0-1 Product
NONPROFIT
DIRECTOR OF UX
9 MEMBER TEAM
“Credibility, for our users, didn't mean good design. It meant a mother no longer spending hours searching for help and hitting walls.”
“Credibility, for our users, didn't mean good design. It meant a mother no longer spending hours searching for help and hitting walls.”
For the mother who needs an answer at 11pm.
For the mother who needs an answer at 11pm.
For the mother who needs an answer at 11pm.
I am building the design function from the ground up, recruiting a team, leading the research, navigating a pivot, and laying the foundation for a launch mothers can actually believe in.
I am building the design function from the ground up, recruiting a team, leading the research, navigating a pivot, and laying the foundation for a launch mothers can actually believe in.
I am building the design function from the ground up, recruiting a team, leading the research, navigating a pivot, and laying the foundation for a launch mothers can actually believe in.
500+
500+
500+
research participants
research participants
Pre-launch
Pre-launch
Pre-launch
beta — San Diego
beta — San Diego
6
6
6
research themes
research themes
Status
Active development · Pre-launch
Active development · Pre-launch
Role
Director of UX
Director of UX
Organization
Connecting Mothers Initiative · Nonprofit
Connecting Mothers Initiative · Nonprofit
Team
9 volunteers · Researchers and Designers
9 volunteers · Researchers and Designers
My time here
Product Intern --> Manager --> Director of UX
Product Intern --> Manager --> Director of UX
Chapter 01 · The organization & the gap — "before I arrived" vs "what I built"
BEFORE I ARRIVED
BEFORE I ARRIVED
No research process
No design system
No research process
No design system
Little audience understanding
Niche roadmap
Little audience understanding
Niche roadmap
WHAT I BUILT
WHAT I BUILT
Interview framework + synthesis methods
Research repository
Design direction rooted in the audience
A 9-person team that believed in the mission
Interview framework + synthesis methods
Research repository
Design direction rooted in the audience
A 9-person team that believed in the mission
Not because she hasn't been trying all day. Between work, childcare, and the mental load of keeping everything moving, it's 11pm and there's nowhere she fully trusts to go.
That's not a personal failure. That's a design gap.
That's not a personal failure. That's a design gap.
That's wasn't a personal failure. That's a design gap.
87%
of U.S. moms use Facebook daily; Over half engage daily on Instagram
75%
mothers report that curated influencer content led to social pressure and decreased parenting
2/3 encounter helpful content
2/3 encounter helpful content
2/3 encounter helpful content
but underneath that is a persistent concern about credibility, outdated advice, and whether what they're reading is actually for them or for someone trying to sell them something
but underneath that is a persistent concern about credibility, outdated advice, and whether what they're reading is actually for them or for someone trying to sell them something
Our journey maps made it visible. Maria, sleep deprived on her work break, scrolling through results unsure what to pick. Lisa, tired and frustrated, finds a resource — and ends the journey unsure what to do next.
Our journey maps made it visible. Maria, sleep deprived on her work break, scrolling through results unsure what to pick. Lisa, tired and frustrated, finds a resource, and ends the journey unsure what to do next.
Our journey maps made it visible. Maria, sleep deprived on her work break, scrolling through results unsure what to pick. Lisa, tired and frustrated, finds a resource — and ends the journey unsure what to do next.
During these stages, mothers expressed frustration.
During these stages, mothers expressed frustration.
During these stages, mothers expressed frustration.
That's what CMI set out to build. And that's what I was asked to lead.
That's what CMI set out to build. And that's what I was asked to lead.
Chapter 02 · Building the team
Before we could research anything, I needed people. Before I could lead anyone, I needed to find them.
Before we could research anything, I needed people. Before I could lead anyone, I needed to find them.
I didn't start as Director. I started as a product intern. Then a manager. Then Director of UX. I grew into this role inside the organization I was now leading.
I recruited nine volunteers through LinkedIn, not looking for polished portfolios but for design reasoning, passion for craft, and mission alignment. People early in their careers with potential. That was enough.
