Collette Health, 2023
The challenge
When I joined Collette Health, there was no established UX function or formal design process. Engineering had some existing practices, but the organization needed a more structured way to integrate user experience, customer feedback, subject-matter expertise, and stakeholder input into product development.
My contribution
I designed and formalized a three-phase product development framework:
Brainstorming: Define ideas, user stories, high-level requirements, and opportunities, with UX and SME input.
Charter & Sign-off: Refine requirements, acceptance criteria, and designs through stakeholder review, SME consultation, and user validation.
Coding & Testing: Connect approved requirements and designs to engineering, QA, release, and post-release observation and refinement.
I designed the framework and secured buy-in from the CPO and VP of Engineering. It became a formal part of the Product Organization's process, and the three phases became familiar across the company. Individual steps varied according to project needs, but the framework established a shared structure for how product work progressed.
The leadership impact
This was a shift from advocating for UX on individual projects to shaping how the organization approached product development. I embedded customer and user perspectives into the operating process and aligned Product and Engineering leaders around a common framework.
It demonstrated my ability to influence organizational practices through hands-on expertise, systems thinking, and cross-functional leadership—not just through formal reporting authority.
