Led team growth from 5 to 12 designers
Design leadership and team scaling at fast-growing fintech startup, focusing on comprehensive client research and design system implementation
Challenge
Rapidly scaling fintech startup needed design leadership to grow the team, establish processes, and conduct foundational client research while maintaining design quality and team culture.
Solution
Led strategic hiring, established design systems and processes, conducted comprehensive client research studies, and mentored designers while delivering key client experience improvements.
Impact
140% team growth with maintained quality standards, comprehensive research program launched, and design system foundation established for continued scaling.
Leadership Highlights
Team Scaling & Hiring
Strategic approach to growing the design team while maintaining culture and quality.
- Grew design team from 5 to 12 designers (140% growth)
- Developed hiring criteria and interview process for design roles
- Created onboarding program for new design team members
- Established mentorship programs and career development paths
Client Research Program
Led Altruist's first comprehensive client research study to understand user needs.
- Designed and conducted comprehensive client research studies
- Established research methodology and best practices
- Created systems for ongoing user feedback collection
- Translated research insights into actionable product improvements
Design Systems & Process
Established scalable design foundations and team processes.
- Built design system foundations for consistent user experience
- Implemented design review processes and quality standards
- Created documentation and guidelines for design decisions
- Established cross-functional collaboration frameworks
Leadership Impact
Team & Process Metrics
Leadership Learnings
- Scaling teams requires intentional culture preservation
- Research programs need executive buy-in and clear ROI
- Design systems work best when built collaboratively
- Process documentation enables autonomous team growth
Confidential Work
This case study represents ongoing work at Altruist. Specific details, research findings, and design artifacts are confidential. I'm happy to discuss this work and share additional context in a conversation.
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