Case Study

When ZS Associates hired me as its first UX leader in 2011, three designers were supporting 44 products across a fragmented tech stack. Products were sophisticated — “rocket science for rocket scientists” — but difficult for non-expert users to adopt. Releases were late. Designers were stretched across internal tools, client-facing products, and pre-sales demos with no prioritization and no methodology.

Company & Position

ZS Associates, Associate Principal / Partner (2011-2020)

Details

The Software Development group grew from roughly 120 engineers when I joined to more than 750 by 2020. The UX function had to grow with it strategically. Over nearly a decade, the practice evolved from a small centralized team into a mature multi-disciplinary organization: embedded product designers, dedicated UX researchers, an Information Architect, visual designers aligned to the design system, and a tiered leadership structure across the US and India. ZS was also transitioning from a best-of-breed product suite to an integrated platform; UX research shaped new product direction and contributed to the platform’s information architecture.

Actions

• Eliminated pre-sales and demo activities; redirected capacity to product work. Tracked 65 unfulfilled consulting requests — later used as the business case for UX for Consulting.
• Prioritized by client impact and license revenue; paused internal work and assigned designers to products clients were actively using.
• Embedded designers into product teams; established consistent processes for tracking UX improvements and UI bugs in Jira.
• Built a tiered leadership structure and specialized disciplines as the practice matured — dedicated researchers, an Information Architect, and a visual design team aligned to the design system.
• Established engagement models and handoffs with Product Management, Product Marketing, and QA across the Software Development group.

Outcome & Impact

• Product UX team grew from 3 to 75 based on client demand, measurable impact, and industry best practices.
• UX embedded in product team stand-ups, QBR / program reviews, and roadmap planning — eventually anticipating features at least one Sprint ahead of engineering.
• Contributed to ZS’s platform transition through research-driven product direction.
• Client reaction to the redesigned platform: “A million times better.” End-user feedback: “I did my entire call plan in 30 minutes flat. I’m blown away at how easy it was.”

Work Products

The original system at top left, with the first refresh center screen:

Two successive version of the same solution, now with a modern, map-based appearance: