I help organizations make UX a cornerstone of their business strategy by implementing User-Centered Design processes & methodologies into existing workflows

About me

Design Leadership & Management

Leaders develop their leadership philosophies and practices based on their values and experiences. Mine were shaped by over 20 years of international experience in various sectors, company sizes, and cultures.
They have been refined over time and are the foundation for tailoring my leadership style to fit each organization I work with.

Leadership style

Although my leadership style is deeply rooted in Servant Leadership, the need to wear multiple hats in most of my roles led me to blend several leadership styles for better results. The values and styles below are the most common mix.

50%
Servant Leadership
30%
Coach
10%
Visionary
(progress focused and inspirational)
10%
Transformational
(challenging and communicative)

Foundations of Design Management

My approach to Design Leadership is tailored for each company. Depending on my mandate and goals, I will typically start off from one of the following 2 models and fine tune it to the org's needs:

Primary areas of focus and their intersections

Suppose I'm going to develop a DesignOps practice. In that case, I start from this model, as it allows me to focus on the main areas (people, practices, tools) and/or their intersections (culture and community, operations and governance, craft).

Regardless, there are two additional areas in which I will always invest a great deal: Partnerships and Strategy.

This model can combine multiple focus areas, like the example below. It all depends on the org, my mandate, and my goals.

  • Strategic Leadership
  • UX Strategy
  • Organizational Alignment
  • Collaboration and Cross-functional Alignment
  • Talent Management
  • Continuous Improvement and Innovation
  • Design Standards and Guidelines
  • Metrics and Analytics
  • User Research and Insights
  • User Advocacy and Customer Centricity
  • Etc.

Ethos

What guides my attitude in the workplace

  • Responsibility & Accountability
    Take ownership of work & be accountable for failures and successes
  • Do what is right, not what is easy
    No matter what it takes or how long it takes
  • Lead by example
    Show, don't tell
  • Be better than yesterday
    Learn something every day
  • The whole is greater than the sum of its parts
  • Get sh*t done, right!
    Bias for action

Pathos: Principles

What guides my work

  • Thoughtful
  • Purposeful
  • Respectful
  • Empowering
  • Inclusive
  • Transparent

Logos: Process & Methodology

My goal is efficiency. I'll start on pen and paper and move to digital when it makes sense.
Similar to fidelity, I start with the lowest level of fidelity and work my way up as required.

I practice User-Centered, Data-Informed Design. Robust UX Research activities that allow me to immerse myself in the users’ experience is how I typically start projects.
Design Thinking, Double Diamond, Design Sprints, JTBD, and Lean UX are the most common methodologies I use and I'll pick the one more suitable for each project.
I will also frequently combine different aspects from several methodologies to better suit the project's needs.

I rely heavily on data collected throughout the process to inform my design decisions. Without data, we're just guessing.

Drivers & Motivations

Learning and self-improvement

My main career driver has always been learning. I've pursued career opportunities based on what I could learn from that role and the team I'd work with.

Advocacy

Some years ago, after seeing many organizations fail because they were still building digital products like in the 90s, I decided to help organizations change how they work by evangelising design empirical evidence.

Passion

I came to this area because I was deeply passionate about it and the opportunities ahead. That has always stayed the same.

Personal projects and causes

A little bit about what I'm passionate about