Lessons Learned
"Most of what I’ve learned came from shipping things that sounded right… until users proved otherwise."
On Process
Starting solution work before validating the problem
A feature was fully designed and handed off before discovering users didn't need it that way. 3 weeks of work discarded. I introduced the Lean UX Problem Space spec specifically because of this — no solution work begins without a validated hypothesis.
→ Built: Lean UX Problem Space template · adopted across all 4 pillars
Skipping research "to move fast"
Shipped a feature at Think Design based on stakeholder intuition alone. 70% of users ignored it. The "fast" shortcut cost twice the time to fix. Now: research is the fastest path. Every Greytip project starts with at least 3 user conversations, even under tight timelines.
→ Policy: Mandatory discovery phase before any design sprint
On Systems
Building a design system without engineering as co-owners
Spent weeks building a polished Figma component library alone. Engineers didn't adopt it — they hadn't built it, so they didn't trust it. The library quietly died in 6 weeks. Rebuilt it with an eng partner on every component. That version is still active today.
→ Standard: Designer + engineer co-build every system component
2-hour live handoff walkthroughs for every feature
Every handoff required live attendance — 2+ hours per feature, impossible to reschedule, impossible to revisit. Reviewers who missed it got second-hand context. Replaced with async Loom walkthroughs and a structured handoff doc. Reviewers rewatch when confused. No one misses context anymore.
→ Result: 75% reduction in handoff time · zero missed context reports
On People
Over-engineering the brief for junior designers
Early in my leadership I thought clarity was a gift — so I gave juniors perfectly packaged briefs. I was removing the learning. The struggle of figuring out an ambiguous problem IS the skill development. Now 1:1s focus on coaching the thinking process, not reviewing the output quality.
→ Framework: Growth-oriented 1:1s with quarterly development goals
Letting design reviews become opinion sessions without structure
Without shared principles, stakeholder feedback defaulted to personal taste. "I don't like this" was a common note. Built Design Principles with the team and a scoring framework (Clarity, Consistency, Accessibility, Delight, Business Alignment) — now reviews are structured, not political.
→ Built: Design Principles doc + scoring rubric · live in all reviews