My Journey as UX Team Lead
As the Agile UX Team Lead within Software Development at AMA, I’ve had the opportunity to lead a talented group of designers through various complex projects. My journey has been defined by my focus on creating operational efficiencies, driving collaboration across teams, and delivering scalable design solutions that align with user and business goals.
Challenges
When I took on the team lead role, our UX team faced several challenges:
Lack of leadership: After a year-long absence, the team had no direct design leadership and had been passed between departments, resulting in weakened relationships with development teams and unclear design roles.
Fractured collaboration: Designers worked in silos with little accountability or visibility into each other's work, limiting innovation and design quality.
Process confusion: The team had switched to a Kanban method, which caused delays as product owners could submit work at any time. This lack of planning made it difficult to foresee team resourcing needs, and work often came in at the last minute.
I focused on rebuilding relationships and improving processes:
Restored collaboration: I strengthened connections with development teams and product owners, improving understanding and support for our design practice.
Increased buy-in for research: Securing a stronger commitment to research and usability testing helped ensure data-driven designs.
Improved team dynamics: I’ve built a culture of trust and collaboration within the team. There is now a strong sense of mutual support, where team members collaborate regularly and without needing prompting. This increased trust has empowered the team to leverage each other's strengths, leading to more innovative and higher-quality solutions.
Encouraged innovation: With the Double Diamond framework in place, we emphasized collaborative exploration, leading to more innovative solutions.
Strategy & Leadership Approach
My leadership approach centers on empowering the design team as a strategic partner to product and development by:
Strengthening Design Practices: Implementing regular critiques and accountability, encouraging ownership, and elevating quality.
Fostering Proactive Collaboration: Building alignment with product and development teams, ensuring design is engaged strategically and on time.
Encouraging Growth: Creating an environment of continuous learning, where designers develop skills that drive team and personal success.
Process Improvements
Empowered Team-Driven Figma Practices
Empowered the team to create and document best practices for working in Figma, including guidelines for reviews and developer collaboration.
Dual-Track Agile
Coordinated vertical slices between design and development, allowing for iterative work while preserving research and testing time, driving innovation.
Key Accomplishments
Stripe Integration with OmniPOS
Saved agents time and reduced errors by streamlining payments.Key Projects
Led Global Payments and replaced the legacy POS system, AX.Annual OmniPOS Survey
Introduced a new survey providing usability and satisfaction metrics to guide the product roadmap and track improvements.Cross-Team Collaboration
Strengthened collaboration and increased design consistency across products.
Team Growth & Mentorship
I foster a team environment where everyone brings unique value and has the ability to mentor others. I encourage team members to hone their mentorship skills while also guiding them in their work and helping them achieve their goals.
Reflection & Lessons Learned
My experience has shown me the importance of balancing operational efficiency with creativity. By building strong processes and empowering the team, I’ve created an environment of accountability and high-quality work, allowing the team to innovate and consistently deliver outstanding results.
My Vision for the Future
As I reflect on my journey as a UX Team Lead, I am proud of our progress, but I also see immense opportunity for the future. My goal is to unite our two UX teams under one department, where we can operationalize design and truly demonstrate the long-term value it brings to the organization. Through consistent metrics and proven results, I believe we can continually showcase how design drives success.
I’m equally committed to helping advance our designers. Clear career paths and equitable pay across teams are needed to foster growth and ensure that our designers feel supported in their professional journeys. Increasing collaboration, enhancing transparency, and building a strong design culture are all part of this vision, and I’m eager to continue contributing to making this a reality at AMA.