SCALING PRODUCT DESIGN AT REEF
THE CHALLENGE
I joined REEF during the height of COVID, at a time when hiring experienced product designers was exceptionally difficult. As the market rebounded from early layoffs, competition for talent increased sharply, and REEF—an emerging company with a misunderstood product offering—struggled to attract senior design candidates.
At the same time, the organization was undergoing significant change:
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The core product centered on parking garages and a mobile parking app
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The business was expanding into new concepts, including food trucks operating within REEF-owned properties
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Product teams were scaling rapidly across multiple verticals
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There was no formal product design team, no design system, and no shared operating model
Design capacity, structure, and influence had not kept pace with the company’s growth ambitions
ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS IN PRACTICE
DESIGN APPROACH
Rather than relying solely on external hiring in a constrained market, I focused on building a scalable product design organization from the ground up, combining internal talent, targeted external hires, and foundational systems.
The approach included:
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Assessing internal talent to identify individuals with aptitude and interest in product design
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Leveraging my professional network to bring in experienced product designers comfortable operating in ambiguity
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Supplementing the team with specialized roles, including a copywriting strategist and a consultant for early assessment and auditing
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Allocating internal resources to establish a dedicated design systems role
As the team took shape, I continuously evaluated skill sets and rebalanced designers across product teams to align strengths with evolving needs. This required active negotiation with product leaders who felt ownership over “their” design resources, and consistent reinforcement of why shared practices and collaboration were essential for scale.
In parallel, I established the operating model for product design:
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Introduced design reviews and workshops to improve alignment and quality
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Created onboarding frameworks to help new designers ramp quickly and consistently
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Defined expectations for how design partnered with product and engineering
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Began developing a design career path and skills matrix to support growth, leveling, and promotion conversations
I also worked to reset the relationship between design and engineering—shifting from directive, solution-first dynamics toward collaborative problem-solving that balanced user needs with technical feasibility.
OUTCOMES
The work resulted in:
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A fully formed product design organization supporting multiple product verticals
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Increased design capacity despite a highly constrained hiring environment
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Improved alignment between design, product, and engineering teams
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Early design systems and shared standards to support consistency
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Foundational practices that improved onboarding, collaboration, and delivery quality
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A clearer path for designer growth and progression
Design evolved from an ad hoc function into an embedded, scalable organizational capability that could grow alongside REEF’s expanding business model.
DECISIONS I INFLUENCED
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Determined a blended talent strategy combining internal development, network hiring, and targeted specialists
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Influenced how design resources were allocated and rebalanced across rapidly scaling product teams
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Established shared design practices and operating rhythms to support consistency and quality
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Shaped expectations for cross-functional collaboration between design, product, and engineering
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Defined early frameworks for design onboarding, career development, and growth