I lead creatives across disciplines:

• Brand and Visual design

• Product, UI, and Experience design

• UX research

• Copywriting

• Content creation

• Multimedia (Video, Animation, Podcast)

• Creative Production

• Project Management

I also manage agencies:

• Pentagram

• Gold Front

• Zurb

• Belief

• Phinney Bischoff

• …and many freelancers!

I’ve successfully led remote, distributed, and on-site teams.

I foster strong relationships, seamless communication, and exceptional results—no matter the location.

My Day-to-Day

🔎 UX Research

I gather insights and validate decisions:

• Audit user flows, journeys, brand, etc.

• Learn from customers via interviews, FullStory, UserTesting.com, etc.

• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data

• Explore new tech and trends

Steph has a knack for bringing people together and pushing through problems others could not. Whether it was a workshop, retrospective, or just honest guidance, she had the tools to make things happen.

– Joe Crawford, Senior Copywriter and Creative Strategist, Versapay

💻 Design Strategy

I collaborate and show ROI for brand and product enhancements:

• Run workshops and Design Sprints

• Design and present pitch decks, campaigns, product enhancements, etc.

• Collaborate with C-suite and cross-functional peers for buy-in

• Join Tiger Teams to solve extreme challenges—I've been on three so far

Steph also runs the best design thinking workshops I've ever participated in. She has a gift that she can turn any workshop into a fun, engaging, and useful exercise to make decisions and drive change. Whether it's a smaller workshop for the designers figuring out operating principles or a large-scale redesign with 60+ voices, Steph skillfully thrives in those environments. I have since tried to use her workshop templates, summon my inner Steph, and always get kudos afterward!

– Andy Phillips, Senior Product Designer, Versapay

💬 1:1 Coaching

I meet with each of my reports weekly to:

• Celebrate wins and tackle concerns

• Give quick, (mostly) painless feedback

• Explore career growth

• Connect interests with business needs

• Spot great ideas to pitch for leadership

• Have honest talks when things go off track, focusing on the “why”

My goal? Do what’s best for the creative, the team, the company, and the customer.

Steph was integral to both our team’s success and my own professional growth. She possesses the rare ability to lead by example while also allowing her team the space to stretch their abilities.

When I needed autonomy to figure something out on my own, she provided it. When I hit a wall and needed help, she was there. She helped me find not just my abilities, but also the confidence to believe in them.

Our organization went through plenty of change. Steph was always there to paint a clear path forward and provide much needed stability.

I’ve never had a Manager like her, and wherever she ends up next will enjoy someone who is as capable a leader as she is a designer.

– Joe Crawford, Senior Copywriter and Creative Strategist, Versapay

📓 Management

Some call it “the boring stuff,” but I love management—it’s the long game of building great teams and work:

• Set a vision for the team and growth

• Delegate, coach, and track creative goals

• Review performance

• Guide conflict resolution

• Streamline systems for design, brand, copy, video, and research

• Build feedback loops across departments

• Vet and hire talent

While workloads, bandwidth and productivity are common metrics for a manager to maintain, one that often is undervalued is individual morale. Stephanie has not only kept her team moving and thriving, but has been an invaluable source of positivity and a resource for venting concerns, listening to personal challenges and allaying the anxiety and uncertainty. She is a kind, caring and effective manager.

– Derek Harju, Copywriter, Keap

🧠 Design thinking

I apply design thinking to Brand, Marketing, and Product Design—and I frequently teach non-designers how to apply design thinking tenets to other areas of business like Customer Success, Sales, etc. Management functions also improve with design thinking; one example is when I framed team planning as a “design project” and used design thinking and collaboration to backfill a role:

“When faced with the need for a backfill after a designer left the team, Stephanie conducted a workshop with her team to identify design skill gaps and future skill needs to craft a job posting that would target the missing skill sets. She didn't just go the easy route to fill a general role but put a ton of thought into maximizing the hire she'd been entrusted with by Keap. This is an innovative practice that has the potential to scale across the whole company with massive benefit."

– Excerpt from nomination for Monthly Leadership Award

👀 Critiques

Critique is my favorite part of leading design. It’s essential for a strong design culture, skill development, and improved output. Plus, critique should work remotely and be flexible to meet needs. At Keap and Versapay, poor review processes led to inconsistent work and limited skill growth, so I:

• Introduced formal weekly critiques to improve skills, output, and team dynamics

• Used Slack and Loom for async reviews

• Implemented a visual key for urgency

• Iterated on the process every six months based on survey feedback

• Delegated critiques to help develop others’ leadership skills

Balancing short- and long-term goals

⚡️ Planning & Efficiency

I teach teams to balance innovation with speed to deliver:

• Build strong relationships with C-level, VP, and peer colleagues

• Use Slack and chats to prioritize work fast

• Build robust workflows in Asana, JIRA, etc.

• Automate and use AI to free up time

• Iterate quickly to course correct

• Tailor communication to team needs

• Equip non-design teams to create on their own—with guardrails

• Set quarterly goals, KPIs, and run retrospectives to improve

🚀 Launches

I build teams of high performers who ship quality work every week. I help guide brand application in messaging, visuals, and experience throughout sprints. I also creative direct and delegate on large projects including:

• PR campaigns

• Feature-focused campaigns

• Awareness campaigns

• Or even a midnight company rebrand

I connect what excites my team with what drives results.

How? I right-size challenges that create ROI for the company.

📊

Chen wanted to lead research, so I secured a budget by proving UX research ROI and connected her with an agency for Helio training. She led research for Keap’s pricing overhaul and homepage redesigns. Together, we set a goal to build the company’s first omni-channel journey map, and I coached her in partnering with Demand Gen to master Google Analytics. The result? Key drop-offs, brand gaps, and 2021 priorities uncovered.

🎬

Brandon had an interest in 3D and animation, so I secured funding and time for him to learn while at Keap. The result? Higher ad conversions, improved brand presence, and full-length campaign animations that saved us thousands of dollars. With his new skills, Brandon earned a Sr. Designer Team Lead role, where led others and produced his best work.