
San Francisco UXD
Building a community for design thinkers and doers
MY ROLE
Founder & Executive Director
TEAM
Core Lead and Support Team
SERVICES
01
Strategic Direction & Leadership
Repositioned SFUXD to meet evolving post-pandemic needs, aligning community vision with sustainable operations.
02
Service & Community Design
Designed an ecosystem of events, programs, and engagement structures grounded in research, community input, and core values.
03
Facilitation & Sensemaking
Guided participatory processes to surface insights, clarify purpose, and inform priorities based on community feedback synthesis.
CONTEXT
San Francisco UXD is a volunteer-run design community based in San Francisco, dedicated to empowering designers with the skills, connections, and confidence to create greater impact in their work and careers.
Process
User Interviews
Research Synthesis
Strategic Prioritization
Problem Definition
Goals & Objectives
User Archetypes
Solution Ideation
Solution Prioritization
Business Model
Operational Framework
System & Blueprint
Success Metrics
Initiatives Launch
Performance Analysis
Impact Assessment
Challenges
Successes
Next Steps
Discover
In the discover phase, my goal was to thoroughly understand the evolving landscape of the design community post-pandemic, identify the core challenges limiting designer growth, and uncover strategic opportunities for community impact. Rather than making assumptions about what designers needed, I conducted systematic research to map the problem space and understand the interconnected nature of community challenges.
Research Phase Approach
01
Landscape mapping
Conduct interviews across experience levels to understand UX experiences and the shifting design landscape.
02
Strategic prioritization
Narrow focus to top problem areas based on impact, prevalence, and organizational feasibility.
03
Deep validation
Validate problem depth, understand user experience, and uncover underlying systemic factors driving each challenge.
Phase 1: Landscape Mapping
Methods:
Subjects:
Role:
Experience:
Interviews
15 members, 5 non-members
Varied
Varied
"Companies just want deliverables.
It’s like everyone wants solutions — but no one wants to invest in understanding the problem."
- Shane P.
AFFINITY MAP

PROBLEM AREAS & DEFINITIONS
1.
Strategic design devaluation
Design is often seen as pixel pushing rather than strategic problem-solving, undervaluing designers’ expertise in research and human-centered thinking.
2.
Employee market challenges
Designers face a saturated job market and broken hiring practices that favor visuals over strategy, creating a mismatch between their skills and employer expectations.
3.
Career uncertainty
Many designers feel unclear about their career direction and struggle to position themselves confidently in a shifting landscape.
4.
Professional growth barriers
In-house designers often lack mentorship, feedback, and leadership pathways, limiting their growth and impact.
5.
Capability-application gap
Designers’ talents often go underused, while businesses fail to engage them effectively—wasting potential on both sides.
6.
Knowledge and education access
Access to quality design education and mentorship remains uneven, leaving many without the tools to grow.
7.
Community support deficit
Designers often lack a supportive peer network for feedback, inspiration, and shared growth—leading to isolation.
8.
Leadership understanding gap
Leaders often undervalue strategic and human-centered design, limiting its influence within organizations.
Phase 2: Strategic Prioritization
Method:
Framework :
Prioritization matrix
-
Community demand
-
Program fit
-
Experiment feasibility
STRATEGIC RATIONALE
​Our selection balances two "sweet spot" problems (high demand + high program fit) with one strategic stretch problem (employee market challenges) that's worth tackling despite lower program fit because of high community demand.
3-AXIS PRIORITIZATION MATRIX
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SELECTED PROBLEM AREAS
01
Strategic Design Devaluation
High demand
Perfect program fit
Easy experiments
02
Community Support Deficit
High demand
Perfect program fit
Easy experiments
03
Employment Market Challenges
Highest demand
Worth the program fit challenge
Phase 3: Deep Validation
Method:
Subjects:
Role:
Experience:
Interviews
9 members (3 per area)
Varied
Varied
While limited in scope, the interviews surfaced valuable insights into designer needs, though leadership and employer perspectives remain underrepresented.
