748.17 (0.79%) on May 15, 09:38 AM
Growing a Design Team
From just me to we!
When I joined Iterable, design did not have a presence and the product was primarily led by Engineering, CS, and Sales. As the first Product Designer, I had the opportunity to influence what "design" could mean within the organization.
Context
During my time, I helped transform the design function into a trusted partnership on product development and the customer experience. We have a super supportive team culture that I'm proud of!
Starting point- No formal process and product decisions were often made without prior design input.
- Needed to modernize product UX while simultaneously building design culture and credibility.
- No career ladder or clear paths for designers.
Building the design culture
As the first Product Designer at Iterable, I was primarily responsible for doing the work, while being active in growing both the Product and Design teams.
- Recruited and hired the first cohort of Product and Brand Designers.
- Advocated for design's seat at the strategic table early on with CEO and VP of Engineering, and continued working closely with leadership throughout the years.
- Built strong partnerships with Product, Engineers, Customer Success, Solution Architects, Product Marketing, and customers.
- Helped ease the transition from in-person single office work culture to a fully remote and globally distributed one.
Mentorship and career development
- Mentored designers on product thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and career growth.
- Paired closely with both junior and mid-level Product Designers and Frontend Engineers to uplevel their crafts.
- Helped structure the first career ladder at Iterable (early IC → Principal).
- Led design workshops with a variety of teammates across the org, shaping strategies and features while building trust with and having fun.
Teammates' quotes from my quarterly reviews :)
Highlights and impact
- UX maturity at Iterable is now at least at Stage 5 and marching to a solid Stage 6!
- In 2025, we're a 15+ person Product Design team, with dedicated Technical Writers, Researchers, and Designers.
- Much clearer career paths and mentorship opportunities established, growing junior designers into senior contributors.
- I'm especially thankful for the two other sides of my Product Design "Triangle"—y'all know who you are! Once we had 3 designers, we were able to gather momentum in all the different facets of building an organization and a product.