Elevating UX Maturity and Growing the Design Team
Role: Head of UX
Company: AND Digital, Club Dekker -110
Duration: 2021-2024
Team Size: 10
Executive Summary
As Head of UX at AND Digital, I led the transformation of the User Experience practice within my Club (Dekker). Starting with a team of 6 designers, I focused on enhancing UX capabilities, implementing robust operational structures, defining a clear vision and mission, while fostering a collaborative culture.
Key achievements include establishing a formal competency framework, launching structured upskilling programs, improving team processes and morale, and strategically growing the team's capacity and influence.
The Challenge
Several opportunities for growth and structure
Small team, stretched resources
The existing team was talented but small, often stretched thin across multiple client projects.
Undefined capability framework
No dedicated design competency framework to guide individual growth and team upskilling.
Limited strategic vision & direction
Lack of a clearly defined, shared vision for the design initiative within the unit.
Low internal engagement/visibility
Opportunities existed to increase team engagement, visibility of UX work, and involvement in strategic conversations.
Inconsistent processes & quality
Need for more structured design review sessions, methodologies, and ways to maintain quality consistently.
Gaps in senior capability
A noted gap in senior capability impacting the team's ability to lead complex projects and mentor junior members.
My approach was multi-faceted
Building a Strong team foundation
Creating a supportive, engaging, and fun environment.
Establishing robust operations & processes:
Implementing clear workflows, communication channels, and feedback loops.
Developing capability & defining excellence
Formalising upskilling, introducing competency frameworks, and setting quality standards.
Defining vision & strategy
Articulating the team's purpose and roadmap.
Key Initiatives & Actions
Based on team retrospectives and strategic planning, I implemented several key initiatives
Team building & morale
Instituted quarterly UX & Product offsites
Organised monthly social activities and regular team meetups.
Encouraged conference attendance (individual/group).
Fostered cross-club collaboration and relationship building.
Operating model & process improvement
Established Weekly Design Roundtables for sharing work, critique, and progress updates.
Implemented structured Bi-weekly 1:1s focused on individual well-being, support, and guidance.
Launched a Quarterly Dekker Share to showcase project work and learnings.
Introduced Client Roll-off Debriefs for formal knowledge sharing.
Utilised regular Team Retrospectives (Slide 13, 14) and planning documents (Slide 12) for continuous improvement.
Capability, upskilling & excellence
Defined Vision & Mission
Articulated a clear vision ("consistently deliver delightful experiences") and mission ("fostering a 'caring team playground' for continuous growth").Launched Design Guild
Created a safe space for learning, exploring new topics (VR, Web3), discussing problems, sharing practices, presentation practice (Auditorium Talks), and peer feedback.Formalised Team Upskilling
Identified role preferences, created design-related courses (Design 101), supported knowledge sharing (Product Toolbox), budgeted for external training, and encouraged cross-club collaboration.Implemented Competency Framework
Rolled out the "AND UX & Design Competency Framework" (Magic 7) defining skills across levels (Limited to Expert) in Research, Optimisation, Interaction Design, UI/Visual, IA, Prototyping, and UX Strategy. This addressed a key identified gap.Introduced UX Metrics Framework
Implemented frameworks (like QXscore) to measure design success based on Happiness, Engagement, Adoption, Retention, and Task Success, linking design work to tangible outcomes.
(Consider inserting the Competency Framework graphic or QXscore diagram here)
Strategic Planning & Growth:
Developed UX Roadmap
Created and maintained a roadmap outlining key initiatives across Team Capability, Operations, Upskilling, Projects, and Team Activities throughout the year.Team Growth & Structure
Managed team composition, addressed capability gaps through strategic hiring (e.g., onboarding Ray Mierau, Suhina Agarwal), and planned for future growth.
Results & Impact
These focused efforts resulted in significant positive changes for the UX team and its role within AND Digital
Elevated UX Maturity: Established clear processes, a shared vision, standardized frameworks (Competency, Metrics), and a culture of continuous improvement.
Strengthened Team Capability: Improved skills and knowledge through structured upskilling, guild activities, and clearer career pathways via the competency framework.
Enhanced Team Cohesion & Morale: Increased engagement and collaboration through regular team building, open communication (1:1s, retros), and shared learning experiences.
Improved Operational Efficiency: Streamlined workflows and feedback loops with regular check-ins, reviews, and showcases.
Increased Visibility & Influence: Raised the profile of UX within the club through showcases, debriefs, and a more strategic operational rhythm.
Strategic Team Growth: Successfully grew and developed the team, onboarding new talent to increase capacity and address skill gaps.
Hosted UX Off-site Tate Modern
OBJECTIVE: Company-wide event to raise the level of UX in a fun an engaging way.
WHY: get an understanding of the laws of UX and how it is applied in everyday instances
How: the group, mainly product and UX folk, were divided into 3x groups. The session lasted 2-hours, with a pub debriefing afterwards.
The task: All three teams were added to their respectful “Slack-Teams”. You had 2-hours to walk around the TATE and identify a use of any of the laws of UX