my experience

In my current role at Thinx Inc I established the User Experience team; growing from a team of one to a team of six over the course of 9 months. I currently manage a multidisciplinary team of researchers, UX designers, and visual designers that works across all the digital products at Thinx.

I build a shared vision

I believe the best way to engage and inspire a team is to define together a shared vision for how the team will deliver impact and align with the unique needs and long term goals of the organization. This vision will clarify where the team is going, where it should focus, and what it should prioritize, allowing all team members to better understand how their work contributes toward accomplishing the greater organizational goals.

I trust the talent on my team

I empower my team members to take ownership of their projects. I hire people who show initiative and enthusiasm, and I do my best to set them up for success. I’m always accessible to my team to provide guidance and training, but I prefer to give my team members the space and trust to take on challenges themselves. I believe that the most successful leaders have team members who’re aligned with the overall vision and who feel valued and recognized for the unique talents they bring to the team.

I believe great design is collaborative

One of the practical ways I ensure my team feels aligned and supported is by doing team design reviews. It’s important that my team not only learns from me, but learns from one another. Specifically since our team works flexibly across multiple digital products (including 3 distinct brands) it’s necessary that they’re well versed in each design system and that they understand why choices were made. These sessions also create space for the designers to question and poke at these choices. Giving everyone a voice only strengthens our designs.

I think users and best practices lead to innovation

It is easy to create digital experiences that are copies of existing work or flashy interactions that give no thought to accessibility or user goals, but neither lead to true innovation. I believe true innovation is the delicate balance that is struck between discovering what users need and want, prioritizing usability, and then delivering creative, delightful experiences that users will remember. It’s a high bar, but it’s the bar that I inspire my team to vault over.

I invest in my team

Growing and empowering the members on my team in a healthy, balanced environment gives me the most job satisfaction. I strongly believe that one of my most important roles as a leader is to help each team member identify and reach their personal and professional goals. If individuals feel that their goals and ambitions are invested in, they’ll return that investment in the team and organization.

I encourage a work and life balance

I don’t believe anyone is at their best if they don’t have time to properly disconnect. I actively protect my team’s time, ensuring their workload is never beyond their capacity and I never contact them outside of work hours. I also encourage vacation time and time off; as a creative, user-centered team it’s as important to reset their minds as it is to go out into the world and find inspiration.