I didn't start as Director. I started as a product intern. Then a manager. Then Director of UX. I grew into this role inside the organization I was now leading.
I recruited nine volunteers through LinkedIn, not looking for polished portfolios but for design reasoning, passion for craft, and mission alignment. People early in their careers with potential. That was enough.
9
member team
4
researchers directed
researchers directed
5
designers directed
designers directed
8
Interns mentored
Interns mentored
Volunteer teams development
I ran workshops, teaching basics, getting hands on, giving real critique. The goal was never just to get the work done. It was to make sure everyone left CMI better at their craft than when they arrived. One intern told me they appreciated that I gave them real ownership. That's what I want my leadership to feel like.
The goal was never just to get the work done. It was to make sure everyone left CMI better at their craft than when they arrived.
I ran workshops, teaching basics, getting hands on, giving real critique. The goal was never just to get the work done. It was to make sure everyone left CMI better at their craft than when they arrived. One intern told me they appreciated that I gave them real ownership. That's what I want my leadership to feel like.
The goal was never just to get the work done. It was to make sure everyone left CMI better at their craft than when they arrived.
Leadership decision — hire for potential, lead for growth
Leadership decision — hire for potential, lead for growth
I hired for reasoning, passion, and mission fit, and invested in building the skills from there. That's not a constraint I worked around. It's a leadership philosophy I'd bring into any team I build.
I hired for reasoning, passion, and mission fit, and invested in building the skills from there. That's not a constraint I worked around. It's a leadership philosophy I'd bring into any team I build.
Elizabeth is CMI's founder, and technically a user of the platform we're building. She told me she trusts me. In a founder-led nonprofit, that means everything.
Elizabeth is CMI's founder, and technically a user of the platform we're building. She told me she trusts me. In a founder-led nonprofit, that means everything.
Elizabeth is CMI's founder, and technically a user of the platform we're building. She told me she trusts me. In a founder-led nonprofit, that means everything.
Chapter 03 · NAVIGATING UNCERTAINTY
Research started
Research started
Before anything got designed, we needed to understand who we were designing for. Not assumed. Not approximated. Actually understood.
Before anything got designed, we needed to understand who we were designing for. Not assumed. Not approximated. Actually understood.
500+
research participants respondents
30
secondary survey results
5
in-depth user interviews
Interviews for depth, surveys for scale, neither one alone would have been enough. The data pointed to six consistent themes: Features, Resources, Trust, Community, Ease of reading, Wellbeing.
Interviews for depth, surveys for scale, neither one alone would have been enough. The data pointed to six consistent themes: Features, Resources, Trust, Community, Ease of reading, Wellbeing.
Research decision — depth and breadth together
Research decision — depth and breadth together
The interviews gave us the human picture — the frustration, the exhaustion, the moments of distrust. The surveys confirmed it at scale. Both were necessary.
The interviews gave us the human picture — the frustration, the exhaustion, the moments of distrust. The surveys confirmed it at scale. Both were necessary.
The workshop that made it real
The workshop that made it real
We ran a thematic analysis workshop, one of our interns led it after reviewing the approach with me. Elizabeth was in the room alongside the PM and the team, working through the data together.
Elizabeth asked whether we'd used her mock interview materials in the research. We hadn't. These were real mothers. The fact that she couldn't tell the difference was the most important validation moment of the entire process.
We ran a thematic analysis workshop, one of our interns led it after reviewing the approach with me. Elizabeth was in the room alongside the PM and the team, working through the data together.
Elizabeth asked whether we'd used her mock interview materials in the research. We hadn't. These were real mothers. The fact that she couldn't tell the difference was the most important validation moment of the entire process.
Thematic analysis
Documented quotes from interview analysis
Leadership decision — research as organizational infrastructure
Leadership decision — research as organizational infrastructure
Research that only informs designers is only doing half its job. I'm building a living document and presentation that carries the findings to every team making decisions about mothers, social media, editorial, resource, maternal health, and the board.
Research that only informs designers is only doing half its job. I'm building a living document and presentation that carries the findings to every team making decisions about mothers, social media, editorial, resource, maternal health, and the board.
