Design leadership
During my time at Asurion, the design team grew from 6 people into a global organization of more than 50. It evolved into a high-functioning, mature organization that included team members dedicated to design operations, UX content, a UI design system, and user research.
I had many exciting experiences helping define processes, piloting new ideas, and creating an inclusive team culture. I also worked on strategic initiatives that allowed me to collaborate with team members across the company.
“Brittany is one of those leaders, whose focus is always on her teams’ wellbeing and growth.”
Key initiatives
Process documentation
Design ops Workshop
Problem: There wasn’t a standardized process to guide designers as they worked with their teams. Also, managers needed a resource to aid in coaching designers. When designers moved projects and/or managers, the expectations were not consistent or clear.
Solution: I was tasked with documenting a design process for our design organization. I led a series of workshops with designers and design managers to understand their current process and what they thought could be improved. There were several rounds of discussions across the design leads team to refine the ceremonies. Once we had the ceremonies defined, I went back to the various teams to share and activate the ceremonies. This work was foundational to a subsequent effort that spanned the entire product organization to align on ceremonies.
Design star
Team culture
Problem: Asurion had two separate design teams that were merged in 2018. The two groups did not know each other and needed to get to know one another quickly.
Solution: I proposed and then implemented two initiatives.
The first was called Design Star. Design Star is where a designer gives a 5-7 minute presentation about themselves. It was a huge hit and has been going ever since. Other teams quickly adopted this activity.
The second was a Speed Meet. I organized an event where the team spent a few minutes talking 1-1 with every other designer. It was an energetic and fun ice breaker.
Sabbatical policy
Design ops Collaboration
Problem: Asurion has many employees with a long tenure. It does not have a sabbatical policy that allows employees to take a leave for non-medical reasons. We had team members with years of knowledge leaving to take a career break and Asurion had no clear path for them to come back.
Solution: After conducting research and having discussions with peers in leadership at Asurion, I created a proposal for a sabbatical policy, highlighting the benefits to the company and the employees. I then worked with our VP of design, our HR business partner, and our benefits team to review and refine the proposal. At that point, it was passed to our executive leaders for review. Ultimately, the company decided against implementing the policy. But it did spark good conversation within our team and I believe it inspired some team members to more fully utilize the company’s unlimited PTO policy.
Environmental sustainability
Cross-functional collaboration
Problems: Asurion had environmentally friendly practices in place, but didn’t publicly highlight them.
Solution: I took the initiative to start investigating what sustainability practices were in place already. Who at Asurion was already working on this? I found several like-minded employees and learned about in-progress initiatives that ranged from making our offices more sustainable to reducing waste by redesigning our packaging.
I collaborated with some members of the marketing team as they worked on a sustainability landing page for Asurion’s website. I then created mockups for how we could highlight some of the same messaging during a customer’s journey. I shared these with our VP of design who encouraged these explorations. Ultimately, implementing these designs did not get prioritized.
Apprentice program
Diversity & inclusion
Problem: Asurion wanted to create a diverse team, but the candidates applying to Asurion design roles were not diverse. Additionally, there was no career path for frontline employees to transition into a corporate role.
Solution: Asurion created a state certified apprentice program. The full-time apprenticeship program was designed to train frontline customer, supply chain, and other hourly employees representing diversity across gender, ethnicity, age, and educational experience. The first cohort was focused on software engineering with subsequent cohorts including spots for product management and product design.
When it came time to choose the team our first design apprentice would join, I eagerly volunteered. A senior designer on my team acted as the day-to-day supervisor for the apprentice. We both worked closely with him, providing regular feedback and coaching. After the successful completion of the apprenticeship program, the apprentice joined our design organization as an associate designer.
What teammates are saying
“Brittany was my manager as I transitioned from art direction to UX, and I couldn’t have asked for a more empathetic, helpful manager during such an uncertain and challenging time in my career.
She is equal parts empowering and patient. I never questioned that she had my best interests and career growth in mind. Her feedback and direction were extremely helpful as I was learning how to succeed at what was essentially an entirely new job.”
Direct report, designer
“Brittany is an empowering design leader. I did my best product design work when she was my manager because she is an empathic listener, provides a positive working environment, and lastly, promotes a true collaboration between design, engineers, and product team. She has a high emotional intelligence that it brings out the best in people!”
Direct report, designer
“I had the joy of working with Brittany for over a year, and I highly recommend her as a design manager. She is incredibly supportive and created a positive work environment where I felt comfortable sharing ideas and concerns. I looked forward to our weekly meetings, as she provided valuable feedback and guidance.
Collaborating closely with her, I gained invaluable insights and knowledge. Her guidance enhanced my ability to navigate meetings with confidence and effectiveness. I am grateful that I was able to work and learn from Brittany and hope to again in the future.”
Mentee, contract designer
“Brittany is one of those leaders, whose focus is always on her teams' wellbeing and growth. I got to work beside Brittany in many different roles and contexts during my time at Asurion and the thing that stands out the most from all those experiences, is that she always aims to listen and understand first, drive collaboration and shared outcomes all while nudging her teams to reach for their full potential as designers and keep growing…Any design organization would be lucky to have Brittany on their team.”
Peer, design manager