Growing Design at Fonoa
Growing Design at Fonoa
When I joined Fonoa as the second product design hire, the company’s design maturity was low, and design was seen more as a UI-focused role than a strategic partner in product development. Together with Nemanja (the first designer), we aimed to evolve design into a core function aligned with Fonoa’s product and business goals. By building a Design System, establishing collaboration frameworks, and hiring strategically, we transformed the design function into a scalable, high-impact team driving user-centered solutions across Fonoa’s product suite.
Challenges
Challenges
Low UX Maturity
Cross-functional teams undervalued design’s role, focusing on aesthetics rather than design’s strategic potential in product development.
Low UX Maturity
Cross-functional teams undervalued design’s role, focusing on aesthetics rather than design’s strategic potential in product development.
Underdeveloped Design System
We initially had only a UI kit, lacking the comprehensive standards necessary to maintain consistency across our product ecosystem.
Underdeveloped Design System
We initially had only a UI kit, lacking the comprehensive standards necessary to maintain consistency across our product ecosystem.
Isolated Teams
Designers embedded within product teams led to siloed workflows and inconsistent user experiences.
Isolated Teams
Designers embedded within product teams led to siloed workflows and inconsistent user experiences.
Undefined Hiring Standards
Without clear understanding the role of design, the hiring standards could not articulate the scope and attract high-caliber designers capable of working in Fonoa’s complex tax-tech environment.
Undefined Hiring Standards
Without clear understanding the role of design, the hiring standards could not articulate the scope and attract high-caliber designers capable of working in Fonoa’s complex tax-tech environment.
Defining Success
Our goal was to establish design as a key, strategic function within Fonoa, with measurable outcomes tied to user and business impact:
Defining Success
Our goal was to establish design as a key, strategic function within Fonoa, with measurable outcomes tied to user and business impact:
Cross-Functional Alignment:
Design needed to be understood and valued by cross-functional teams as a strategic asset, not just for aesthetics but for solving complex product challenges.
Operational Efficiency and Consistency
The design-to-development handoff had to become faster, with minimal back-and-forth, while ensuring a consistent user experience across Fonoa’s products.
Operational Efficiency and Consistency
The design-to-development handoff had to become faster, with minimal back-and-forth, while ensuring a consistent user experience across Fonoa’s products.
User-Centered Metrics
We aimed for improved task efficiency, higher customer satisfaction, and reduced error rates, enhancing both user experience and product reliability.
User-Centered Metrics
We aimed for improved task efficiency, higher customer satisfaction, and reduced error rates, enhancing both user experience and product reliability.
Long-Term Impact on Retention and Revenue
Transforming features into strategic tools to drive Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) growth and retention, as exemplified in the TIN Validation project.
Long-Term Impact on Retention and Revenue
Transforming features into strategic tools to drive Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) growth and retention, as exemplified in the TIN Validation project.
Operational Efficiency and Consistency:
The design-to-development handoff had to become faster, with minimal back-and-forth, while ensuring a consistent user experience across Fonoa’s products.
User-Centered Metrics
We aimed for improved task efficiency, higher customer satisfaction, and reduced error rates, enhancing both user experience and product reliability.
Long-Term Impact on Retention and Revenue
Transforming features into strategic tools to drive Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) growth and retention, as exemplified in the TIN Validation project.
Cross-Functional Alignment
Design needed to be understood and valued by cross-functional teams as a strategic asset, not just for aesthetics but for solving complex product challenges.
Cross-Functional Alignment
Design needed to be understood and valued by cross-functional teams as a strategic asset, not just for aesthetics but for solving complex product challenges.
Solutions and Initiatives
Solutions and Initiatives
Building and Scaling the Design System
To streamline processes and ensure consistent design quality across Fonoa’s products, I expanded our existing UI kit into a full-fledged Design System.
1. Building and Scaling the Design System
To streamline processes and ensure consistent design quality across Fonoa’s products, I expanded our existing UI kit into a full-fledged Design System.
Efficiency and Consistency
The Design System enabled developers to build with high-quality, interchangeable components, minimising designer involvement before QA. This allowed us to move directly from Information Architecture to high-fidelity designs, bypassing lo/mid-fi wireframes and accelerating iteration.
Efficiency and Consistency
The Design System enabled developers to build with high-quality, interchangeable components, minimising designer involvement before QA. This allowed us to move directly from Information Architecture to high-fidelity designs, bypassing lo/mid-fi wireframes and accelerating iteration.
Frameworks for Quality
I introduced the Design System Request and Critique Framework and a Contribution Playbook, setting clear standards for component contributions. This established a sense of shared responsibility between design and development, supporting high-quality outcomes.
Frameworks for Quality
I introduced the Design System Request and Critique Framework and a Contribution Playbook, setting clear standards for component contributions. This established a sense of shared responsibility between design and development, supporting high-quality outcomes.
Establishing a Foundation for User Research
To promote a research-led approach and support design’s strategic integration, Nemanja and I created a user research framework until a dedicated UX Researcher was hired.