Chapter 04 · A surprising pivot
Pivoting
Halfway through research, Elizabeth came to me with a direction change. CMI would focus on military mothers specifically. Funding, impact measurement, demonstrable outcomes for a defined community.
My first response wasn't yes. It was questions.
What I found was that the pivot didn't undo the work. It focused it. The six themes still hold. Military mothers are not a different kind of user.
Halfway through research, Elizabeth came to me with a direction change. CMI would focus on military mothers specifically. Funding, impact measurement, demonstrable outcomes for a defined community.
My first response wasn't yes. It was questions.
What I found was that the pivot didn't undo the work. It focused it. The six themes still hold. Military mothers are not a different kind of user.
Mothers are mothers
Mothers are mothers
Mothers are mothers
High mobility. Frequent relocation. Deployed partners. Support networks disrupted and rebuilt repeatedly. Isolation not as an occasional experience but as a structural condition.
High mobility. Frequent relocation. Deployed partners. Support networks disrupted and rebuilt repeatedly. Isolation not as an occasional experience but as a structural condition.
Research and re-scope
Research and re-scope
Research and re-scope
I re-scoped the research focus, realigned the team, and kept us moving. What I did was not preventing the pivot, but absorbing it and redirecting without losing momentum.
I re-scoped the research focus, realigned the team, and kept us moving. What I did was not preventing the pivot, but absorbing it and redirecting without losing momentum.
“We know the themes. Now we learn how they show up in this community specifically.”
“We know the themes. Now we learn how they show up in this community specifically.”
Research decision — interrogate before you commit
Research decision — interrogate before you commit
I didn't accept it immediately and I didn't resist it. I asked what it meant for the work. The pivot held up. Understanding why made everything that followed better.
I didn't accept it immediately and I didn't resist it. I asked what it meant for the work. The pivot held up. Understanding why made everything that followed better.
The research didn't just validate the product direction. It grounded the entire team in what was real. These were some of the moments that stayed with us:
The research didn't just validate the product direction. It grounded the entire team in what was real. These were some of the moments that stayed with us:
design direction
Built for 11pm.
Built for 11pm.
Every decision filtered through: does this feel like something a tired, overwhelmed mother would trust at 11pm?
Every decision filtered through: does this feel like something a tired, overwhelmed mother would trust at 11pm?
Every decision filtered through: does this feel like something a tired, overwhelmed mother would trust at 11pm?
Chapter 05 · What I built — process + capability
Chapter 05 · What I built — process + capability
research process
The foundation we built
The product isn't launched yet. But what exists is real and worth showing.
The product isn't launched yet. But what exists is real and worth showing.
The product isn't launched yet. But what exists is real and worth showing.
design direction
The research foundation
Personas grounded in real situations. Journey maps showing exactly where mothers lost trust. Six themes with direct product direction. Shared ownership of findings across the whole team.
Personas grounded in real situations. Journey maps showing exactly where mothers lost trust. Six themes with direct product direction. Shared ownership of findings across the whole team.
Personas grounded in real situations. Journey maps showing exactly where mothers lost trust. Six themes with direct product direction. Shared ownership of findings across the whole team.
Research foundation
The launch
The first version of CMI has one job. Be the trusted resource hub for mothers in San Diego, home to one of the largest military bases in the United States.
Success isn't a large user count. It's a small number of mothers using the platform as intended, as a trusted resource, followed by a feedback form that helps us get it right.
Leadership decision — depth and breadth together
Leadership decision — depth and breadth together
San Diego is the right first market, not just operationally, but strategically. It works for military mothers in the most concentrated military community in the country, and everything that follows is credible.
San Diego is the right first market, not just operationally, but strategically. It works for military mothers in the most concentrated military community in the country, and everything that follows is credible.
We're building the place they've been looking for.
08 · Reflection
Reflection
I didn't expect to spend as much time building the team as building the product. You can't skip that part. I thought I was
joining to build a platform. I was actually joining to build the conditions that make one possible. And I didn't expect to understand pivots the way I do now, why they happen, what they mean inside an organization, how to sit with uncertainty without letting it destabilize the work.
