Target Audience
Org with fragmented usage data and decision-making capabilities
Unified feedback system
Used by Product, UX, and Support to track and update customer satisfaction and key areas of improvement
Decreased opinion-based decision-making
Keeping stakeholders and executives informed on research and data to make decisions
Faster issue detection
Through real-time and tagged feedback, consistent communication, and empathy for the users
Elevated UX’s credibility
Having the UX viewed as a strategic input, not a reactive function that is often overlooked
PROBLEM
UNIFYING SCATTERED DATA CHANNELS
The company relied on multiple, disconnected feedback channels across apps, devices, and support teams. Valuable insights were buried in silos, often overlooked or delivered too late to influence decisions. Product teams lacked a single source of truth, and leadership had no clear way to connect user feedback with business outcomes.
The company had data about the overall users and the overall usage but they didn't have any insights as to what was happening within the products. Were customers getting stuck, were they interacting with new features, did they need to find workarounds for undiscovered issues?
Defined the data strategy, built the ecosystem, and aligned teams around insights that drove action.
APPROACH
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
All feedback lived in silos: support logs, email surveys, in-app triggers, behavioral analytics. Nobody knew what mattered. Roadmaps were shaped by loud voices, not customer needs. So the first place to start was to try and track down where all the pipelines of feedback were located. We started with the obvious which was customer support, but then met with different teams and just asked what info they had. We found out there were bits and pieces spreadout in many different teams.
Next thing was to figure out a platform that allowed us to determine the usage data for each products. after en extensive review of different platforms we decided to go with Pendo. We chose them because of our need to incorporate the tool is so many different platforms. It took a bit to work with the devs to get it added but once we did we found some surprising insights.
01.
Mapped the Feedback
Mapped the Feedback
Mapped the Feedback
Audited every source of user feedback and identified gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for consolidation.
02.
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Implemented tools and dashboards that tracked usage patterns and surfaced trends in real time.
03.
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Connected qualitative research, quantitative analytics, and customer experience metrics into a single flow that informed decisions at every level.
04.
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Created frameworks that linked data directly to business priorities, ensuring insights didn’t just sit in reports but shaped roadmaps.
We could see the funnels within onboarding and throughout the products as a whole. We saw what features people were and weren't using. Guides were made to work in the products to help educate users of new feature sets. We found that some product features just weren't hitting the mark, which allowed us to either remove those to make a cleaner experience or start innovating on some new concepts to improve engagement.
Overall, user feedback mixed with product usage data gave individual teams the insights needed to make clear decisions. Often making adjustments before any real issues arose and even stakeholders didn't realize that problems were headed off before they would be made aware.
OUTCOMES
WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
The new system gave teams visibility into real user behavior and feedback, enabling faster decisions and reducing reliance on opinion-driven debates. Leadership gained confidence in the data, product changes became more targeted, and user pain points were addressed sooner. UX credibility grew because every recommendation was backed by evidence.
Getting teams to add the code for Pendo took a little convincing because they didn't understand the advantages of usage data. I hired a researcher who took on the challenge of working directly with each team to get it implemented and setup correctly. We then were able to make dashboards that highlighted metrics that anyone could view. A change that teams found enlightening and informative once in place.
Data-driven decisions can change the entire focus of a company when utilized correctly.
WHY IT MATTERS
MAKING DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS
Data by itself is not valuable. What matters is how teams use it to make better decisions. This project bridged the gap between raw information and strategic action. Instead of chasing opinions, teams worked with facts. Instead of reacting, they planned with confidence.
The result was a culture shift: data stopped being an afterthought and became a driver of innovation. Insights shaped strategy, and strategy shaped outcomes that users and the business could feel. Opinions will always be there but now with data at their fingertips we prefer to think of them as hypotheses.
More Projects
Strategy & Innovation
DATA THAT DRIVES STRATEGY
The organization had no product usage data and feedback from customers that was spread out between workers in the field, support tickets, infrequent user interviews, but none of it informed design decisions. Product teams lacked a unified view, leadership had no data-driven roadmap, and opinions filled the void. UX credibility was low, and impact was invisible.
