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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
My years at WEX have been transformative, both professionally and personally. Here are some key lessons and areas of growth:
The following quotes were pulled directly from performance evaluations and reviews I have received during my time at WEX.
"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.
"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.
"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.
"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.
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.
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.