But the thing that stayed with me most was a recording.
Listening back to the interviews I heard something I wasn't prepared for. Mothers talking about the absence of support. The absence of community. The quiet damage of not having anyone to call, nowhere trusted to go. Before this project I understood the problem intellectually. After those recordings I felt it. That changes how you design. It changes what you're willing to fight for.
We're building something these mothers have needed for a long time. I don't take that lightly.
I didn't expect to spend as much time building the team as building the product. You can't skip that part. I thought I was
joining to build a platform. I was actually joining to build the conditions that make one possible. And I didn't expect to understand pivots the way I do now, why they happen, what they mean inside an organization, how to sit with uncertainty without letting it destabilize the work.
But the thing that stayed with me most was a recording.
Listening back to the interviews I heard something I wasn't prepared for. Mothers talking about the absence of support. The absence of community. The quiet damage of not having anyone to call, nowhere trusted to go. Before this project I understood the problem intellectually. After those recordings I felt it. That changes how you design. It changes what you're willing to fight for.
We're building something these mothers have needed for a long time. I don't take that lightly.
10 · all works
work
DESIGN LEAD
•
ENTERPRISE
•
TEAM OF RESEARCH, PRODUCT AND DEVELOPMENT
JPMorgan Chase — Guest Management
Creating cross-functional rhythm on a 1M+ guest system.
90% satisfaction. Shared cadences where none existed.
1M+
GUESTS →
DIRECTOR OF UX
•
Team of 9
Connecting Mothers Initiative
Built a design function from scratch, leading a team of 9 to create a platform mothers could trust. Building 0 to 1.
9
MEMBER TEAM →
DESIGN LEAD
•
ENTERPRISE
•
FOUNDING DESIGNER
Ascend Cargo Systems
Physical security for 300K users, aligning firm compliance without fighting daily user experience.
1B+
First client valuation
10 · all works
other work
IMAGE
DIRECTOR OF UX
•
Team of 9
Connecting Mothers Initiative
Built a design function from scratch, leading a team of 9 to create a platform mothers could trust.
9
MEMBER TEAM →
DESIGN LEAD
•
ENTERPRISE
•
TEAM OF 15
JPMC — Guest Management
Creating cross-functional rhythm on a 1M+ guest system. 90% satisfaction. Shared cadences where none existed.
1M+
GUESTS →
10 · all works
other work
DIRECTOR OF UX
•
Team of 9
Connecting Mothers Initiative
Built a design function from scratch, leading a team of 9 to create a platform mothers could trust.
9
MEMBER TEAM →
DESIGN LEAD
•
ENTERPRISE
•
TEAM OF 15
JPMC — Guest Management
Creating cross-functional rhythm on a 1M+ guest system. 90% satisfaction. Shared cadences where none existed.
1M+
GUESTS →
10 · all works
work
DESIGN LEAD
•
ENTERPRISE
•
TEAM OF RESEARCH, PRODUCT AND DEVELOPMENT
JPMorgan Chase — Guest Management
Creating cross-functional rhythm on a 1M+ guest system.
90% satisfaction. Shared cadences where none existed.
1M+
GUESTS →
DIRECTOR OF UX
•
Team of 9
Connecting Mothers Initiative
Built a design function from scratch, leading a team of 9 to create a platform mothers could trust. Building 0 to 1.
9
MEMBER TEAM →
DESIGN LEAD
•
ENTERPRISE
•
FOUNDING DESIGNER
Ascend Cargo Systems
Creating a o to 1 system for complex logistics product that all work together and apart. A complex system built from scratch.
1B+
FIRST CLIENT VALUE
10 · all works
other work
DIRECTOR OF UX
•
Team of 9
Connecting Mothers Initiative
Built a design function from scratch, leading a team of 9 to create a platform mothers could trust.
9
MEMBER TEAM →
LEAD
•
ENTERPRISE
•
TEAM OF 15
JPMC — Guest Management
Creating cross-functional rhythm on a 1M+ guest system. 90% satisfaction. Shared cadences where none existed.
1M+
GUESTS →