RECENT WORK / ROLE FOCUS
Transformed Defense Software Development Through Product Design Leadership
I worked within a high-impact Defense Innovation Unit within the Department of Defense, functioning much like a startup within the military, the unit focused on accelerating mission outcomes through agile software development, rapid prototyping, and user-centered design.
Challenge
Overcoming archaic software development practices characterized by heavy upfront requirements and little user feedback within a complex, highly regulated military environment which lead to high cost, high risk and low user satisfaction.
Solution
Teach active duty Soldiers within the Department of Defense cross-disciplinary collaboration, defined clear career growth and success criteria, and delivered targeted training and mentorship.
Impact
This approach accelerated skill development, improved product outcomes, and empowered Soldiers to lead mission-driven design initiatives when building software products.
Teaching the Defense Innovation Unit How to Build Together
The U.S. Military hired our company to help teach a collaborative process to The Defense Innovation Unit where product management, design, and engineering each contribute equally to building products that users rely on and that deliver real business value. Each discipline values and advocates for the others, keeps the team aligned, and integrates other stakeholders and partners whose expertise is essential to shared success.
Software Practices Leadership Team
As the Product Design Practice Lead on the Software Practices Leadership Team, I collaborated with my fellow discipline leads to empower Soldiers in design, product management, and engineering roles in a complex, highly regulated environment. Our team looked like this:
Director of Software Practices (also serves on larger leadership team)
Chief Software Practices Officer
Product Design Leads (2)
Product Manager Leads (2)
Software Engineer Leads (2)
Platform Engineer Leads (3)
Outcomes and Collaboration
Built communities of practice
Defined clear career milestones and growth evaluation standards for Soldiers
Tracked product delivery performance using DORA metrics
Aligned on best practices for software development
Designed an autonomous and aligned way to prioritize work across our team
Facilitated 78 promotional interviews in 2 years and helped to graduated 64 Soldiers
Explore vs. Decide Process
As head of a 25-person Product Design Practice, I introduced a lean, user-centered design process that enabled teams to consistently define the right problems and craft effective solutions. I also developed tools and frameworks that empowered design leads to teach and scale this process within their own teams.
ROLE FOCUS: Practice lead
Building a Measurable Design Culture
I led product and design education and systems work that helped Soldier Product Designers build user-centered, accessible products in a complex mission environment.
PRACTICE LEAD: SELECT INITIATIVES
Accelerated User Validation Through Embedded Discovery Practices
Led collaborative product discovery practices as Product Design Lead, embedding in teams to model lean user research and cross-functional design. Introduced practices like engineers in user interviews, research insight sessions, and stakeholder-aligned design critiques.
Impact: Over 6 months, teams began user testing 68% earlier (week 3 vs. week 9–10), enabling faster validation; measured through product review timelines.
Cut Ramp-Up Time by 67% for Mission-Critical Product Teams
Designed, facilitated, and led execution of onboarding curriculum for new product designers, addressing key skill gaps and accelerating readiness for mission-critical product teams. The focus was low-fidelity wireframes, early iteration testing, and Figma proficiency. Shortened the program from 3 weeks to 7 days based on learner feedback, emphasizing real user interaction and faster team integration.
Impact: Over 6 months, tracked increased independence across 3–4 designers who began leading user interviews earlier, measured through team feedback and pairing observations.
Reduced Audit Issues by 40% to Drive Inclusive, Compliant Products
Driving accessibility to deliver inclusive, compliant products, improving product usability for all users, expanding the potential user base, and reducing legal risk—ultimately delivering more inclusive and effective solutions.
Impact: Over 3 months, reduced accessibility issues in audits by 40%, measured through QA reporting and automated tooling.
Turned Peer Feedback into Scalable Skill Development
Developed design practice through community engagement, using pairing sessions and feedback to identify skill gaps, then translating insights into updated training and weekly lessons.
Impact: Resulted in a 30% increase in self-reported design confidence, measured via internal surveys and participation metrics.
project challenges
Adjusting onboarding curriculum as new product designers arrived after a separate 6-month bootcamp
Determining which industry-standard product design skills were essential versus nice-to-have in this context
Navigating military bureaucracy while promoting team autonomy and user-centered thinking
Balancing the craft of design with practical mission-driven priorities
reflection
I stepped into this role in 2022, joining a highly autonomous practice leadership team of software engineers, product managers, and product leaders — many with VP or CTO experience.
This role was experimental and unique because I operated as a consultant embedded within a military product organization, requiring:
Close alignment with military mission goals
Building strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, including product teams, leadership, and consultants
Defining what success looks like for product designers in a military context (balancing craft, design systems, autonomy, and user research techniques)
Advocating for autonomy in a top-down bureaucratic environment
Teaching designers to ask open-ended questions instead of simply asking users what they want