Design Leadership, Culture & Advocacy
Platforms
Project Overview
“Design is more than the aesthetics & artifacts associated with products; it’s a strategic function that focuses on what people want & need & dream of, then crafts experiences across the full brand ecosystem that are meaningful & relevant for customers” -Mauro Porcini
Project Overview
As the first designer at a SaaS startup, I built the design function from the ground up — shaping strategy, team culture, and executive advocacy. My goal was to establish design not just as a service, but as a strategic partner in product and business growth.
Challenges
- No formal design team or process — design requests were scattered and reactive.
- Lack of design advocacy at the executive level — limited funding and prioritization.
- Limited collaboration between design, engineering, QA, and marketing.
- Need to attract and retain top design talent in a competitive environment.
Execution
Building the Team
- Hired, mentored, and grew a multidisciplinary design team (UX, research, visual design).
- Created a clear onboarding process, team rituals, and structures for cross-functional collaboration.
- Fostered autonomy, ownership, and innovation within the team.
- Fostered empathy and connection.
Design Process & Ops
- Introduced Agile for design and tailored it to fit product cycles.
- Established a UX research repository to centralize knowledge and speed up iteration.
- Standardized prototyping, testing, and review workflows to shorten project turnaround times.
Advocacy & Culture
- Ran design advocacy sessions with executives to secure funding and position design as a strategic driver.
- Led organization-wide design sessions to encourage collaboration beyond the design team.
- Designed and facilitated team-building activities (including remote-first games and mascot-driven events) to strengthen connection and morale.
- Fostered creative expression and connection; Flashcard exchange game, virtual buddy system, team vision board, game leaderboard.
Results
Results
- Built the design function from 0 → a multidisciplinary team, directly improving velocity and design maturity.
- Cut project turnaround times by streamlining workflows and consolidating research.
- Improved retention & satisfaction within the design team by fostering a supportive culture.
- Secured executive buy-in and budget for key design initiatives through structured advocacy.
- Strengthened cross-team communication (backed by Slack analytics showing higher engagement and healthier collaboration).
Reflection
Design leadership isn’t only about artifacts — it’s about building systems, culture, and advocacy that let design thrive at scale. This experience showed me how intentional leadership can turn design into a core business advantage.
