Human-Centered Design Leadership
For over 20 years, I’ve championed evidence-based, inclusive design transforming complex systems into intuitive experiences across B2B, B2C, B2B2C, and regulated industries.
My work bridges behavioral insights methodologies (UNAM, NN/g, Stanford d.school, IDEO), strategic execution (Harvard Business School), and scalable systems (MIT Sloan) to deliver measurable outcomes, whether for trillion-dollar enterprises or mission-driven startups.
Core Design Philosophy
Design is a multiplier when rooted in human truths, it accelerates adoption, reduces cognitive load, and drives business growth.
Leadership is service empowering teams with clarity, psychological safety, and the tools to solve systemic challenges.
The best solutions emerge at the intersection of research, technology, and cross-functional collaboration.
My Leadership Playbook
Design Methodology / Design Process
1. Strategic Vision Anchored in Human Behavior
From Jobs-to-Be-Done JTBD, personas, service blueprints (IDEO), customer journeys, mixed-method research (NN/g).
At VMware I focus on end-to-end customer journeys with impacts such as VMware Partner Connect, redesigned a 1/5-star portal into a 5/5 CRN-rated experience(450K+ users) by mapping partner pain points.
Or at Broadcom Sizer aligned AI-driven automation with user workflows, reducing repetitive tasks by 69% through JTBD-driven taxonomies.
2. Scalable Systems with Inclusive Foundations
Balancing pragmatism with idealism through best practices is central to my approach, I advocate for universal design principles like WCAG 2.2 and FDA compliance while delivering business results, transforming regulatory requirements into intuitive solutions that users adopt effortlessly.
While developing medical devices at Casa Plarre / KBN Medical followed FDA Class II-IV anesthesia devices that merged clinical safety with ergonomic usability; at VMware, I built WCAG compliant experiences for VMware Partner Connect and VMware Source that expanded market access while mitigating legal risk; and at Broadcom/IBM, I streamlined development timelines by 30% while achieving FedRAMP compliance proving that inclusive design isn’t just ethical, but a catalyst for innovation and efficiency.
3. AI + Human Collaboration
I design AI systems that enhance rather than replace human work.
Placing the human at the center for design innovation as a pivot, using tools like search algorithm improvements, chatbot with knowledge base LLMs, data metrics & telemetry, and automated documentation curation to streamline enterprise workflows while maintaining human oversight.
By applying Google's HEART metrics and MIT's responsible AI principles, I've optimized search experiences in VMware's Unified Lead to Quote UL2Q, VMware Partner Connect and Enterprise Search, through continuous feedback loops, and personalized Banorte's e-banking using behavioral analytics always starting with observed user needs to ensure technology serves people, not the other way around, always true to human centered philosophy.
4. Research as a Strategic Lever
Research is the strategic engine that transforms user insights into business advantage. As a design lead, I employ mixed-method research combining NN/g's ethnographic rigor, Harvard's analytical frameworks, and behavioral analytics not just to validate decisions, but to uncover systemic opportunities where user needs and organizational objectives intersect.
This approach delivers measurable impact: redesigning VMware's Source intranet that helps during COVID times and reduced employee task time by 55% while maintaining critical communications, while Walmart México's research-driven grocery platform achieved 90% urban coverage with 30% revenue growth.
From Samsung The Frame's art experience (informed by gallery behavior studies) to streamlining VMware's enterprise workflows through journey mapping, or unifying enterprise workflows in VMware's Superhighways project by mapping cross-product JTBD. The data doesn't just guide design, it reshapes how organizations perceive value, proving that deep user understanding is the ultimate competitive advantage. I translate deep user understanding into executive priorities proving strategic research shapes both product vision and business decisions.
5. Leadership as Orchestration
Good design leadership is about getting teams working together effectively. I use proven methods like Liberating Structures and dual-track Agile to help teams collaborate better while keeping design quality high.
At VMware, this practical approach delivered real results: our partner work helped grow revenue by 30% each year, and projects like SuperHighways simplified how products worked together, by unifying strategy and Personas / JTBD, we cut costs by fixing outdated systems, which also made things easier for users.
Beyond products, I've helped grow talent designers I mentored at IBM and Samsung now lead their own teams. When we redesigned VMware's intranet, employees completed tasks 55% faster a good example of how better design helps everyone work better.
Images: (NN / g Norman Nielsen Group, 2024) Design Thinking, Design Ops l (UK Design Council, 2023) Double Diamond
What Others Say About Working With Me
The projects I've shared tell one story, but the real measure of impact lives in the experiences of colleagues and collaborators.
On my LinkedIn profile, you'll find recommendations from engineers I've partnered with on medical devices,
