Leading through empowerment and connection

As a design leader, I’m committed to fostering a culture where teams can thrive—creating space for collaboration and guiding designers to evolve and produce their best work.
  • Quality & Craft
  • Connection
  • Authentic Leadership
leadership hero image
Sharon consistently demonstrated her years of experience in product design and excellence. Her leadership within the design community, combined with her adept people management skills, showcased her as a solid team leader.
Design Operations Director

My Approach

1
I'm committed to using what I've learned to inspire and coach the next generation of designers.

Leading with authenticity helps me build trust and create spaces where everyone feels empowered to grow.

I believe in honing design skills while embracing continuous evolution—both personally and as a team.

Staying engaged with industry trends, writing about design, and participating in events keeps me evolving as a design leader.

Image collage showing Sharon’s Substack, Config talk, screenshots of team meeting template
2
I prioritize design quality and foster a culture of excellence, ensuring teams deliver work that is both functional and visually cohesive.

My background in visual design gives me a deep understanding of craft—what good design looks like, how it feels, and how it performs.

I set high standards and provide guidance to help teams refine their work, balancing usability, aesthetics, and performance.

I create feedback loops that empower designers to push their craft while staying aligned with product and business goals.

Visual design screenshots from Bill, Glint, and Intuit
3
I create spaces where diverse perspectives come together, turning ambiguity into shared understanding.

Collaboration is at the heart of great design. By creating a culture where designers feel engaged, supported, and inspired, teams can do their best work.

My superpower is designing and facilitating cross-functional workshops—whether to tackle complex product challenges or strengthen team connections.

Workshops help teams connect the dots, align on the bigger picture, and visualize complex ideas to bring clarity.

Screenshots of teams working and whiteboards
4
I produce design systems that help teams work more efficiently, stay consistent, and design with confidence.

Initiated and launched a design system, establishing foundational components and guidelines to support product design.

Led the creation of a custom icon set, collaborating with an illustrator to develop a cohesive visual language that improved usability and brand consistency.

Partnered with engineers to ensure smooth implementation, fostering a shared language between design and development.

Advocated for adoption by providing documentation, training, and ongoing support to help teams integrate the system into their workflows.

Screenshots if icons, documentation, and charts
5
Building stronger teams through design ops, I design and implement processes that support a culture where teams can thrive.

Scaled design critique from 6 to 100+ participants, improving visibility and transparency, which led to the creation of a design showcase for sharing work across the product org.

Developed welcome kits and refined hiring practices to ensure a smooth, thoughtful experience for new team members.

Designed a flexible FigJam format for our weekly team meetings, fostering engagement through shared resources, polls, and personal moments.

Led the transition to Figma, served as the Figma admin, and streamlined workflows to enhance collaboration.

Screenshots of design critique, showcase, goals worksheet, and welcome kit
6
I thrive on bringing people together to build community and belonging.

Organized Unity, an event at Bill’s headquarters, to strengthen bonds and build a sense of belonging within our design team of over 100.

Due to Unity’s success, the head of product on Platform asked me to organize a work/play event to further connect our teams and encourage collaboration.

As co-leader of San Francisco IxDA, I helped organize a 15-studio walking tour as part of the annual conference, fostering connection among local design professionals

Screenshots and images from Unity, Platform Camp, and Ixda Open Studios
She is a leader through and through - the best kind, she knows how to roll up her sleeves and WORK while still offering guidance and vision to others.
Product Designer, Direct Report

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