SCOPE & LIMITATIONS
HIGH-LEVEL INSIGHTS
Strategic design devaluation
-
Organizations lack awareness of strategic design's value
-
Structural barriers prevent designers from business discussions
-
Misalignment between design incentives and other business units
-
Need for stronger stakeholder relationships and evidence of strategic contributions
Employee market challenges
-
Crowded job market with similar candidate qualifications
-
Skills-expectations mismatch creating frustrating hiring process
-
Need for tailored opportunities and clearer job descriptions
-
Lack of hiring process support
Community support deficit
-
Lack of meaningful professional connections for growth and feedback
-
Isolation during career transitions and job searches
-
Limited collaboration opportunities for freelancers and remote workers
-
Clear demand for structured support systems
"Design is trapped as a 'make it pretty' function, not a strategic one. We're fighting a lack of awareness, silos, and misaligned incentives."
"One of the biggest barriers is not having enough exposure or the right network. I want to feel inspired and be part of something"
"Being the only designer on my team, I feel super isolated. I really miss having someone to bounce ideas off of, or even a second pair of eyes."
THE OPPORTUNITY
How might we create community experiences that simultaneously address strategic devaluation, professional isolation, and employment challenges while building sustainable infrastructure for long-term impact?
Define
In the define phase, I established a clear strategic direction by synthesizing research insights into user archetypes, and solution opportunities. This phase transformed broad problem understanding into a focused strategic framework through systematic ideation and prioritization that would guide solution development.
User Archetypes
USER TYPES
BEHAVIORS
NEEDS
Job Seekers
Designers impacted by layoffs needing portfolio support and market navigation
-
Applying daily to many roles
-
Asking for portfolio/Interview feedback
-
Joining job search support groups
-
Actively netwoking online & at events
-
Stronger portfolio & positioning
-
Interview prep & practice
-
Peer support for long searches
-
Realistic market insights
-
Working solo with little team interaction
-
Looking for external validation
-
Joining virtual events for connection
-
Following design communities online
-
Consistent collaboration
-
Structured feedback or advice
-
Sense of belonging
-
Exposure to varied design perspectives
-
Advocating for design's strategic role
-
Seeking high-impact projects
-
Learning to speak the language of biz
-
Grow leadership skills or mentorship
-
Practice & visibility for strategic thinking
-
Peer feedback & advice
-
Intermediate-advanced strategic skills
-
Ways to share and connect
Isolated Designers
Remote/solo practitioners lacking community, collaboration, and feedback
Strategic Designers
Mid-senior practitioners frustrated by limited strategic influence and impact
Ideation
PRIORITIZATION MATRIX
High-level solution
Feasibility
Impact
Priority
Strategic Design Devaluation
Build strategic design skills and confidence
High
High
High
Increase opportunities to apply and showcase strategic design
High
High
High
Strengthen connection between design and business leadership
Low
High
Med
Foster communities of strategic design practice
High
Med
Med
Community Support Deficit
Foster meaningful connection and relationships
High
High
High
Provide targeted career transition support
Med
Med
Med
Deliver professional development and skill-building offerings
Med
Med
Med
Foster meaningful connection and relationships
High
Med
Med
Employment Market Challenges
Improve designers' understanding of the job market
High
Med
Med
Align design skills with evolving employer needs
Med
High
Med
Educate employers on design roles and effective hiring practices
Low
High
Low
Support designers in exploring alternative career pathways
High
Med
Med
Facilitate peer-to-peer feedback, sharing, and support
High
High
High
SOLUTION DESIGN PRINCIPLES
1
Strategic Impact
Every idea had to advance at least one core priority:
​
-
Help designers build strategic skills
-
Create ways to apply and showcase those skills
-
Enable connection, reflection, and peer learning
2
Feasibility & Sustainability
We focus on lightweight, low-cost ideas that:​
​
-
Could be run by a small volunteer team
-
Require minimal prep
-
Are flexible enough to test and iterate
SOLUTIONS & DOT VOTING
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Develop
In the develop phase, we designed the architecture and operational framework for our selected community programming, focusing on creating sustainable systems that could deliver consistent value while maximizing impact across multiple user needs.
Business Model - The Golden Triangle
Customer Segment
-
Emerging Designers
-
Practicing Designers
-
Strategic or Senior Designers
-
Design-Curious Professionals (optional)
Value Proposition
​​A space for designers and design-curious professionals to find their people, explore big ideas, share experiences, and strengthen design's impact in the world.
