Case Study
Leading UX Transformation in an Enterprise Organization
Overview
As the first UX Design manager for the PAICE suite of applications, I established a new resource team, unified process, and design environment that could scale with the growth of our department.
Client
Pearson
Role
UX Design Lead
Timeline
6 months of observation, research, and onboarding
Tools
Jira, Microsoft Teams, Figma, Sharepoint
Challenge
I was hired at Pearson to establish and grow a new design team to serve the entire PAICE suite of tools. At the time, PAICE was a group of 11 applications all working fully siloed with their own managers and development teams and only 2 designers for the entire department. There was no consistent design vision or process which made it difficult for the designers to manage time, work across multiple projects or meaningfully contribute to product discussions.
An additional challenge was that Pearson was aiming to reduce costs on external software, so our process set-up involved establishing a new design environment, migrating data, and training all designers and managers.
High Level Goals
Unify process for requesting and tracking design work
Create transparency into all design work across PAICE
Don’t disrupt how Managers maintain their Jira Project organization
Allow Designers to manage their time across multiple projects
Set clear expectations and accomplishable goals
Scope
Initiate a unified process for handling all design requests
Audit existing software to achieve a streamlined design environment using only new Pearson-approved software
Build a system in Jira to track work
Document an onboarding process for existing and new team members
Create a cadence for work and set a schedule for recurring meetings
Constraints
In spite of functioning as suite of tools, each application team had their own distinct processes, UI design, cadence, and business objectives
Many application teams were not familiar with working with design or had a very limited understanding of how design could benefit their product
I was expected to complete design requests until I could establish a process and support new hires
Approach
I took a collaborative, systems-level approach to research by auditing tools, observing team workflows, and aligning process improvements with ongoing company initiatives.
Research
To define a new design process, I started by listening. I met regularly with designers, developers, project managers, and senior leaders to understand how teams worked and where they struggled. While supporting design work across nine applications, I also helped launch two new ones, giving me a broad view of the PAICE ecosystem and insight into the unique challenges each team faced.
Alongside these conversations, I reviewed methodologies like Agile, the Product Development Life Cycle, Double Diamond, and Design Thinking. I used this research to define a clear lifecycle for design tasks, outlining key actions, meetings, and statuses at each stage. This framework helped align teams, improve visibility, and support more efficient collaboration.
Software Audit
When I joined Pearson, the company was in the middle of consolidating third-party tools. This aligned with my goal of establishing a more efficient design process. I audited the UX team’s software and created a transition plan that ensured we had the right tools without disrupting active projects.
The team had previously relied on Sketch, PDFs, and Zeplin, which often led to lost context and delayed feedback. Pearson had already selected Figma as the new platform, and I was responsible for migrating the team within five months. I organized our files, set up a scalable system, and trained both designers and cross-functional partners to use Figma effectively. The move improved collaboration through shared libraries, real-time feedback, and built-in prototyping.
Playbook Overview
The PAICE UX Playbook is a centralized guide that documents how our design team works, collaborates, and delivers thoughtful, consistent, and scalable user experiences across the product suite.
Intro
A brief introduction to our team, our team mission statement, and a list of important links. Sets the stage for how to use our guide and where to start.
About Us
Our Team
Introduces each UX team member with names, areas of ownership, and contact info. Includes clear definitions of roles. Use this to understand who does what and how we collaborate.
PAICE Product Principles
Defines the core principles guiding our design philosophy and decision-making. Created to promote alignment, consistency, and user-centered thinking.
How we Work
Design Process Overview
High-level view of our core design process. Breaks down the lifecycle of a design task from project definition to handoff. Defines ways of working and sets expectations for cross-functional collaboration.
Jira Process
Covers how the design team uses Jira to manage work and communicate status updates. Includes details on writing clear user stories, estimating story points, and tagging tickets. Designed to reduce friction and improve transparency.
Figma Guide
Outlines our Figma structure, shared libraries, file naming conventions, and component documentation standards. Includes tips for collaborative workflows, handoff prep, and change management. Helps the team stay organized and deliver high-quality work.
Design Systems Overview
Explains the design systems used across PAICE products and student-facing content. Includes shared foundations and links to UI libraries. Covers how systems are maintained, how teams contribute, and where to find components, tokens, and usage guidelines.
Projects & Initiatives
Active Projects
Provides a directory of current design projects, key team members, links to Figma projects, Jira boards, and documentation. Includes a clear list of priorities updated regularly according to business initiatives.
2025 OKRs
Shares the UX team’s objectives and key results for the year. Each OKR includes a description, supporting projects, and links for tracking. Helps connect day-to-day work to broader team and company goals.
Sprint Reviews
A running archive of past sprint reviews and demos. Includes screenshots, recordings, and short write-ups of key outcomes. Helps document progress, share learnings, and celebrate wins across the team.
Resources
Accessibility Guidelines
Outlines our approach to accessible design, including standards we follow, tools we use, and how accessibility is integrated into design and development. Includes WCAG reference points, color contrast rules, and testing tips.
Designer Onboarding
Provides a step-by-step guide for new team members. Includes setup instructions for tools, introductions to team rituals, and early tasks to get up to speed quickly and confidently.
Leave Tracking Guide
Sets expectations for communicating planned and unplanned leave. Explains how to request time off, and includes regional holiday calendars and templates for away messages.
Outcome
The new design process went into full effect starting February of 2023, and so far we’ve completed over 50 sprints. Overall I believe the design process has been a massive success which can be validated based on some key criteria.
Increased Productivity
We were able to grow our team to 9 designers and we’re aiming to add at least one more in 2025. Each designer can work seamlessly across 2-3 projects and easily adjust their workload based on their availability. Compared to when we first implemented our process, each designer is completing over 35% more work during each sprint, yet they are able to work more reasonable hours and take more vacation.
Improved Time Management
Our process was designed to help our team better manage their time. We delivered on this goal by reducing the disparity between our committed work at the beginning of a sprint and the completed work at the end. At this time we continually deliver between 98-102% of expected work per sprint, which builds trust with our managers and allows us to plan more accurately long-term.
Manager Satisfaction
After a year and a half of our process, I sent out anonymous surveys to all the managers working directly with our design team. We received a 4.6 out of 5 satisfaction rating, and the results show that on average 82% of managers agreed or strongly agreed that we met our process goals.