Expanded the design team from 6 to 21 members, achieving a 15% sales conversion increase, a 20% reduction in prototyping errors, and successfully leading the integration of Konduto’s design team to unify standards and processes.
Company: Boa Vista SCPC | Equifax
Type of Project:
Design Team Restructuring and Organizational Transformation
Outcome / Output:
- Expanded the design team from 6 to 21 members.
- Achieved a 15% increase in sales conversion through redesigned customer journeys.
- Reduced prototyping and testing errors by 20%, enhancing delivery efficiency.
Duration:
July 2020 – April 2022 (2 years)
Role: Senior Design Manager
My focus was on restructuring the design department to address the company’s post-IPO digital transformation. Key responsibilities included:
- Restructuring the design team, adjusting roles and seniority levels to align with the needs of each product.
- Implementing discovery processes, aligning design with business objectives and strengthening its integration with product teams.
- Developing the existing team while expanding its size to meet growing demands.
- Leading the integration of Konduto’s design team, ensuring unified standards and processes across both teams.
- Educating the organization by promoting training sessions and internal events to foster a culture of strategic design.
Context:
Boa Vista, newly listed on the stock exchange, was undergoing a major digital transformation. The design team was small, lacked maturity, and operated without clear processes. The goal was to scale the team, implement strategic processes, and align design with the company’s business and innovation objectives.
Problem Statement:
How can we restructure and elevate the maturity of the design team in a publicly traded company while driving innovation and growth in B2B products?
Solution Delivered:
Restructured the Design Team:
Recruited talent to fill specific roles, balanced seniority levels, and expanded the team by 250%.
Implemented Continuous Discovery Processes:
Unified design and business priorities, ensuring more aligned deliveries with the company’s KPIs.
Integrated Konduto’s Design Team:
Following Boa Vista’s acquisition of Konduto, I assessed and assumed leadership of its design team, unifying standards and processes.
Promoted Design Culture:
Collaborated with marketing to host events and initiatives that spread awareness about strategic design both internally and externally.
Process and Methodology:
Business:
Defined growth and innovation strategies, aligning design with business goals and fostering integration with product and marketing teams.
People:
Scaled the design team from 6 to 21 members, implementing career development plans and continuous education initiatives to grow the team’s capabilities.
Processes:
Created and implemented a discovery process tailored to an agile Kanban methodology, focusing on continuous research and validation.
Communication:
Hosted events and workshops to educate the organization on the importance of strategic design, promoting collaboration and innovation.
Quality:
Established clear quality standards and success metrics to ensure consistent and impactful design deliveries.
Efficiency:
Improved team efficiency through the introduction of Design Ops and process optimizations, leading to faster and more reliable deliveries.
Key Learnings:
The restructuring of the design team was pivotal in boosting efficiency and embedding a culture of strategic design within Boa Vista. The successful integration of Konduto’s design team and the creation of clear discovery and research processes enabled more agile and market-aligned deliveries. These changes directly improved business outcomes, positioning design as a driver of innovation and growth.