Leading UX Design with Purpose
I’ve spent more than 20 years working in user experience as both a designer and a design leader. Over that time, I’ve learned that strong UX teams do more than produce polished interfaces. They help define direction, bring clarity to complex problems, and deliver experiences that create measurable value for both users and the business.
My approach to leadership is shaped not just by perspective, but by how I’ve built teams, introduced new ways of working, and driven outcomes in complex, regulated environments.
Leadership in Practice
Most recently led a 6-person UX and development team focused on Medicare eCommerce experiences at UnitedHealthcare
Maintained #1 competitive usability ranking (2023–2025) for Medicare shopping experiences
Embedded AI-driven decision support into plan shopping experiences, increasing conversion and reducing telesales handling time by 63%
Established a UX intake and project definition framework to align Product, UX, and Engineering on shared objectives and outcomes
Built scalable design system components supporting end-to-end shopping, provider search, and enrollment experiences
Partnered closely with Product and Engineering leadership to influence roadmap direction and delivery strategy
Design shapes direction, not just output
Design works best when it operates as a peer to Product and Engineering, not as a downstream service. The strongest teams help define problems, influence priorities, and take ownership of meaningful parts of the experience.
At UnitedHealthcare, I partnered closely with Product and Engineering leadership to move UX earlier into the product lifecycle. By embedding research, data, and experimentation into decision making, we were able to influence roadmap direction and improve overall experience quality, contributing to maintaining a #1 usability ranking in a highly competitive Medicare market.
I organize teams around user-centered problem spaces and ensure designers are deeply integrated with cross-functional partners. When design helps shape direction, products become more coherent, useful, and effective.
Hands-on by design
The most effective design leaders stay connected to the work, not out of necessity, but by intent.
I actively contribute to shaping flows, interactions, and experience details alongside my team. This helps accelerate decision making, raise the quality bar, and provide more relevant, context-aware feedback.
It also builds alignment. When leaders are engaged in the work, teams develop a shared understanding of what strong solutions look like, and trust forms more naturally.
AI as part of modern UX
AI is reshaping both how products behave and how teams create them. I focus on integrating AI into experiences in ways that are useful, intuitive, and trustworthy.
In practice, this has meant embedding AI-driven decision support directly into product experiences, helping users navigate complex choices with greater confidence. Within Medicare shopping, this contributed to improved conversion while significantly reducing reliance on agent-assisted channels.
I also use AI within the design process itself to accelerate exploration, surface insights, and expand what teams can create. The opportunity is not just to use AI, but to design how it shows up responsibly and meaningfully for users.
Craft is what makes it work
Strong outcomes come from structured thinking paired with creativity.
I care deeply about craft, from interaction patterns and visual systems to clarity, accessibility, and the small details that shape how a product feels. At scale, these details are not cosmetic. They directly influence usability, trust, and engagement.
Whether building new experiences or evolving existing ones, I focus on creating systems that are both elegant and practical, enabling teams to deliver consistent, high-quality work over time.
Clear process creates better outcomes
Better outcomes start with better definition.
I introduced a UX intake and project definition framework while at UnitedHealthcare to align Product, UX, and Engineering before execution begins. This included clearly defining user problems, business goals, success metrics, and expected deliverables upfront.
This shift reduced ambiguity, improved prioritization, and created a shared understanding of what success looks like. When teams align early, work moves faster and decisions become more focused and effective
Leadership that enables teams
My role as a design leader is to create the conditions where great work can happen consistently.
That means building strong teams, establishing clear processes, and developing shared judgment so designers can operate with confidence and autonomy. I focus on creating an environment where collaboration, critique, and continuous learning elevate both the work and the people doing it.
When teams are aligned around user needs and business outcomes, and supported with the right structure and trust, they deliver better results.
Methods and Tools
These methods have been applied across large-scale, regulated environments, including Medicare shopping and enrollment experiences, where clarity, accuracy, and usability directly impact both user outcomes and business performance.
I use a structured but flexible approach to guide teams from problem definition through delivery, combining research, design, and cross-functional collaboration. The goal is to create clarity early, align teams quickly, and move work forward with confidence.
Methods
End-to-end journey mapping and drop-off analysis to identify friction in complex workflows
UX intake and project definition frameworks to align Product, UX, and Engineering on shared objectives, success metrics, and deliverables
Rapid prototyping and iterative testing to validate ideas early and reduce downstream risk
Embedded research and data analysis to inform decisions and prioritize opportunities
Design systems and reusable patterns to support consistency, scalability, and accessibility across experiences
Tools
Figma for end-to-end design, prototyping, and design system development
Figjam and Miro for workshops, journey mapping, and cross-functional collaboration
Analytics and experimentation platforms to understand behavior, measure impact, and guide iteration
AI-assisted tools to accelerate exploration, support decision-making, and expand design possibilities