Built the UX team and design capability from the ground up - embedding design into strategic decision-making at one of the world’s most advanced e-grocery technology platforms.

Context

Ocado Technology’s mission is to transform online grocery retail and enable some of the world's most forward-thinking retailers to do grocery online profitably, scalable, sustainably, and offer a world-class customer offer.

The founding vision was to use cutting-edge technology and automation to transform the online grocery space. They developed the technology needed to move the industry to the next level from scratch. 

Today, the Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) is the world's most advanced end-to-end eCommerce, fulfilment and logistics platform. It is backed by proven economics and driving a leading customer proposition. 

Ocado Group's technology and logistics model was developed in one of the world’s most competitive and mature online grocery markets, powering Ocado Retail Ltd in the UK. Today Ocado Group is powering live online operations for eleven grocery retailers worldwide, with more to launch imminently.

My role

I joined as UX Manager to build and lead a new design function from the ground up. I was responsible for both people leadership and product excellence - overseeing a team of UX Designers (direct reports) and UX Researchers (dotted-line). My remit covered team building, cross-functional collaboration, process design, strategic input, and design oversight across a critical area of the platform.

Challenges

• No established UX team or processes in place
• Complex product landscape: multiple services, geographies, stakeholders
• The need to align user experience with product, engineering and solution architects in a highly technical environment
• Constant onboarding of new international retailers with varied needs and market expectations

Approach

Team building & leadership

• Recruited and onboarded a high-performing UX team
• Introduced structured processes (weekly 1:1s, personal growth plans, peer feedback, design critiques)
• Built a supportive and collaborative team culture - promoted two designers to senior level
• Organised internal training, mentoring and social events to foster cohesion and development
  

Product design leadership

• Established double diamond processes in collaboration with embedded researchers
• Set up regular rituals: feedback sessions, ideation workshops, pair designing, internal UX knowledge sharing
• Advocated for UX at the leadership level, participating in senior team (SLT) discussions on roadmap planning
• Ensured design decisions were both user-informed and aligned with product goals - balancing autonomy and guidance across the team
  

Cross-functional collaboration

• Defined ways of working with Product, Engineering and the Solutions Team
• Created structures for design contribution at multiple levels - from research insights to strategic design direction

Key Initiatives

🛒 General Merchandising

• Led UX work on expanding the OSP from grocery-only to broader product categories (non-food), driving increased value per basket and retailer differentiation
  

👉 Result: Contributed to a measurable uplift in average basket size for partner retailers post-launch.

🚚 On-Demand Fulfilment

• Introduced UX support for ultra-fast delivery initiatives (orders <1h), balancing operational constraints with customer expectations
  

👉 Result: Helped enable successful pilot launches in key markets, reducing average delivery time and improving early adoption metrics.

💳 Payments: Instalments

• Supported the design of flexible payment options to increase conversion and customer convenience
  

👉 Result: Enhanced checkout flexibility and contributed to higher completion rates on qualifying baskets.

Impact

• Established a functioning, strategic UX department within a highly technical, fast-scaling product organisation
• Improved design maturity and cross-functional collaboration across multiple teams
• Delivered critical features that expanded the platform’s capability and supported new international retailer onboarding
• Elevated design’s role within the organisation - securing representation in strategic planning conversations within the first quarter (Roadmap, Product OKRs).
• Enabled team retention, development, and internal promotions through strong design leadership and culture

What I Learned

Leading in a complex, high-growth environment requires not just design expertise, but adaptability, trust-building, and the ability to connect technical depth with customer value. Culture, clarity and shared ownership were as important as process.