How I work
After years of working across industries, teams, and levels of complexity, I’ve found that design quality tends to come from a few simple habits.
These principles hold up in fast-paced product teams, multi-year government programmes, and everything in between.
Understand the people you’re designing for
Everything else is guesswork.
Spend time with users early, observe real behaviour, and keep their needs visible throughout delivery.
Tie design decisions to business goals
Great design works only when it supports the outcome the organisation is trying to achieve, whether that’s revenue, adoption, or public value.
Prototype early, test often
Ideas get clearer once they’re made tangible. I prefer fast, collaborative loops that reduce risk and bring teams with me.
Make it simpler, then make it simpler
Complexity is usually a signal someone further down the chain will struggle. I remove steps, jargon, and noise until the thing becomes effortless to use.
Work in the open and make friends along the way
Visibility builds trust. I share thinking early, invite feedback, and make collaboration a default.
How I lead
Every organisation is imperfect, but I’ve found that when these three principles are applied consistently, people feel engaged, supported, and motivated.
Teams stay longer, grow faster, and deliver better work.
Clarity
People do their best work when they know what matters.
I create clarity through shared goals, transparent priorities, and straightforward expectations, removing confusion so teams can focus on impact rather than noise.
Care
Care builds trust.
I invest in people’s growth, confidence, and wellbeing. This means honest feedback, coaching, psychological safety, and celebrating progress.
Capability
Great teams get better on purpose.
I build capability by giving people opportunities to stretch, experiment, and lead. Strong craft, systems, and shared habits are what turn good teams into high-performing ones.
Why it matters
To work with me is to work with…
A structured partner
I bring frameworks, systems, and clarity.
People know what’s happening, why it matters, and what we’re aiming for.
A collaborative problem-solver
I break down silos and connect people.
Insights can come from anywhere, and alignment is everything.
A human-centred strategist
I think in journeys, systems, trade-offs, and behaviours.
I care about outcomes, not outputs.
A coach and multiplier
My job is to bring the best out of people: designers, researchers, engineers, PMs, policy teams, stakeholders.
I try to leave teams stronger than I found them.
A simplifier
I take what’s complicated and make it easier for people to understand, use, and move through.