The evolution and scale of design impact through systems thinking and collaborative execution with partners throughout the business. Culminating in the creation of the Copperleaf Design System.
Increase efficiency and design/technical excellence in product development, design, and product management
Redesign Copperleaf Product Suite to optimize value of Copperleaf's products through consistency in experience for our clients while reducing technical and design debt
Enhance overall product perception for new and intermittent users, measured by SUS/TAM scores
Exceed industry averages (SUS/TAM) to deliver fantastic user experience
Outcome
How I crafted and executed a collaborative vision
Technical excellence: Recognizing the need to reduce technical debt, I positioned the design system as pathway for elevating a culture of technical excellence. This approach motivated the development organization to sunset the various existing frontend technologies creating a path for the design system.
Client-focus: I leveraged the positive feedback from the new product offerings as lever to increase the valuation of a product redesign.
Value obsessed delivery: Prioritizing new components and supporting infrastructure within the design system team we were able to ensure the successful, iterative delivery of the redesign over 8 major product releases delivered by 3 pods and 8 cross functional teams.
Strategic Outcomes
Velocity improvement vastly across all job families, resulting in significant time savings and enabling employees to focus on more productive and high-value tasks
Achieved consistency and high quality in product experiences for both internal teams and clients
Decreased time on task and increased success rates throughout the product, leading to improved efficiency and user satisfaction
Average SUS score increase from 50 → 74
Average TAM score increase from 57 → 76
Impact
Incorporated user experience valuation into the evaluation of roadmap-level initiatives, highlighting the importance of research in driving value.
Placed emphasis on user experience by leveraging design and development levers, fostering a product culture that prioritized user needs.
Transformed the Design System into a key contributor to the overall success of the business, establishing a pathway for technical excellence.
Enhanced systems thinking through cross-pod and team collaboration during the discovery, design, and delivery phases.
Leadership Impact
Cultivated a culture of innovation and thought leadership through the design system and subsequent product redesign at Copperleaf.
Recognized for outstanding contributions, leading to a promotion for the designer who spearheaded the initiative in 2023.
Created a new role for a Design Operations lead to transition to Product Management, aligning with their career goals and maximizing their impact.
Elevated the team lead for the Design System to the role of frontend architect for the entire organization, underscoring the strategic value and significance of the Design System.
