There are no ideal processes, formulas, best practices or playbooks, the path to a successful product is an ambiguous and instinctual one - a path that designers are very comfortable treading.
Examples, stories
Contextualising my work and impact on a call or in person is the best way to understand how I help companies succeed.
Delivering impact
I'm a founding designer and mentor working internationally with start-ups in mature and developing ecosystems. Current engagements include Brave Labs, an AI consulting and development studio focussed on organisational performance, Velou, an AI e-commerce platform, and Squarely, an AI-powered ESG platform.
My process leverages an understanding of what is both practical and necessary for early stage companies. The challenges founding teams face are highly nuanced, and often do not relate only to building software.
Africa's fintech mission
For the past four years (2020-24) I led design at Nairobi-based insurtech Lami to bring accessible, affordable insurance to the African market.
Working cross-functionally with the founders, leadership, and the technology team, I designed multiple products and customer experiences. I also redesigned the company's brand identity.
Through mentorship and by example I helped build consensus around taking a product first approach to the business which stimulated significant growth and market recognition.
Investors include: Harlem Capital, Accion Venture Lab, and P1 Ventures.
Building on success
I've worked in multiple markets and verticals, including: venture/innovation, analytics, fashiontech, fintech, AI, proptech, marketplaces, SaaS, datatech, customer success, and edtech.
Recent engagements include:
Stanbic Bank Kenya
International African bank - designed and launched first consumer insurance app (Edinburgh/Nairobi).
Index Ventures
International venture fund - design, branding, and strategic comms (San Francisco/London).
Mine for Now
Fashion tech, re-commerce - founding designer, product and brand (San Francisco).
Nesta: Challenge Works
The UK's innovation agency for social good - challenge portal design and execution for the SRA (legal
regulator) and the Canadian Government (San Francisco/London).
Choose Energy (acquired by Red Ventures)
Energy marketplace, connected home - product and brand design lead (San Francisco/Dallas).
Known
Service automation for legaltech (AI, B2D) - founding designer, product and brand (Edinburgh/San Francisco).
StealthForce (acquired by Seigga Capital)
Commercial real estate marketplace connecting investors with industry professionals - founding
designer, product and brand (San Francisco/NYC).
Union
Connected community for gig workers - founding designer, product and brand (San Francisco).
Pasabi
Automated fraud detection, behavioural AI - product and brand design lead (San Francisco/Edinburgh).
Open Banking | OP (Nesta ventures)
Fintech content portal & thought leadership - founding designer, product and brand (San
Franciso/London).
ModCloth (acquired by Walmart)
Fashion e-commerce - product design consultant (San Francisco).
Venture Scanner
Start-up research & predictive analytics - founding designer, product and brand (San Francisco).
Topcoder (acquired by Wipro)
Collaborative design & development platform - head of design, product and brand (San Francisco).
Preact (acquired by Spotify)
Predictive AI for SaaS products - founding designer, product and brand (San Francisco).
StudyBlue (acquired by Chegg)
Collaborative learning platform - product and brand design lead (San Francisco).
SugarSync (acquired by J2 Global)
First file sharing/syncing app and platform - product and brand design lead (San
Francisco/San Mateo).