Strategic Design Operations & Organizational Scaling
This project transformed a fragmented Community of Practice into the scalable S.T.A.R. UX framework. The systemic redesign delivered critical operational gains: reducing support action time by 75% (eliminating mandatory training calls) and boosting knowledge transfer by 300% through standardized curriculum.
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overview
redesigning the experience design community of practice
The Community of Practice (CoP) was fragmented, lacked a unified mission, and struggled with low engagement. This led to inconsistent knowledge transfer and diminished strategic value.
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Audience: Internal UX Designers, Researchers, Product Owners, Engineers, and anyone who collaborates with the Experience Design team.
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Goal: To revitalize the CoP by creating a clear, strategic framework to elevate knowledge transfer, standardize UX excellence, and increase the team's influence.
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Deliverable: A complete organizational and communication redesign of the CoP, including new training modules, centralized documentation, and recurring event programming.
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My Role: User Experience Design Specialist, Interaction-Design.
challenge
fragmented knowledge,
high friction cost, &
undefined organizational value
Initial whiteboarding sessions confirmed that the existing structure failed to scale design impact or propagate standards. Three key areas drove the redesign mandate:
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Inefficient Support Model: Designers were burdened by repetitive, low-value support queries. Fragmented resources meant the action time required for support tasks was extremely high (up to 40 hours).
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Siloed Knowledge Transfer: The lack of a defined structure meant knowledge sharing was erratic, hindering the ability to "Propagate UX standard & best practices across all UX & PO teams" and accelerate talent upskilling.
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Vague Strategic Mission: The CoP lacked clarity on its offerings ("What are we called?"), failing to position the UX team as strategic leaders in areas like emerging technologies ("Future of Design").
solution
restructuring for scale: the s.t.a.r. ux framework
The core solution was a systemic organizational redesign centered on the S.T.A.R. UX framework, built to drive efficiency and knowledge scale across the enterprise, as derived from the initial "Need vs. Wants" analysis.
A. Redesigning Advisory for Operational Efficiency
The support function (UX Assistance) was restructured into UX Advisory to save designer resources and empower collaborators.
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Shift to Consultancy: Moved from doing the work to a remote consultancy service focused on guiding the collaborator with tools and solutions.
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Purpose: To eliminate low-value, repetitive support, achieving the aim to make experiences as seamless and frictionless as possible.
B. Hierarchical Training Architecture
A tiered training system was created to address different audience needs (e.g., Career Explorers, UX Enthusiasts, Team Collaborators) and commitment levels:
C. Centralizing Engagement (Socializing & Research)
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Socializing (UX Social): Created a network of peers and leaders to encourage sharing, networking, and strengthening collaboration.
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Research (Future of Design): Established a platform to advance technological and disruptive trends (e.g., AI Video Generator), fostering a speculative mindset to explore design's future.
results &
impact
quantified organizational efficiency & influence
The S.T.A.R. UX framework successfully transformed the CoP from a fragmented resource into a scalable, strategic asset, proving the organizational value of Design Operations.
