Manager, Design & User Experience

As the Manager of Design & User Experience at Mindbody, you'll be leading a team of two product designers while directly contributing to various high-impact projects. Your key responsibilities include managing design quality, fostering a culture of critique and collaboration, partnering with cross-functional teams to define strategic roadmaps, and actively contributing to ClassPass growth initiatives. This role demands creativity and strategic thinking to enhance user experiences across our products.

To be successful as the Manager of Design & User Experience at Mindbody, candidates should have 8-10 years of product design experience. This includes 1-3 years in a managerial position. A strong portfolio demonstrating your consumer app design capabilities, mastery of tools like Figma, and experience in user-centered design practices are essential. Additionally, experience with A/B testing is a plus, along with excellent communication skills to drive alignment across teams.

The Manager of Design & User Experience at Mindbody plays a crucial role in making wellness accessible through exceptional design. You will lead your team in creating user-friendly experiences that facilitate customer onboarding and engagement. Your strategic input and hands-on design work will directly influence how customers interact with our platform, effectively driving our mission of 'every life fully lived'.

At Mindbody, the team culture is vibrant, collaborative, and focused on learning. As the Manager of Design & User Experience, you will foster an environment where critique, iteration, and creativity thrive. Our team consists of mission-driven individuals who are passionate about the wellness industry, and we value diverse perspectives and backgrounds, encouraging everyone to contribute and grow together.

Joining Mindbody as the Manager of Design & User Experience opens the door to numerous career growth opportunities. You will be positioned at the heart of innovation within the wellness tech space, working closely with cross-functional leaders. As you develop your skills in design leadership, project management, and strategic planning, you'll have the chance to impact the direction of our design orbit while progressing into more senior roles within design leadership.

In my design process, I prioritize understanding user needs through research and empathy, followed by ideation and prototyping. Collaboration with cross-functional teams is crucial, as I often incorporate feedback to refine the design before final implementation. A user-centric approach ensures that every decision made enhances the overall product experience.

I believe in fostering open and respectful communication when conflicts arise. During disagreements, I encourage team members to present their perspectives backed by data and user feedback. Facilitating a constructive discussion helps us reach a consensus that aligns with our overall goals while leveraging diverse viewpoints to enhance the final design.

I prioritize regular one-on-ones with my team to provide personalized feedback and guidance. Additionally, I encourage them to present their work frequently and invite constructive critique, allowing them to learn from each iteration. I also share resources and workshops to develop their skills and promote a culture of continuous learning.

I led a project aimed at improving user onboarding for a consumer app. By conducting user testing, we identified pain points and redefined the onboarding journey. The final redesign resulted in a 30% increase in user retention and positive feedback from users regarding the new design. This success emphasized the importance of user research in our design process.

Ensuring design accessibility begins with incorporating established accessibility standards from the outset. I conduct thorough audits of current designs, solicit feedback from diverse user groups, and utilize tools for testing. In my team, I promote awareness of accessibility best practices and make it a priority to create user experiences that are welcoming and usable for all.

User feedback is invaluable in my design process. I make it a point to gather insights through surveys, usability testing, and interviews early and often. This allows my team to understand real user behavior and adapt our designs to meet their needs effectively. Incorporating feedback means we are always iterating and improving our product experience.

One successful collaboration I led was with the Product and Marketing teams when launching a new feature. We worked together to define our goals, share insights, and align on messaging. By combining design, product, and marketing expertise, we successfully increased feature adoption by 40% within the first month of release through a cohesive roll-out strategy.

I primarily use Figma for wireframing and high-fidelity designs, complemented by tools like Adobe Creative Suite for graphics and visuals. Additionally, project management tools like Trello or Asana help streamline workflows and keep the team aligned on deadlines and milestones.

I stay updated by actively following industry leaders on platforms like Medium and participating in design webinars. Networking with other design professionals and attending conferences also exposes me to new ideas and perspectives that I can bring back to my work. Continuous learning is essential in this fast-evolving field.

I am deeply motivated by the opportunity to positively affect users' lives through design. Seeing my team grow and succeed, while creating impactful products that enhance user experience, fuels my passion. I believe that good design can significantly improve people’s well-being, and that purpose drives the work I do every day.