A week in the life of a Design Team Lead
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“There isn’t a golden ticket to creativity or innovation—it’s both a nature and nurture thing, so we find the moments when we need it and try different methods to bring it out of us.” - Memie Huang
Welcome to another edition of “A week in the life,” where we highlight the incredible individuals who power TheyDo. This time, we step into the world of design with Memie Huang, our talented Design Team Lead, who believes creativity is about “inspiration, not force.” Memie wears both strategic and creative hats to foster innovation while empowering her team to thrive. From reducing design debt to uncovering her team’s unique superpowers, Memie leads with creative intention. Here’s her story:
What does a typical week in your role as Design Team Lead look like?
It generally starts with reviewing what the week looks like in terms of meetings and projects, and it usually ends with me completing a bunch of work I didn’t anticipate. Wearing both a Design Lead and People Leader hat means my week is a mix of supporting my team to ensure they can succeed, driving strategic design thinking, and jumping into code to create some design QA PRs.
It’s a constant balancing act between what needs my attention now and where I can have the greatest impact—whether that’s supporting the design team, my product team, or working alongside other functional leads.
What are the most rewarding aspects of leading the design team, and what challenges keep you on your toes?
It’s been so rewarding to uncover where each designer’s superpowers are and see where their energy comes through in the variety of projects we support here at TheyDo.
Design as a career path has always thrived on diversity—different backgrounds, experiences, and approaches—and this team is a great example of that.
What keeps me drawn to startup life is the constant change and growth—not just in the company and product but in how we work. As we grow our ambitions, we have to continuously iterate on how the design team can have the most impact. The challenge is knowing when to slow down and reduce design debt versus when to focus on designing opportunities that inspire our teams and customers.
How do you collaborate with other teams, such as engineering, product management, and GTM?
At TheyDo, we really prioritize a strong engineering, product, and design (EPD) trio dynamic. Together, we’re constantly defining the what, the why, and the how.
Our collaboration with GTM teams, including Sales, Customer Success, and our Journey Management Coaches, happens at different points in the Triple Diamond process:
In the beginning, not only helping us identify the biggest opportunities but also collaborating to tie them directly to measurable business impact.
During solution delivery, continuously connecting us to the right customer partners to bring into our process to drive and validate ideas.
At release, when we align on enablement materials, host demos, and collaborate on strategies to educate customers on how our designs and features can address their needs.
How do you foster creativity and innovation in your team?
This is a tough one because fostering creativity and innovation can feel hard to drive without coming off as inauthentic.
These things show up differently for different people, so I’ve found it’s useful to focus on finding inspiration at the right moments rather than trying to create something with the sole intent to inspire.
Some examples:
When I find an interesting article, I’ll share it and include prompts or questions to spark a discussion.
When we’re stuck on a design interaction, I’ll suggest exploring on Mobbin (big fan of that site!) to see how products in different industries tackle similar challenges.
When we hit a product problem, I’ll step in with the designer—or the whole team—and whiteboard ideas. We’ll use metaphors, words, or flows to break it down.
There’s no golden ticket to creativity or innovation. It’s part nature and part nurture, and we find the right methods as we go.
How do you balance user needs with business goals in the design process?
The approach is similar to any other function—it’s about striving for balance. Sometimes, it’s obvious; other times, there are tough trade-offs.
In the Enterprise space, there’s an extra layer of complexity: how do we best support our customers so they can, in turn, support theirs? The challenge is balancing simple usability with enough depth to fully support a wide range of use cases.
The best experience for one persona using TheyDo can sometimes compete with the needs of the larger Enterprise they’re part of. That’s where we lean on first principles to guide us.
How do you incorporate user feedback into your designs?
At TheyDo, we use the triple diamond framework that powers our model, so every opportunity starts with insights—whether from users, the business, or the product.
We’re a small, scrappy team, and we often need to make quick decisions. I’d be lying if I said we have the time to validate every single design decision, but we stay close to our customers to consistently refine our understanding of each persona’s needs. A key part of this process is the feedback about user needs that we gather from our GTM team, which provides actionable insights.
We also have the luxury of being customers of our own product. A lot of the problems our customers face are ones we face, too. It’s both a blessing and a curse!
How has your role evolved since you joined TheyDo, and what have been the key milestones in your journey?
One of our values at TheyDo is ‘cloak’s off,’ so here’s mine: this is my first time managing a team of this size and leading the design organization as a whole.
When I first started, I spent a lot of time absorbing, reflecting, and reacting—on the state of design culture, stakeholder management, and design quality. Now, I’m creating more space to be proactive in leading the team, shaping our design strategy, and empowering my team to make an impact in their problem spaces.
I’m particularly proud of a few milestones during my time at TheyDo. Leading the redesign of the journey experience was a big one—it was a true team effort, and seeing it come together was incredibly rewarding. I also had my first tough feedback conversation, which was a learning moment for me. I realized the importance of giving clear, actionable feedback and how much that impacts morale and growth.
Another milestone was setting healthy boundaries with our design founder, which helped us align expectations and create a more balanced dynamic. And, on a more hands-on note, I pushed my first pull request to dive deeper into how TheyDo is built—definitely a proud moment for me as a leader learning more about the technical side of things.
What project have you worked on at TheyDo that you’re especially proud of, and why?
This year, the design team focused on three goals: cleaning up the basics, crafting a vision for the future, and connecting design with other functions to maximize impact.
The journey redesign was a highlight, but we also rebuilt our design system and established a process to address small, incremental improvements.
Cleaning up basics isn’t about one big redesign—it’s about fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The design system helps us stay accessible and consistent, while the small-but-mighty improvements process ensures we keep making meaningful changes.
What makes TheyDo’s culture unique from a design perspective?
We’re lucky to be in the small group of companies started by a design founder. Design is embedded in TheyDo’s DNA, so we don’t have to argue for its value. Instead, our discussions are about how we can raise the bar even higher.
What excites you most about the future of product design at TheyDo?
Just like TheyDo is creating and leading the journey management category, our design team is figuring out how to set the standard for interaction design within this space.
And I have to say, I’m excited about all the cool AI work we’re doing. There’s something thrilling about robots and computers taking over mundane tasks—it opens up so many possibilities for creativity and growth.