Building the Foundations for Ethical, Efficient, High-Impact Design

scaling teams & systems

role: director of ux/product design

disciplines: team transformation, operating models, research infrastructure, organizational health

timeline: feburary 2024 - june 2024

Actions I Lead
Led multiple organization-wide initiatives to scale design and research operations, including co-authoring a Trauma-Informed Research Charter, implementing a Creative Operating Model adopted company-wide, migrating enterprise research platforms, and establishing cross-team UXR knowledge-sharing forums.
Leadership in Practice
Across these initiatives, I consistently: Advocated for team capacity and focus during periods of competing priorities. Protected quality while meeting critical deadlines. Designed systems that reduced burnout and increased clarity. Balanced organizational needs with empathy for the people doing the work
Results at a Glance
Established ethical research standards used across Healthline
Standardized creative workflows adopted org-wide
$131K annual savings through research platform optimization
Improved delivery speed, alignment, and team health
Increased visibility and impact of UX research
Why This Matters
These efforts weren’t about process for process’s sake. They were about building the conditions for great work to happen—consistently, ethically, and at scale.
This section reflects how I lead beyond individual products:  by designing systems, protecting teams, and enabling organizations to grow without losing their humanity.

As Healthline scaled, creative teams operated with inconsistent practices.

The Challenge //

problem

Workflows varied across disciplines, tools were fragmented and costly, and teams were stretched thin managing competing priorities.

The risk wasn’t just inefficiency—it was burnout, misalignment, ethical blind spots, and slower decision-making at scale.

solution

The opportunity was to build durable systems that protected people, accelerated delivery and elevated the quality and impact of wok across the organization.

Creating shared standards to enable autonomy
Balancing speed with care
Reducing friction between teams & stakeholders
Making research and design more visible, ethical, and sustainable

My leadership lens:

I focused on scaling how teams work, not just what they ship.

My Approach //

This resulted in a set of interconnected initiatives that strengthened Healthline’s creative and research foundations.

Key Initiatives

Creative Operating Model //

standardizing workflows without sacrificing craft

As teams grew, inconsistent workflows slowed delivery and created friction with Product Managers. I designed and implemented a Creative Operating Model that aligned Product Design, Content Design, and UXR around shared ways of working.

ACTIONS LEAD

Defined clear intake, prioritization, and delivery rhythms
Aligned creative workflows with product roadmaps
Created clarity around roles, handoffs, and expectations

IMPACT

Faster, more predictable delivery
Improved cross-functional alignment with Product
Model adopted across the broader Creative organization

Platform Migration & Cost Reduction //

modernizing tools while reducing spend

I led the end-to-end migration of Healthline’s research platform from UserTesting to dscout—balancing cost, capability, compliance, and team adoption.

ACTIONS LEAD

Conducted a cost-benefit analysis across 11 research platforms
Partnered with Procurement, Legal, Security, and vendors
Negotiated enterprise contracts
Led the migration of accounts, studies, and workflows
Ensured compliance and continuity with no disruption to research velocity

IMPACT

$131K annual cost savings
Expanded access to research tools across product and marketing teams
Faster, more data-informed decision-making
Simplified research operations at scale

Trauma-Informed Research Charter //

establishing human-centered research at scale

I partnered with UX Research and Consumer Insights to help create and implement a Trauma-Informed Research Charter—a shared framework for conducting ethical, safe research for both participants and researchers.

ACTIONS LEAD

Co-authored the charter in collaboration with researchers
Helped translate trauma-informed principles into practical guidance
Ensured the charter could be applied across conditions, studies, and teams

IMPACT

Delivered a lasting, organization-wide research standard
Elevated trust, safety, and care in participant engagement
Reinforced Healthline’s commitment to responsible health research

UXR Show, Tell & Share //

building visibility, connection, and research culture

To reduce silos and increase impact, I created and facilitated regular UXR Show & Tell sessions, giving researchers a forum to share work across teams.