Design Leadership
Leading teams and establishing design systems
Overview
A look at how Nikki has led cross-functional teams, built design systems, and shaped product strategy as a Design Engineer and Educator.
Leading cross-functional teams to ship cohesive product experiences
Impact: Helped ship cohesive product experiences by establishing shared design standards and partnering closely with engineering.
Key Accomplishments
- Defined and socialized design principles to align product, design, and engineering teams
- Established a reusable design system informed by real product constraints
- Mentored designers and collaborated with engineers to ship polished interactions
- Led cross-functional initiatives to improve product quality and user experience
- Built processes for design reviews, critique, and feedback cycles
Leadership Approach
Building Shared Understanding
Effective design leadership starts with alignment. I work to create shared vocabulary and principles that help teams make consistent decisions without constant oversight.
Building reusable design systems that scale across products
Systems Thinking
Rather than solving problems one-off, I focus on building reusable patterns and components that scale across products. This means establishing design systems that work for both designers and engineers.
Collaboration & Mentorship
Great products come from great teams. I invest in mentoring designers, helping them grow their craft while maintaining high quality standards. I partner closely with engineering to ensure designs are both beautiful and buildable.
Skills Demonstrated
- Team leadership and management
- Design system development
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Strategic planning and product vision
- Design process and workflow optimization
- Mentorship and skill development