This is all too common in companies today. I've seen it multiple times in my career where companies have all the best intentions but either don't have the focus or the right people to start utilizing data to make decisions on what direction or changes will make the impact they are looking for.
Role
Director/Vice President of UX
Duration
Ongoing 3 Years
Contribution
Data Strategy, Insight Ecosystem Design, Stakeholder Alignment
Target Audience
Org with fragmented usage data and decision-making capabilities
Unified feedback system
Used by Product, UX, and Support to track and update customer satisfaction and key areas of improvement
Decreased opinion-based decision-making
Keeping stakeholders and executives informed on research and data to make decisions
Faster issue detection
Through real-time and tagged feedback, consistent communication, and empathy for the users
Elevated UX’s credibility
Having the UX viewed as a strategic input, not a reactive function that is often overlooked
PROBLEM
UNIFYING SCATTERED DATA CHANNELS
The company relied on multiple, disconnected feedback channels across apps, devices, and support teams. Valuable insights were buried in silos, often overlooked or delivered too late to influence decisions. Product teams lacked a single source of truth, and leadership had no clear way to connect user feedback with business outcomes.
The company had data about the overall users and the overall usage but they didn't have any insights as to what was happening within the products. Were customers getting stuck, were they interacting with new features, did they need to find workarounds for undiscovered issues?
Defined the data strategy, built the ecosystem, and aligned teams around insights that drove action.
APPROACH
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
All feedback lived in silos: support logs, email surveys, in-app triggers, behavioral analytics. Nobody knew what mattered. Roadmaps were shaped by loud voices, not customer needs. So the first place to start was to try and track down where all the pipelines of feedback were located. We started with the obvious which was customer support, but then met with different teams and just asked what info they had. We found out there were bits and pieces spreadout in many different teams.
Next thing was to figure out a platform that allowed us to determine the usage data for each products. after en extensive review of different platforms we decided to go with Pendo. We chose them because of our need to incorporate the tool is so many different platforms. It took a bit to work with the devs to get it added but once we did we found some surprising insights.
01.
Mapped the Feedback
Mapped the Feedback
Mapped the Feedback
Audited every source of user feedback and identified gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for consolidation.
02.
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Deployed Behavioral Analytics
Implemented tools and dashboards that tracked usage patterns and surfaced trends in real time.
03.
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Integrated Research, Data, and CX Into One Loop
Connected qualitative research, quantitative analytics, and customer experience metrics into a single flow that informed decisions at every level.
04.
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Tied Insight to Decision-Making
Created frameworks that linked data directly to business priorities, ensuring insights didn’t just sit in reports but shaped roadmaps.
We could see the funnels within onboarding and throughout the products as a whole. We saw what features people were and weren't using. Guides were made to work in the products to help educate users of new feature sets. We found that some product features just weren't hitting the mark, which allowed us to either remove those to make a cleaner experience or start innovating on some new concepts to improve engagement.
Overall, user feedback mixed with product usage data gave individual teams the insights needed to make clear decisions. Often making adjustments before any real issues arose and even stakeholders didn't realize that problems were headed off before they would be made aware.
OUTCOMES
WHERE CREDIT IS DUE
The new system gave teams visibility into real user behavior and feedback, enabling faster decisions and reducing reliance on opinion-driven debates. Leadership gained confidence in the data, product changes became more targeted, and user pain points were addressed sooner. UX credibility grew because every recommendation was backed by evidence.
Getting teams to add the code for Pendo took a little convincing because they didn't understand the advantages of usage data. I hired a researcher who took on the challenge of working directly with each team to get it implemented and setup correctly. We then were able to make dashboards that highlighted metrics that anyone could view. A change that teams found enlightening and informative once in place.
Data-driven decisions can change the entire focus of a company when utilized correctly.
WHY IT MATTERS
MAKING DATA-DRIVEN DECISIONS
Data by itself is not valuable. What matters is how teams use it to make better decisions. This project bridged the gap between raw information and strategic action. Instead of chasing opinions, teams worked with facts. Instead of reacting, they planned with confidence.
The result was a culture shift: data stopped being an afterthought and became a driver of innovation. Insights shaped strategy, and strategy shaped outcomes that users and the business could feel. Opinions will always be there but now with data at their fingertips we prefer to think of them as hypotheses.