I have been lucky to lead small but mighty design teams during my tenure at 1stDibs, starting with the Trade team, which focused on our shopping experience for interior designers, and later the Seller Experience team, which built tools for a community of 4,000+ global sellers.
I helped the Seller Experience design team grow from two to five designers spanning six scrum teams and three countries. Initially focused on Seller Tools, the team’s scope expanded to include Internal Tools—heavily used by our shipping, account management, and service teams—as well as Design Manager, a SaaS product for interior designers that streamlines project management and accounting.
During my time, the team focused on high-impact projects with measurable outcomes, including reducing time-to-launch through design sprints and driving business impact through customer acquisition and retention through merchandising and loyalty programs.
Some highlights included:
Launching Auctions
Led the seller design and cross-functional collaboration to launch the Auctions MVP in 90 days. Read the case study.
Designing for the Trade
Led several major and minor improvements to our customer experience for our professional buyer segment over the span of 2 years. Implemented a systems-based design approach to these efforts, contributing to the business unit’s growth to one-third of the company’s revenue at its peak.
Design Sprints
Facilitated and participated in Google-style five-day design sprints to rapidly explore problem spaces and test hypotheses. I wrote about our experiences in our design blog.
Design Backlog Management:
Collaborated with product counterparts to prioritize design improvements based on business impact and team capacity.
Process Improvements
I believe in the power of rituals and tools to foster a culture of performance and learning. Establishing efficient processes and leveraging the right tools were essential to empowering the Seller team to excel.
International Hiring and Team Building:
Led recruitment efforts, including hiring the first designers in the Lithuania office, and emphasized the importance of design critiques and meaningful 1:1s for coaching and alignment.
Enhancing Design Visibility:
Encouraged team members to present their work in larger settings, including company-wide All-Hands meetings.
Fostering Inclusivity and Growth:
Design, collaboration or mentorship, I’d love to chat. IRL or virtual.
