Funke Abdul

I am a product design leader with experience in leading and coaching high performing teams, crafting design strategy and guiding business transformation through design. I enjoy bringing simplicity to complex situations and collaborate closely with cross functional partners to drive user outcomes.

Experience

Okta, Remote

Senior Product Design Manager, November 2022 - Present

I lead a team of designers building the Okta Identity Governance (OIG) product suite. The OIG design team builds user experiences that enable enterprise administrators to manage and govern access to resources and entitlements.

Collaborate with cross functional partners to identify and define product and UX strategy for the OIG product and
Lead the user experience strategy and execution for Okta identity Governance products.
Evolve product design team craft and process by defining and managing design rituals to support team's success and cross-functional collaboration
Evangelize design thinking and identify opportunities to socialize design thinking and enthusiasm within Okta.
Develop and grow designers through 1:1 mentoring; maintain weekly 1:1s in addition to monthly 1:1s focused solely on career growth.

VMware, Remote

Product Design Manager, April 2021 - November 2022

I led a team of designers building user experiences related to the VMware Tanzu Application Platform (TAP). This team focused on designing all aspects of the user experience for DevSecOps (development, operations, and security) teams with a goal to simplify application deployment on any cloud.

Collaborated with product management, engineering, and technical leadership to deliver solutions that reflect user goals and business outcomes.
Defined and drive the design strategy with focus on delivering incremental value with each release.
Supported designers on my team by setting SMART performance goals, manage workload by creating design sprints, ensure team happiness by reviewing team health assessments and fostering an open culture of feedback.
Promoted a culture of collaboration and inclusivity through recruitment of top tier diverse talent, regular brainstorming and critique sessions, solicit and provide regular feedback to designers.
Focused on developing and growing designers through 1:1 mentoring; maintain weekly 1:1s in addition to monthly 1:1s focused solely on career growth. Providing regular feedback and formally during performance review.

Thales Avionics, Irvine, CA

Experience Manager - UX, November 2016 - April 2021

I was responsible for defining the user experience of an Airline’s In-Flight Entertainment system. I led a team of designers in defining and creating the interaction design, information architecture and product strategy for Airline clients. I worked closely with product architects, system engineers and clients (Qatar, Oman Air, Hainan Airlines etc) to bring a singular focus on the end user’s goals.

Defined the user interface with focus on end-to-end scenarios and user tasks.
Developed and shared customer insights by defining non-functional requirements; ensuring that final user interface meets software quality requirements.
Responsible for defining product features and outlining how these will be implemented.
Conducted research to identify design patterns and work with development teams on creating a framework to build these patterns.
Created and advocated for resources and budget for the design team.

Magento Commerce, Culver City, CA

UX Designer & Researcher, October 2015 - September 2016

I worked closely with the product and development teams in an agile/scrum environment to design the features for the Magento Marketplace product. I planned and conducted usability tests on the Marketplace and Digital Commerce platforms, created user research templates, user testing scripts and usability reports.

Designed the Marketplace in-app experience store for the Magento Digital Commerce platform.
Redesigned the installation, upgrade and extensions management process of Magento platform.
Responsible for designing the features for the Magento Marketplace product.
Created simple, elegant design concepts and wireframes for complex Marketplace features.
Worked with engineers in transfer of visual assets and support the implementation of my designs.

eBay Enterprise, King of Prussia, PA

UX Designer & Researcher, January 2013 - September 2015

I led the user interface and experience design for eBay Commerce Marketing Platform. I created and defined the structure of the eCommerce platforms and websites of our clients. The client’s eCommerce websites I worked on include Sony, PetSmart, eBay Careers website, Karmaloop, GNC. I conducted user research, created personas, wireframes and interactive HTML prototypes for usability testing.

Worked collaboratively across development, product management and executive management teams to iteratively deliver wireframes, prototypes for new eCommerce features and platform.
Led strategic planning meetings for UX, catalyzing team innovation and collaboration.
Helped define MVP, product features and conducted focus groups to discover user needs.
Created and contributed to budget allocations, schedules and timelines.

MRM McCann, Princeton, NJ

User Experience Specialist, May 2012 - December 2012

I created delightful user experiences by translating business requirements into engaging concepts and interaction models. The clients I worked with include IHOP, ETS, Nature Valley, Yervoy, Clear Eyes

Reviewed business requirements, created personas and scenarios to better define user groups.
Assisted with day-to-day user interaction design and information architecture of product features.
Created wireframes to communicate interface, site flows, page layouts and UI specifications to define intended user experience for websites and mobile applications.
Worked closely with the development teams to ensure that the workflow reflects the user’s needs.

Education

Drexel University - Master Of Science, Information Systems

Babcock University - Bachelor of Computer Science