Design Leadership at WEX

My Journey at WEX: 5+ Years of Growth and Innovation in Product Design

Introduction

Since joining WEX in 2019, my career has been an exciting journey of growth, innovation, and impactful contributions in product design. Specializing in benefits software, I've had the privilege of shaping digital experiences that make a real difference in people's lives. It's really challenging to describe this experience as just a handful of projects on my portfolio, because it has been so much more than that. I hope this offers a glimpse into my professional evolution, key achievements, and the valuable lessons I've learned along the way.


Career Progression

2019: Embarking on the WEX Journey

I started at WEX as an Individual Contributor, eager to apply my UX skills to the complex world of benefits software. From day one, I was immersed in challenging projects that pushed me to grow both creatively and technically.

2020: Rising to Leadership

After just a year and a half, my dedication and innovative approach to UX design were recognized with a promotion to a leadership position. This new role allowed me to not only continue hands-on design work but also to guide and inspire others.

2022: Growing My Team

After increased demand for UX design partnership across the organization, our team has continued to grow. Through a company reorg, we restructured our design team to help manage the workload. As a result, my team grew to three direct reports within Benefits.

Today: Leading a Dynamic Design Team

Presently, I manage a team of 5 talented UX professionals. Together, we tackle 20-25 efforts annually ranging from large scale redesigns to smaller efforts, driving innovation and user-centric design in benefits software solutions. Our work impacts millions of users, simplifying complex processes and enhancing the overall experience of managing benefits.


Key Achievements

Throughout my tenure at WEX, I've had the opportunity to lead several transformative initiatives. Here are four key projects that showcase the breadth and impact of our work:

Reimagining the Benefits Enrollment Experience

Challenge: High drop-off rates and user confusion during the benefits enrollment process.
Solution: Led a complete redesign of the enrollment flow, incorporating user feedback and behavioral insights.
Outcome: Achieved a 30% reduction in user errors and a 25% increase in completion rates.
Impact: Simplified a crucial annual process for thousands of employees across multiple client companies.

Mobile-First Health Savings Account (HSA) Management

Challenge: Limited mobile access to HSA information and transactions.
Solution: Spearheaded the development of a mobile-first HSA management app.
Outcome: Increased mobile engagement by 150% and improved user satisfaction scores by 40%.
Impact: Empowered users to make informed health spending decisions on-the-go.

AI-Powered Benefits Recommendation Engine

Challenge: Users struggling to choose the most appropriate benefits package.
Solution: Designed an AI-driven recommendation system that analyzes user data and preferences.
Outcome: 85% of users reported feeling more confident in their benefits choices.
Impact: Personalized the benefits selection process, leading to better coverage and financial outcomes for employees.

Accessibility Overhaul Initiative

Challenge: Ensuring all our digital products meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Solution: Led a company-wide initiative to audit, redesign, and implement accessibility improvements across all platforms.
Outcome: Achieved WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across 95% of our digital products.
Impact: Made benefits management more inclusive and accessible to all users, regardless of abilities.


Awards and Key Presentations

President's Club Nomination

SPARK 2022 Presentation

SPARK 2023 Presentation

SPARK 2024 Keynote and Presentation


Scope of Work and Team Management

Managing a team that handles 20-25 major projects annually requires a delicate balance of strategic thinking, hands-on design work, and effective leadership. Here's a glimpse into how we operate:

  • Agile Methodology: We employ a modified agile approach, allowing us to be responsive to changing user needs and technological advancements.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Regular collaboration with product managers, developers, and business stakeholders ensures alignment and efficient execution.
  • Continuous Learning: We dedicate time each sprint for learning and experimentation, keeping our skills sharp and our solutions innovative.
  • User-Centric Focus: Every project begins and ends with user research, ensuring we're always solving real problems for real people.

  • Personal Growth and Lessons Learned

    My years at WEX have been transformative, both professionally and personally. Here are some key lessons and areas of growth:

  • Balancing Vision and Execution: Learning to think strategically while still being able to roll up my sleeves and contribute to hands-on design work.
  • The Power of Empathy: Deepening my understanding of user needs and how to translate those into effective design solutions.
  • Leadership Through Trust: Developing a leadership style that empowers team members to take ownership and innovate.
  • Navigating Complexity: Honing the ability to simplify complex systems and processes for end-users without losing necessary functionality.
  • Data-Driven Design: Strengthening my skills in using data and analytics to inform design decisions and measure impact.

  • In the Words of Others

    The following quotes were pulled directly from performance evaluations and reviews I have received during my time at WEX.

    2019

    "Elizabeth, who joined us in August, is another key addition to our young and growing team. She was an immediate asset on the Health business, applying her agency background to quickly ground herself in current projects while also focusing on understanding the business at large. I am excited about the design potential she brings to the team."
    - Chris D.

    2020

    "Elizabeth is a role model within the team for both task management and design file organization. She always brings a friendly and supportive attitude to every new challenge and instills confidence in her stakeholders. Known to be reliable and committed to her tasks, delivering quality work on time. Her UX work in all three portals; Employer, Consumer and Administrator has been outstanding and her efforts have won over the trust and enthusiasm of her development partners. A big win! Elizabeth stays true to our UX process and her partnership with our UX Research colleagues on the HSA Contribution Optimizer project is resulting in a highly intuitive, user friendly tool for our Consumer Portal."
    -Chris D.

    2021

    "All of Elizabeth's partners rave about her work and attitude. She is a pleasure to work with (that’s coming from both your design team and external partners). She's a creative talent, organizational whiz, and a key member of our UX team!
    -Drew K.

    2022

    "Elizabeth's contributions to our team organization and processes have been inspired and critical for our ability to retain quality and rapid delivery during a period of rapid growth. She is a strong emerging team leader, has navigated our reorg, providing support and stability to her team through this transition."
    - Eulah S.

    2023

    Elizabeth has made great strides in shifting her role. She is leaning into, and influencing, strategy and as a result becoming a valued contributor to the Line of Business. This is demonstrated by her inclusion in key conversations and her deep understanding of the Benefits space, key players and priorities. Her team models collaboration. The team is tight, organized and actively promotes a culture of rapid prototyping and experimentation. Her focus on organization pays big dividends for the ability of her team to deliver with time for ideation.
    - Eulah S.

    Looking Ahead

    As I reflect on these five years at WEX, I'm incredibly proud of what I have accomplished professionally, and excited about the team I have helped build. The world of benefits software is constantly evolving, providing new challenges and opportunities in UX design. I'm committed to continuing this journey of innovation, always striving to create digital experiences that are not just functional, but truly transformative for our users.