HOW I lead
I watch a lot of movies, and I'm fascinated by how they're made and how much work goes into every frame. Film sets have the luxury of deep specialization: lighting, photography, VFX, editing, sound; software doesn't, so a design leader wears a lot of hats. These are the four I wear most often. Always in the service of the designers on my team.
Director
Set the vision, own the day-to-day, and pull the best work from the team.
Producer
Bring all the other functions together, connect, unblock, resource.
Editor
Simplify and string together for narrative cohesion; handoffs between experiences, continuity, and quality assurance.
Agent
Find opportunities for designers to earn new skills, and get their name and work in front of leaders throughout an org.
What I expect from my team
Great design work doesn't ship in isolation. I expect every designer to build knowledge that starts with the user and widens all the way out to the business. These are big aspects that I emphasize to my team as they grow their careers.
º01
Know your users
Real empathy for the people we design for, not personas on a slide. What are they trying to accomplish, and where does today’s experience let them down?
º02
Know the product
Know your area deeply, and know how it connects to the full customer journey. We don’t ship our products in isolation.
º03
Know your metrics
A fluency for the metrics that matter: the health and outcome numbers for your area, the common user lifecycles, and the clearest pain points.
º04
Know the business
Understand how the product makes its money, and how the experiences you design move that bottom line.
º05
Know your stakeholders
PM and engineering partners are your best friends. Learn what motivates them and how to take work off their plate. Relationships earn influence.
º06
Know the company
Network across the org. Understand what makes it tick, who decides, and how work actually gets done.
What my teams can expect from me
Two things first: that I will grow them, and that I will clear the path so they can do their best work. After that:
º01 — Empowerment & autonomy
At the start of a project, the designer writes the action plan, discovery to delivery, and reviews it with PM and engineering. They work the way that makes sense to them while staying accountable. I make connections, find chances for them to show their competencies, and give them the tools to succeed.
º02 — Growth & talent
Regular conversations about how they want to grow: what energizes them, what depletes them, what challenges them, where they want to go, and a quarterly plan to get there.
º03 — Growing relationships
I model strong relationships with product and engineering, and help my designers build their own. Help your partners where it counts, and learn to ask for what you need.
º04 — Closeness to users & data
I attend every user testing session I can and debrief with the team after. I push for collaboration with research, or thoroughness when there’s no researcher.
º05 — Business context
Everyone on my team can connect their work to the organization’s key metrics, and they know how the product makes or saves money.