Revenue Streams
-
In-kind and financial sponsorships
-
Ticket sales (select events only)
-
Donation-based contribution model
-
Future: Paid membership tiers
Offerings Alignment Map

Operational Framework
Processes
-
Event planning & run-of-show
-
Content development workflows
-
Volunteer onboarding and toolkit
-
Partnership cultivation & outreach kits
Team Structure
-
Core team
-
Support team
Technology & Tools
-
Collaboration & planning (Notion, Figjam)
-
Communication (Slack, Google Meets)
-
Event & business ops (Luma, Google Drive)
-
Design tools (Figma, Canva)
Performance Measurement
-
Event attendance & engagement rates
-
Attendee satisfaction surveys
-
Partner and sponsor feedback
Programming Service Blueprint

QUICK INSIGHTS
Progressive engagement model
Community journey moved from low-risk discovery to high-value participation, reducing barriers to entry
Backstage complexity varies
High-engagement touchpoints (Design Jams, Workshops) require significant behind-the-scenes preparation vs low-barrier events
Platform dependencies
Service relies on Luma, WhatsApp, and venue relationships for delivery
​
Volunteer capacity bottleneck
Frontstage and backstage actions primarily depend on core organizer capacity, limiting scalability
Community driven value
Customer actions become increasingly collaborative, with memberes providing value to each other (peer feedback, Whatsapp community)
Success Metrics Framework
Primary Engagement Metrics
-
Event RSVPs, attendance rates, and growth rates
-
New member sign-ups
-
Member satisfaction scores (target: 4.0+) & feedback
Community Health
-
Observed peer connection and sense of belonging
-
Anecdotal signs of repeat attendance and referrals
-
​Format-specific community feedback
Value Validation Metrics
-
Willingness to to pay (free vs. paid)
-
Member feedback themes and quality
Operational Sustainability
-
Resource requirements per event
-
Event planning and execution efficiency
-
Volunteer capacity and workload distribution
Deliver
After implementing our initial programming strategy, we needed to understand what was working and why. This analysis of our first six months of events reveals which strategic assumptions proved correct, where we missed the mark, and what these insights mean for sustainable community building.
Implementation Rationale
Why did we start with our current solution set?
Community-first Model
These solutions addressed the most critical immediate need—peer support and genuine connection.
Low Barrier to Entry
Simple formats like book clubs and coworking could launch quickly without complex setup.
Multi-purpose Design
Each event type could tackle multiple problem areas with a single format.
Sustainable Foundation
These formats could run repeatedly without burning out volunteers or requiring major resources.
Key Results (Q1 - Q2)
PERFORMANCE METRICS
Event Type
Avg. RSVPs
Avg. Attendance
Attendance Rate
Avg. Satisfaction
Design Jams
21
66%
4.6/5
32
Portfolio Reviews
43
18
42%
4.0/5
Professional Growth Workshops
54
20
37%
4.7/5
Book Club
35
12
34%
N/A
Design Socials
120
20
17%
4.0/5
Coworking Sessions
57
12
21%
4.8/5
HIGHEST GROWTH
Design Jams
120% growth (20 → 44 RSVPs over quarters) despite $5-10 pricing
MOST IMPROVED COMMITMENT
Portfolio Reviews
Attendance rate jumped from 63% to 89% over the quarters
BEST SATISFACTION
Professional Growth Workshops
4.7/5 rating with strong RSVP and attendance rate numbers
COMMUNITY VOICE
Belonging & Inclusion
Multiple members describe feeling "instantly welcomed" despite being first-time attendees, validating our community-first approach over skill-first programming.
Professional Impact
Members credit SFUXD with meaningful career connections and inspiration they actively share with their teams, proving impact beyond social networking.
Peer Learning & Feedback
Members specifically value gaining "insider knowledge," "practical advice," and "constructive feedback" from diverse industry professionals.
Mike T.
"You made me feel instantly welcomed and I really enjoyed meeting you [...]. A big portion of my presentation [...] is about what I learned from this amazing community you have here."
Anna K.
