Early campaign delivery dashboard
I joined Madhive in 2017 as the founding product designer. The company had one client, one dashboard, and no product managers. Over the next seven years I designed the core product, built the design team from the ground up, and was promoted from individual contributor to Director of Product Design as the company grew from a startup to a billion-dollar business.
The team grew because the business demanded it. The promotion rate reflects what happened when we invested in the people we hired.
When I joined Madhive in 2017 the company had one client, one dashboard, and no product managers. I was embedded directly with the engineering team, working closely with the CTO and Head of Client Services to define and build the core product. I built the design function from scratch, including a design system and hiring process, before we brought on a single designer.
In 2018 Madhive hired its first VP of Product, shifting how design worked alongside product. Over the next three years I designed the workflows that helped Madhive grow from one client to over 26, including campaign management, audience forecasting, a creative library, and reporting tools.
Early campaign delivery dashboard
By 2020 the product had grown significantly and the workload made it clear it was time to bring on more designers. As the team grew I introduced regular critiques to keep quality consistent and create shared learning moments. In 2021 I was promoted to Manager of Product Design, and as we scaled to a team of nine I added Design Reviews, QA processes, and a career ladder to give designers a clear path forward. In 2023 I was promoted to Director of Product Design.
Design team headcount by role and year
Building a great design team starts with being a great design leader. I took that responsibility seriously. I earned certificates from Nielsen Norman Group and the Interaction Design Foundation, completed leadership training through Maven, and attended the Leading Product Design conference in New York. Not because it was required, but because designers deserve a leader who understands design, understands the business, and knows how to elevate both.
From 2017 to 2024, Madhive's design function went from one person to a team of nine. Along the way I built the processes, the culture, and the cross-functional relationships that made design a valuable part of how the business grew.