Led design for the core creator experience, helping thousands of creators bring their ideas to life.
The year before I joined Kickstarter, the product organization had experienced close to a 90% turnover. I saw it as a unique opportunity to build a team from scratch while working on a beloved brand.
As I began to focus on hiring designers to support the company's various parallel initiatives, I noticed a lot of inefficiencies in the hiring process. Specifically, we didn't have confidence that a candidate's portfolio represented the quality of work they would bring to Kickstarter, and candidates were often brought back for multiple rounds because the interviewers couldn't agree if that person was the right fit for the role. Interviews seemed to get stuck perpetually at the "on-site" stage.
I introduced a lightweight design exercise that could be administered remotely and would help us understand a candidate's design thinking and communication skills. This helped us make more confident decisions earlier in the process.
Over the course of 4 years, I hired and managed a team of 20+ product designers, researchers, and content strategists. We focused on creating a culture of collaboration, experimentation, and continuous learning.
When I joined Kickstarter, the product had remained largely unchanged for several years. We embarked on a multi-year journey to modernize the platform while maintaining what made it special.
We created Kickstarter Design System (KDS) to ensure consistency across all platforms and accelerate our development process. The system included components, patterns, and guidelines that were used by designers and engineers alike.