"If you're hesitating about attending these events (especially solo), trust me—the design community is more welcoming than you imagine [...] what remains are meaningful connections and fresh perspectives..."
Tatiana M.
"Conversations at events like this help you gain insider knowledge and sometimes even uncover job leads that aren't publicly listed. Plus, engaging in these spaces helps build confidence over time."
Piram S.
"I heard stories from in house designers at big companies, startup founders, and designer at design agencies which all have given me so much insight on my own work + trajectory as a designer in 2025!"
Christina C.
"Thank you for the invaluable feedback on my case study! [...] I've made some key updates: Added a dedicated section to highlight project impact, improved headers for better readability."
Tany C.
"If you've never participated in a Design Jam, I highly recommend it. It's not just about the end result - it's about the process, the learning, and the connections you make along the way. Can't wait for the next one!"
Quality Recognition
Consistent praise for event organization and thoughtful details validates our investment in high-quality experiences over quantity-focused programming.
Jochen W.
"Great location, very well prepared/organized, plenty of useful supplies [...] Can't believe I haven't engaged with SFUXD previously. Looking forward to upcoming events!"
Franklin C
"It was a lovely event with amazing people! I'm grateful to have been part of it and to share the experience with some of my friends. A big thank you to San Francisco UXD for organizing such a fantastic gathering!"
Outcome & Impact
Achievement
Outcome
Impact
Validated market need
535% member growth (6x) in 6 months
Proves our community-first approach addresses real gaps in the Bay Area design ecosystem
​
Balanced quality and scale
Averaging 4.4 satisfaction scores across all event formats while scaling membership 6x
Shows member experience remained strong despite rapid growth — critical for sustainable service or business design
Designed multi-problem solutions and experiences
Members report professional growth, skill development, and social connection from individual community experiences
Demonstrates that experiences delivered layered value across personal and professional goals
Delivered high-impact,
low-lift offerings
27 events designed and run by volunteers in 6 month span
Shows ability to launch and sustain lightweight, high-value programming with limited resources
​
535%
Member growth in 6 months
3,099
New members in 6 months
27
Events in 6 months
4.4
Avg. satisfaction score
Reflect
Relaunching SFUXD required balancing ambitious vision with pragmatic constraints—a challenge that ultimately became our greatest strength. What began as a pivot from a global network to a local community evolved into a deeper understanding of how strategic research can inform organizational design. The process revealed that building community isn't just about bringing people together; it's about creating the conditions where human-centered thinking can flourish and spread beyond individual designers into the broader world.
CHALLENGES
SUCCESSES
Limited-perspective research across problem areas
Gathered deep insights from the design community but lacked perspectives from the other side of each challenge - executives, HR leaders, and organizational decision-makers who influence the systemic issues we identified.
Resource constraints vs. impact ambition
While structured planning helped maximize volunteer capacity, the scale of solutions needed to address the core problem areas uncovered far exceeded what a volunteer-run community organization could realistically tackle.
Measurement limitations in community impact
Basic attendance and feedback metrics provided some validation, but lacked the depth of measurement needed to truly understand behavior change, career outcomes, or long-term community health given our resource limitations.
Exceptional growth while maintaining quality
Demonstrated that volunteer-led operations could scale without sacrificing member experience or event quality, proving that authentic community building can achieve sustainable growth when grounded in real user needs.
Research-driven market success
Interview insights directly informed community approach, creating programming that resonated deeply with member needs as evidenced by sustained growth, satisfaction scores, and positive member feedback across diverse event formats.
Sustainable systems under volunteer constraints
Built operational frameworks and processes that enabled consistent, impactful programming across diverse event formats while managing all-volunteer teams, creating scalable systems that could maintain excellence despite resource limitations.
Next Steps
01
Deepen the impact
Move beyond surface-level support toward more intentional, layered experiences — creating space for deeper learning, reflection, and design growth.
02
Partnerships and revenue
Develop sustainable, mission-aligned partnerships and explore diverse revenue opportunities to support consistent growth while maintaining our volunteer-led ethos.
03
Design for what's next
Create space for future-facing dialogue — through speculative events, expert-led talks, and programming that helps designers think systemically and ahead.