Scaling Design: Systems, Standards, and Team Growth

This project involved an internal system, so specific details are confidential. The focus here is on my design approach, system strategy, and the impact of the work.

Overview

At Spatial Front, I led the USDA’s Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) division in scaling and structuring design across multiple complex, data-heavy applications while growing UX maturity to over 200+ stakeholders and across the organization. These products were originally built without design in mind, resulting in inconsistencies, accessibility gaps, and workflow inefficiencies. I rebuilt them using Google Material, Microsoft Fluent UI, and USDA/FPAC frameworks, focusing on design systems, UX strategy, standards, and team growth, establishing a foundation for sustainable, cohesive design across the organization.

Challenge

Spatial Front’s digital ecosystem lacked a unified design approach for developing USDA products:

• No UI frameworks caused inconsistent user experiences

• Accessibility standards were applied unevenly across products

• UX was not embedded early in product development, leading to dev rework

• Low UX maturity and no formal structure to grow or support individuals or a team of designers

Objective

Create a hybrid design system aligned with federal brand guidelines, advocate for UX at all levels, reduce rework, standardize design practices, improve accessibility, educate design cross-functionally, and establish a scalable design organization for future growth.

My Role & Approach

As Lead UX/UI Designer, I led a comprehensive design strategy balancing product, system, and organizational needs:

• Design Systems & Standards

  • Audited existing UI patterns and identified inconsistencies

  • Designed a hybrid system combining Material, Fluent, and USDA components

  • Documented design elements, accessibility standards, and interaction guidelines

• UX Advocacy & Strategy

  • Partnered with stakeholders at all levels to ensure UX is considered from day one in every project

  • Integrated UX earlier in the Agile process to reduce rework and improve alignment between design and development

  • Standardized an end-to-end UX approach for all company designers, providing resources, guidelines, and a repeatable framework.

  • Served as the UX voice in strategic discussions, representing user needs in strategic leadership-level conversations

• Team Growth & Organizational Structure

  • Defined roles, responsibilities, and career paths for designers

  • Hired and Mentored junior designers while promoted cross-functional collaboration

  • Built a foundation for repeatable design practices across future products

  • Co-lead a UX Community of Practice and educated non-designers about design, improving UX maturity through the entire organization.

Impact

• Unified multiple enterprise applications under a cohesive design system

• Increased accessibility compliance across all products

• Reduced dev rework and improved design-developer alignment by embedding UX early in the process

• Established a scalable design org framework for team growth, future projects, and improved UX maturity

Key Takeaways

This project highlights the value of systemic thinking and UX advocacy: creating structures that educate non-designers, unify experiences, improve accessibility, and embed user-centered design into organizational culture. It reinforced my ability to lead design at scale, balance strategic and tactical work, and influence both products and teams across a large federal agency.