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.
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.
Isolated Teams
Designers embedded within product teams led to siloed workflows and inconsistent user experiences.
Undefined Hiring Standards
Without clear understanding of the role of design, the hiring standards couldn't articulate the scope and attract high-caliber designers.
Create 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.
Thrive for 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.
Define 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.
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. 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.
I introduced the Design System Request and Critique Framework and a Contribution Playbook, setting clear standards for component contributions — establishing a sense of shared responsibility between design and development.
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. We developed a research playbook with methods for User Interviews, Discovery Sessions, and Competitive Analysis, ensuring consistency and quality in our approach.
Regular sessions presented research findings to cross-functional teams, making insights relevant to potential product improvements. These ceremonies bridged silos and built shared goals, helping teams appreciate design's strategic value.
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.
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.