THE TRADE DESK

END-TO-END TEAM LEAD

OUR TEAM Objectives

E2E Vision, Framework, Incubation We focus on aligning with business goals, exploring new platform experiences, and innovating in information architecture and design.

Consistency and Systemization The E2E team prioritizes platform-wide consistency to enhance usability and build trust. This streamlines operations and allows teams to focus on strategic initiatives.

Shared Resources and Feature Development The E2E team facilitates support, fosters transparency, and promotes knowledge sharing across design teams. We collaborate with product pillars to incubate features and rapidly prototype, bolstering our product's competitive edge.

My Role

People Manager, Design Leader, Senior Individual Contributor, Facilitator

The Team

Interaction Designers, Visual Designers, & Systems Designers

Stakeholders

Design Vp, Design Director, Ux Team, Systems Engineering Team

Element Guidelines

Page Templates

Light Mobile (Inventory Manager) App

Dark Mobile (Campaign Management) App

Overview

As a senior design team lead, I led our team through the complexities of enhancing mobile and responsive user experiences in a unique landscape.

1. Our journey was marked by structural platform issues that posed significant challenges to achieving responsiveness.

2. We recognized that in the highly competitive mainland China market, offering a native app or an integration with a super-app like Tencent’s WeChat was table stakes.

3. It was imperative for us to not only meet but exceed user expectations. We delved into best practices for native apps and responsive web UX, meticulously considering factors such as dark mode versus light mode to ensure a seamless user experience that resonated with our diverse user base.

Responsive Guides

Retrospective

Through strategic leadership and a deep commitment to user-centric design, we navigated these challenges and delivered points of view that could easily be picked up when the organization was ready.

After the Solimar Release, I led our team in addressing consistent feedback about eye strain and the demand for dark mode. Collaborating with our research team, we found that users often worked in low-light environments, some with astigmatism, exacerbating the eye strain caused by our light interface. Furthermore, it was clear that users overwhelmingly favored dark mode. We then meticulously designed dark mode to meet accessibility standards while aligning with our brand guidelines.

The Fit & Finish Process is a quarterly collaboration between engineering and design, strategically addressing design debt. Our UX team identifies and resolves UI issues through a Ux Bug Bash, working closely with engineering to implement solutions.

What it Achieves: Our main focus is fixing style inconsistencies in the live Solimar system that don't align with Cobblestone specifications, requiring copywriting adjustments and final design refinements.

What it Doesn't Address: It's important to note that the Fit & Finish Process is not geared towards resolving more extensive UX issues, such as those found in PMP, Creatives, Reports, and other areas.

Beta Phase: Starting in Q3, with dedicated a dedicated front-end resource, we improved buy dialog experiences. However, more resources are needed to fully address post-Solimar design debt, given the extensive list of related issues.

Recurring Need: The Fit & Finish Process is recurring, requiring dedicated time from both UX and engineering teams. While it incurs costs, we anticipate reduced resource needs over time through continuous improvement and UX quality assurance (Ux QA).

As the lead facilitator, Design Ops collaborated closely with UX project Managers (PMs) in a weekly design and PM scrum. This initiative aimed to ensure alignment on work progress and transparently address potential overlaps within the Trade Desk's velocity product culture. Each pillar lead identified relevant workstreams to highlight, facilitating targeted discussions with follow-ups as necessary.

E2E Team Wins

As the team lead and senior UX designer for The Trade Desk's E2E team, I've overseen remarkable success. I've mentored and guided my talented colleagues, resulting in successful product launches and initiatives. These achievements strengthened our platform and led to multiple promotions for team members. It has been an exciting journey, and I look forward to more accomplishments in the future.