2. Establishing a Foundation for User Research
To promote a research-led approach and support design’s strategic integration, Nemanja and I created a user research framework until a dedicated UX Researcher was hired.
Objective Definition and Gap Analysis
Collaborating with Product, Engineering, Tax Managers, and CX teams, we identified knowledge gaps and set research objectives, focusing on user pain points, unmet needs, and competitive benchmarking.
Objective Definition and Gap Analysis
Collaborating with Product, Engineering, Tax Managers, and CX teams, we identified knowledge gaps and set research objectives, focusing on user pain points, unmet needs, and competitive benchmarking.
Standardised Research Methods
We developed a research playbook with methods for User Interviews, Discovery Sessions, and Competitive Analysis, ensuring consistency and quality in our approach.
Standardised Research Methods
We developed a research playbook with methods for User Interviews, Discovery Sessions, and Competitive Analysis, ensuring consistency and quality in our approach.
Accessible Documentation and Knowledge Sharing
Templates for interview summaries, discovery insights, and competitive analysis reports made findings digestible and easily shareable, promoting empathy and a shared understanding of users across teams.
Accessible Documentation and Knowledge Sharing
Templates for interview summaries, discovery insights, and competitive analysis reports made findings digestible and easily shareable, promoting empathy and a shared understanding of users across teams.
Evangelising Research
Regular sessions presented research findings to cross-functional teams, making insights relevant to potential product improvements and advocating for a user-centered approach in decision-making.
Evangelising Research
Regular sessions presented research findings to cross-functional teams, making insights relevant to potential product improvements and advocating for a user-centered approach in decision-making.
3. Fostering Cross-Functional Collaboration
To elevate UX maturity and promote design as a strategic partner, we encouraged designers embedded in product teams to lead cross-functional ceremonies such as syncs, office hours, and lunch-and-learns.
3. Fostering Cross-Functional Collaboration
To elevate UX maturity and promote design as a strategic partner, we encouraged designers embedded in product teams to lead cross-functional ceremonies such as syncs, office hours, and lunch-and-learns.
Inclusive User Research
Involving PMs and engineers in user interviews exposed them to direct user feedback, fostering empathy and alignment on user needs.
Inclusive User Research
Involving PMs and engineers in user interviews exposed them to direct user feedback, fostering empathy and alignment on user needs.
Unified Vision
These ceremonies bridged silos and built shared goals, helping cross-functional teams appreciate design’s strategic value and align on user-centered priorities.
Unified Vision
These ceremonies bridged silos and built shared goals, helping cross-functional teams appreciate design’s strategic value and align on user-centered priorities.
4. Establishing High Standards for Hiring
Our hiring process focused on attracting designers with the skills and mindsets needed for Fonoa’s data-heavy, technical products.
4. Establishing High Standards for Hiring
Our hiring process focused on attracting designers with the skills and mindsets needed for Fonoa’s data-heavy, technical products.
Cognitive Diversity and Technical Proficiency
We prioritised candidates’ ability to tackle complex processes, making cognitive diversity a key criterion for innovative, effective solutions.
Cognitive Diversity and Technical Proficiency
We prioritised candidates’ ability to tackle complex processes, making cognitive diversity a key criterion for innovative, effective solutions.
Rigorous Selection Process
By emphasising candidates’ decision-making rationale, we identified designers with strong critical thinking skills, essential for navigating Fonoa’s technical environment.
Rigorous Selection Process
By emphasising candidates’ decision-making rationale, we identified designers with strong critical thinking skills, essential for navigating Fonoa’s technical environment.
Results
Results
Efficient and consistent Design and Development
The Design System transformed the design-to-development handoff, enabling developers to build faster and more consistently across six products and over 100 features. This minimised the need for wireframes and allowed designers to focus on high-impact iterations.
Efficient and consistent Design and Development
The Design System transformed the design-to-development handoff, enabling developers to build faster and more consistently across six products and over 100 features. This minimised the need for wireframes and allowed designers to focus on high-impact iterations.
Cross-Functional Empathy and Alignment
Cross-functional ceremonies and inclusive user research fostered a shared understanding of user needs, establishing design as a strategic function and increasing collaboration across teams.
Cross-Functional Empathy and Alignment
Cross-functional ceremonies and inclusive user research fostered a shared understanding of user needs, establishing design as a strategic function and increasing collaboration across teams.
Skilled, Cohesive Design Team
Our rigorous hiring process resulted in a team of skilled designers and researchers who each brought unique perspectives, fueling product innovation and driving user-centered outcomes.
Skilled, Cohesive Design Team
Our rigorous hiring process resulted in a team of skilled designers and researchers who each brought unique perspectives, fueling product innovation and driving user-centered outcomes.
Skilled, Cohesive Design Team
Our rigorous hiring process resulted in a team of skilled designers and researchers who each brought unique perspectives, fueling product innovation and driving user-centered outcomes.
Skilled, Cohesive Design Team
Our rigorous hiring process resulted in a team of skilled designers and researchers who each brought unique perspectives, fueling product innovation and driving user-centered outcomes.