“Remote, hybrid or co-located, high performing design teams are still in the product + people business. Let’s stack hands on the latest tools to use, work through goals and which problems to solve for. Then design the right things and design them right – designing, testing, coding, shipping and collecting the data. In that order.”
s
With 15+ years of Brand, Product and UX Design Experience in Global and US markets, I have developed a diverse and professional skill-set in designing, leading teams and building exceptional digital products, tools and services for Fortune 500 companies. These products and experiences address both customer need, engagement and adoption while driving business value through digital transformation, increased revenue and valuable time and cost savings. I’m also passionate about cultivating high performing teams and fostering organizational cultures where contributors and partners can thrive.
"Building something that nobody wants is the number one reason for product failure or product adoption. But even if you do build something that customers want, you can still fail to build an appropriate business model around it."
"It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the methods, but the underlying principle is simple: product discovery is a decision-making process. Good product discovery includes the customer throughout that process. Once you’ve derisked and gained the confidence then you build it just right, ship and accelerate through the product development lifecycle."
As a leader, I am experienced in developing products and experiences through lean UX, Design Thinking and Agile principles. By following OKR’s and a product development lifecycle [PDLC] approach I’ve helped business units and companies develop and launch successful end-to-end product solution and help identify numerous areas for innovation and improvement. I lead and contribute and within cross-functional teams delivering on both research, design and business case solutions. Whether it be storytelling, generative or test research, opportunity or journey mapping, jobs-to-be-done or rapid prototyping, adoption marketing or brand campaigns, I’ve helped teams design, delivery and ship successful results.
“Concept validation and the opportunity to refine our product hypothesis against outcomes and goals is the one of the most powerful ways to ensure business ROI”
Rapid prototyping is an iterative design approach that involves quickly creating and testing prototypes of a product or system in order to refine and improve its design. The goal of rapid prototyping is to speed up the development process and reduce the risk of costly errors by identifying design flaws and usability issues early on in the design cycle.
Team culture is also crucial to high-performing cross-functional teams for multiple reasons – collaboration, trust, innovation, motivation and adaptability. Cross-functional teams often operate in dynamic and fast-changing environments, requiring them to be adaptable and flexible. A positive team culture promotes a growth mindset, where team members are open to learning, feedback, and continuous improvement. I’ve helped multiple teams develop into high performing teams with maturity metrics to evidence and reinforce their growth.
“It’s not hard to spot, either way. Teams of missionaries are engaged, motivated, have a deep understanding of the business context, and tangible empathy for the customer. Teams of mercenaries feel no real sense of empowerment or accountability, no passion for the problem to be solved, and little real connection with the actual users and customers.” - Marty Cagan
I currently work at Charles Schwab as a UX Director. I manage, design and steer product outcomes across multiple accelerator teams that deliver impact and results. Schwab is a leading multinational financial services company offering brokerage, banking, investing, and related services, including consulting and wealth management advisory services, to both retail and institutional clients. I currently reside in the Bay Area just outside of San Francisco, California, with my family. When I’m not busy working, traveling, or doing the occasional guest speaking, I can be found running up a dirt trail, being a dad, or fumbling my way through small-batch coffee roasting or getting myself lost in a bit of fine art.
Current interests include:
The impact of prompt engineering and design, ChatGPT, Midjourney, GPT4, LLM’s and disruptive technologies in general
Company transformation through digital services and operational automation
Digital Cash Management, Investment, FIRE and Life Stage financial self-service development
Blockchain and Crypto currencies
Analytics, the impact of Data informed decision making and Product Market Fit
Product Management and User Experience
UX Systems and force multipliers
Scaling and optimizing products and high performing teams
Innovation
For my profile and resume please visit select the “profile” section
client and colleague testimonials please review here: LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szimelka