Product design strategy: Aligning purpose, people, and product to drive meaningful outcomes
Type of project
Strategic leadership initiative developed and implemented as part of my role as Head of Product Design at The Floow, spanning multiple product lines, platforms, and organisational touchpoints.
Company & product overview
The Floow partners with insurers globally to provide mobile apps that improve driver behaviour, reduce risk, and support safer mobility. These products include scoring systems, journeys, crash detection, policy management, and connected car features, all requiring cohesive design vision.
Skills & area of focus
Design strategy, cross-functional leadership, product visioning, customer journey mapping, systems thinking, prioritisation, OKR alignment, experience architecture, stakeholder communication.
Project problem or purpose
Design was doing good work, but disconnected from upstream product strategy. Roadmaps were reactive, user insight was under-leveraged, and design wasn't always part of strategic decision-making. We needed a design strategy that could connect our craft to measurable outcomes, unify fragmented product experiences, and elevate design’s role across the organisation.
Roles, responsibilities, & team
I led the design strategy across all core product areas. This included close collaboration with Product, Engineering, and Data leadership. I worked with my team of designers and researchers to shape the future experience direction and build strategic alignment into our planning processes.
Timeline, scope, constraints
This was a long-term, multi-phase strategy initiative with short-term deliverables and long-term vision. Initial alignment work took ~8 weeks, with quarterly check-ins built into product OKRs. Constraints included competing priorities, siloed team structures, and a shifting roadmap influenced by insurer-client requests.
Process & what I did
I started by mapping the full customer journey across our app portfolio, highlighting gaps, friction points, and missed moments of value. I facilitated alignment workshops to clarify our product’s north star, then built a design strategy framework with three core pillars:
Clarity of Experience (reduce friction, increase trust)
Modularity & Scale (design systems, consistency, reusability)
Engagement & Behavioural Impact (motivation, feedback, performance)
I embedded these into roadmap planning, OKRs, design reviews, and hiring decisions. I also created artefacts, like experience maps, future-state concepts, and success metrics, to align teams and leadership.
Outcomes, results, & lessons
Design began shaping product direction earlier and more effectively. Our initiatives became more focused on outcomes than outputs. We saw increased cross-team clarity, better prioritisation, and greater confidence in experience planning. Most importantly, design earned a seat at the strategy table, not just delivery. The big takeaway: design strategy isn’t about documents, it’s about enabling better decisions, clearer direction, and more impactful products.
