UX process
designing with purpose

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To solve real problems, I start by truly understanding them—and that means empathy, not just mockups. UX is a shared process, and my role is as much about enabling collaboration and spreading that mindset as it is about designing solutions.

  • Brought teams into ideation to align around user needs
  • Used UX tools to support cross-functional collaboration
  • Advocated for user-centred thinking across the org
  • Helped teams see themselves as problem-solvers, not just executors

"Design is really an act of communication, which means having a deep understanding of the person with whom the designer is communicating." Don Norman.

To solve a problem effectively, I first need to understand it. Communication and empathy are essential for uncovering users’ problems, needs and desires. It's often said that a designer's role revolves around delivering mockups, prototypes, and assets. However, UX is much more than just deliverables, it’s a process. A key part of my role involves introducing and developing UX tools that support collaboration across cross-functional teams. Solving user problems is a shared responsibility, but teams can only contribute meaningfully if they really understand the users they’re designing for.

In my experience, involving a mix of disciplines in brainstorming and ideation sessions brings clarity, alignment, and a shared sense of purpose to the team. This approach helps engineers, data analysts, and product managers feel they are not simply part of a feature factory, but active contributors to problem-solving. Their perspectives enrich the design process by adding valuable insights around feasibility, metrics, and timelines, critical elements for me to create and deliver robust and effective solutions.

As a UX Lead, my role goes beyond applying UX processes to solve problems; it also evangelising UX across the organisation. From capturing user feedback to demonstrating the ROI of UX for product teams, my aim is to place users at the heart of digital product development. When everyone involved can truly empathise with the audience, it becomes a game changer for building meaningful, user-centered solutions.

Tag cloud

ux process leadership empathy design thinking ux strategy user-centered cross-functional ideation brainstorming product design experimentation testing idea bank user problem repository

Ideation workshop / Sketches of a potential solution / Solution implemented in production

Ideation workshops, collaborative brainstorms

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Ideation is my favourite part of the process—it’s where insights turn into real solutions. I love bringing teams together to co-create, and one of my favourite examples is a feature we built to reduce ghosting in chat.

  • Ran cross-functional workshops to tackle ghosting with data-driven ideas
  • Co-created “Thor,” a feature that nudged users to close unfinished chats
  • Successfully tested and launched it, with other markets adopting the solution

Ideation is my favourite stage of the design process. Once I’ve gathered sufficient insights into the problem space, I organise cross-functional workshops to begin exploring potential solutions. To find out more about my experience with workshops you can visit the next use case, UX research

Thor: From Idea to Feature. In collaboration with my Italian colleagues, we wanted to tackle one of the most significant user challenges in their marketplace: ghosting in the chat. Buyers were frustrated when their messages to sellers did not receive a reply. On the other hand, sellers found it overwhelming to manage multiple conversations about a single item, particularly without the tools to filter out less relevant conversations, often leading them to ignore messages altogether.

After a couple of days of collaborative brainstorming, guided by both quantitative and qualitative data, we developed a solution code-named Thor. The concept was to identify conversations lacking closure and notify both buyers and sellers, prompting them to respond to these ‘unfinished’ chats. We designed the experiment (Proof of concept if you like), defined success metrics, mapped user flows, and aligned on implementation. The experiment proved successful, and we quickly productised Thor as part of our chat solution. Following this success, other marketplaces began adopting the feature, tailoring it to their own specific use cases.

Article about a workshop / Website to help designers to better communicate with engineers / The ROI of UX and other articles

Evangelising UX, articles, nuggets...

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A big part of my role has been championing what UX really means—beyond just making things look nice. I’ve worked hard to show teams the true value of user-centred design and how it helps solve real problems.

  • Promoted UX through workshops, tools, feedback, and storytelling
  • Highlighted UX’s impact beyond visuals—focusing on real outcomes

A significant part of my role has also involved evangelising UX. UX design is often misunderstood as simply making a website or app look attractive. It’s crucial to communicate the real value that the UX process brings to cross-functional teams. Whether through future-focused workshops, articles, websites (see example below), UX tools, UX ROI, user feedback nuggets, or newsletters, I’ve worked to highlight the broader impact of user-centred design.

It’s been a journey, but a rewarding one, showcasing that designers aren’t just here to create beautiful interfaces, but to solve real, meaningful problems.

*Site I designed and coded to provide tips to UXers when working with engineers UXengineers project demo

Idea bank

Idea bank / User problem repository

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Part of good UX is giving teams the right tools—ones that work no matter the tech or setup. From idea banks to user problem repositories, these resources help teams stay focused on what really matters: solving the right problems.

  • Created tools like idea banks and user problem repos
  • Used ICE scoring to help teams prioritise ideas
  • Helped teams act on real user feedback, faster and smarter

As mentioned earlier, an important part of the UX process is equipping teams with tools that work independently of any specific technology or setup. This can take various forms, such as an opportunity-solution tree, solution canvas, user personas… One great example is an idea bank, a repository of problem spaces and potential solutions. In the example shown here, we combined the repository with ICE scoring to help prioritise ideas and solutions effectively.

Another invaluable tool has been a user problem repository, typically maintained by UX researchers. This kind of resource enables teams to access direct raw user feedback on specific topics. Tools like these empower designers and product owners to assess the scale of user problems, making it easier to prioritise them quickly and efficiently.

Workshops

UX strategy

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The tech world moves fast, and priorities are always shifting—so having a clear UX strategy is key. It helps me stay focused, adapt to constraints, and make sure we’re always balancing user needs with business goals.

  • Used tailored UX strategies to adapt to changing contexts
  • Balanced limited resources with smart planning and alignment

The tech industry is constantly evolving, whether due to new trends, shifts in company strategy, changes in the market, or the emergence of new devices and technologies. As we navigate these changes and adjust our priorities, frameworks can be incredibly useful. However, without a solid strategy, it can be challenging to know when and how to apply them effectively.

UX strategy has helped me identify the most effective approach for each project. In some cases, time for research or testing may be limited. A well-defined strategy, tailored to the resources available, enables me to optimise time, coordinate effectively with colleagues and teams, and ensure alignment between business objectives and user needs.