Team Structure

Team Building 

Building effective UX teams requires more than assigning roles or increasing headcount. My approach to team structure and organization design focuses on creating clarity, cohesion, and sustainable performance—while adapting to the realities of remote, hybrid, and in-person work.

I design UX organizations to scale with the business, evolve with the people on the team, and remain tightly connected to product and engineering partners.

Team Models

I’ve led UX teams operating across fully remote and hybrid models. In both environments, my priority has been maintaining strong collaboration, clear ownership, and a shared sense of purpose.

• Hybrid teams with local, co-located designers paired closely with product and engineering partners

• Remote team members integrated into product squads with clear rituals and communication norms

• Centralized UX leadership with embedded designers to balance consistency and speed

While remote work enables access to broader talent, I’ve found that in-person collaboration—when possible—strengthens alignment, trust, and creative momentum, particularly for early-stage discovery and complex problem-solving.

Roles and Disciplines

I’ve managed and supported a wide range of UX disciplines, often blending responsibilities based on team size, product needs, and individual strengths:

• UX Design

• UI & Visual Design

• UX Research

• Information Architecture

• Interaction Design

• AI-Driven Design (human-in-the-loop systems, model-assisted workflows, and AI-informed experiences)

Rather than rigid role definitions, I focus on clear accountability paired with flexible skill application, allowing teams to adapt as products and technologies evolve.

Headcount Planning & Hiring Strategy

My headcount planning is driven by roadmap needs, team capacity, and organizational maturity, not arbitrary ratios.

Key principles:

• Hire for impact and growth potential, not just narrow skill specialization

• Align headcount requests to product priorities and delivery risk

• Build teams intentionally with complementary strengths

• Prioritize full-time employees to foster long-term ownership, cultural cohesion, and continuity

I’ve worked exclusively with full-time team members, which has enabled deeper investment in career development, stronger cross-functional relationships, and higher accountability over time.

Team Evolution Over Time

I view team structure as a living system that evolves alongside the business and the individuals within it.

When evolving teams, I consider:

• Each person’s core skill set

• Individual interests and motivation

• Speed and consistency of execution

• Appetite for ownership and leadership

• Opportunities for skill development and role expansion

As teams grow or priorities shift, I adjust responsibilities and structure to better align strengths with needs—often enabling designers to deepen expertise or broaden scope based on readiness and interest.

Rationale & Tradeoffs

Every team structure involves tradeoffs.

While remote work offers flexibility and access to talent, I’ve observed that remote designers can sometimes feel disconnected from local product teams or informal decision-making loops. This can impact context, collaboration, and long-term engagement if not actively addressed.

When possible, I prefer locally based team members who can build relationships through face-to-face collaboration, participate in spontaneous problem-solving, and stay closely aligned with product and engineering partners.

That said, I’ve also learned:

• Hybrid teams require stronger documentation and clearer rituals

• Remote designers benefit from explicit inclusion and intentional context sharing

• Organizational clarity matters more than physical location

If I were to revisit past structures, I would invest even earlier in shared rituals, mentorship, and clearer ownership models to reduce distance-related friction—especially as teams scaled.

How This Approach Scales:

• Clear ownership without silos

• Strong cross-functional alignment

• Sustainable growth and retention

• Flexibility as business needs evolve

Ultimately, my goal is to design UX organizations where people feel connected, supported, and empowered to do their best work—regardless of location.