CLIENT: BCBSMA
Role: Enterprise Director of UX, UI, and Accessibility | Team Lead
Defined a UX team charter that catalyzed a philosophy of designing in collaboration with our partners for an optimized workflow that not only was efficient, but also improved CSAT scores and set the design org roadmap and by contributing to company-wide OKRs.
THE CHALLENGE
Amount of work required of the UX team (and overall design organization at Blue Cross MA) was unsustainable and the career paths for my team were unclear.
Resource constraints
There were not enough UX designers to keep up with the demands of BCBSMA's consumer base, which was increasingly shifting towards digital experiences.
Limited budget
When a top company initiative required even more app UX designers, I saw my UX design team being stretched thinner than ever. Yet in a year impacted by COVID, it was not feasible for me to hire in order to close the resource gap.
The results
Optimized and expanded team skill-set
By up-skilling the current team and diversifying specialties, we were able to more efficiently work through multiple projects with a collaborative approach. The success of the approach created increased investment in the team’s physical growth too by over 3x the original count.
Increased budget and optimized timelines
By redefining UX’s value to the organization, we were able to achieve more with our cross-functional partners and increase knowledge sharing so that more folks were empowered to ork cohesively to launch successful digital experiences.
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Details of the outcomes to redefining roles & responsibilities in the UX team, managing capacity and UX debt in the enterprise tracking system (Jira), up-skilling the team to meet gaps in business, and providing continuous value throughout the enterprise.
Defining Roles & Responsibilities
At BCBSMA, I managed the user experience design team including individual contributors and managers up to the Sr. Manager level, leading the design of in-market and new products that spanned 8+ digital channels - including native iOS and Android apps, responsive websites, emails, and live chat and chatbots.
UX Team Charter for Executive Leadership
Managing capacity & UX Debt
Upon my arrival at the company, I noticed that the amount of work required of the design org reporting up to me was unsustainable and projects were only tracked at the development stage. In an effort to decrease the pressure on design and change the org from reactive to proactive, I implemented a capacity management system to track UX effort on projects and manage incoming requests using the enterprise’s existing Jira platform. The dashboard showcased the team’s effort and value per project and to the enterprise as a whole, and presented opportunities for growth when urgent new projects came in.
Up-leveling a talented design org
When first joining BCBSMA, the career growth paths for my org were unclear. Fueled by the desire to take care of our talented, smart, and passionate people - who were critical to defining and building our flagship products - I tripled the size of my design org within my first six months. I ensured my org included proper staffing across UX, visual, and product design, consumer research, testing, design systems, and accessibility.
I collaborated with individuals to create well-defined career paths for the design org, and promoted multiple team members to more senior and management positions within the course of 6+ months.
Snapshot from the UX team’s virtual weekly meeting
Increasing visibility
I partnered with executive peers across the company to drive visibility for my design org's work and contributions, and to model standards for diversity, equity, and inclusion. This catalyzed a sense of mission, purpose, and belonging for my org, which grew its capacity by 3x+ during my tenure.
Learnings
Reflecting on my work and the overall team operations to leverage insights into future projects:
I can develop a diverse team of people and skills that consistently exceeded expectations of the enterprise
Enhance team trust, motivation, satisfaction, and productivity
Define skills gaps and a culture of learning and excitement to upskill
Avoid costs of hiring new staff
Gain competitive edge in the market with a highly-trained team.
Attract executive leadership attention to improve the types of projects the team was able to influence