Australia

Design Operations

UX Design

Customer Experience (CX)

James Earnshaw

Digital Design Lead

Product strategy

Prototyping

Communication

Collaboration

Problem-solving

Critical-thinking

Presentation skills

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Design systems

Optimal Workshop

InVision

Miro

Adobe Creative Suite

Understand the process of training, motivating and directing your team members.

Managing people

Steps to building and maintaining a strong, cohesive and effective team.

Building an effective team

Learn the tips to successfully manage a team in a remote environment.

Managing a remote team

Decision making as a software engineer or lead - how to become better at making the right choices

Making better tech choices

Telstra Enterprise, Australia’s leading telecommunications company, is dedicated to delivering cutting-edge networks and transformative experiences for local businesses. Recently, the marketing team devised a new strategic direction to be implemented on Telstra.com/enterprise, aiming for an integrated, top-tier digital customer experience.
Leading the redesign project, I conducted extensive research to understand customer preferences and the role of digital channels. This included competitor analysis and aligning strategies with market trends towards technology partnerships.
With a project budget of $400k per quarter and $3 million projected for FY24, I delivered:
It enhanced the digital channel experience for new and existing enterprise customers.
Mapped user journeys across multiple pages using wireframes and prototypes.
Ensured AA accessibility standards in design and development.
Implemented design-ops methodologies for seamless collaboration.
Conducted executive presentations and workshops for stakeholder engagement.
Key Outcomes:
Improved customer engagement and satisfaction.
Streamlined user journeys, leading to increased lead generation.
Compliance with accessibility standards.
Efficient collaboration and clear communication of project trajectory.

I managed a design team of 14 across UX, UI, content, and research. In this role, I was the design leader for the design chapter work with six squads in an agile program of work of ~100 people across POs, BAs, and Developers.

Achievement: In two years, the platform scaled from 12% of transactions provisioned digitally to 43% and grew active customers from 6,000 to more than 13,800, enabling a material shift in the Telstra Enterprise service model. This was achieved by redesigning the platform with a solid North Star vision and implementing the design chapter methodologies, which allowed for more customer-centric delivery outcomes and increased NPS from negative to double digits in my time.

Job responsibilities:
- Delivering a new digital experience and product proposition for enterprise customers and agents.
- Mapping journeys and blueprints
- Championing AA accessibility in design and development
- Creating design-ops across development, product, content, and design to accelerate handover and streamline delivery
- Conducting executive presentations and workshops to communicate feature releases and experience uplifts
- Contributing to a standardised and best practice design process with documentation of design methods and examples for the ~80 designers in Telstra Digital
- Contributing to the development of a design system and way of working for designers at scale
- Embedding agile cadences and ways of working in the design team
- Supporting capacity planning alongside training and development opportunities for the team

In November 2018, I supported the delivery of the next generation of customer self-service platforms working as a Senior UX Designer, which grew from July 2019, functioning as the UX design lead for the self-service native app (iOS /Android) and web, I was responsible for 14 UX designers, ensuring they could achieve their best and meet the expected outcomes for the business.
In partnership with the Design Chapter leaders, I have helped bring to life a strong Design Ops approach, an exceptional design process and true design thinking to deliver the velocity and traceability demanded of an enterprise at scale.
I work closely with business stakeholders to execute their strategic outcomes across their self-service channels with millions of users. Often being the voice for the customer in the room (DVF), I can influence positive customer and design-centric outcomes with technology teams and senior stakeholders.

As a leading member of the Symplicit Customer Experience and Innovation team, I guide the delivery of projects, assisting in discovering new and innovative ways to engage with customers.
I have been responsible for planning and managing customer-centric design strategy across product suites for Symplicit’s leading enterprise clients, including wealth management, telecommunications, and government. From strategic direction to an increase in design integrity across several teams I utilise a range of development processes', to align business needs with team capabilities throughout the project’s life-cycle.

Key clients and projects: Telstra (UX Design lead, Nov 2018-ongoing), ANZ (Home insurance customer research), Services South Australia  (VR user research: Spacial design and build environments)

In the role, I developed and executed comprehensive CX strategies to support the National Manager UX. I have a proven track record of reimagining user experience, from designing walls to communicating our vision to leading sketching activities with both design team members and broad business stakeholders using a collaborative approach. I hosted workshops to uncover end-user needs and journeys and oversaw research and customer testing requirements with assigned research vendors. In this capacity, I developed testing briefs and scripts, attended testing sessions, and transformed test findings into practical design solutions.
I created wireframes, journey maps, scenarios, and other design artifacts. I effectively collaborated with UX and UI team members to ensure the delivery of exceptional-quality design solutions. Demonstrating my leadership abilities, I effectively managed stakeholder expectations and feedback and actively participated in and led project meetings and rituals.

Highlights:
Some key highlights of my career included mentoring a Graduate who transitioned from considering herself as a BA to becoming a talented UX designer with a passion for user research in just three months.
Another significant achievement was successfully creating deflection customer journeys for call centre contacts. Following design thinking methodologies, which involved a meticulous process of discovery leading to understanding user needs and behaviours, ultimately led to increased self-help outcomes. 
One of my key strategies was using Design Thinking to help stakeholders enhance sentiment through data-driven insights. This approach improved stakeholder satisfaction and demonstrated my ability to use innovative methods to achieve business goals.

Worked as a UX designer in a fast-paced, agile agency, whose work had momentum and focus.
Was tasked with helping bring a product to market for a global marketplace brand.
To achieve this I conducted research, collaborated on strategy, co-designed and sketched ideas which contributed to the final user experience.
Highlights: Relaxed and productive work atmosphere, agile work environment, robust user research, experience design focus, product prototyping through validation.

Working with product managers, architects and teams of developers to continuously deliver improvements to Westpac online and mobile banking.
Features include; On boarding flows, digital migration  solutions, credit card offer programs, homeloan customer enhancement programs, data visualisations for improved customer experience around savings.

Deliverables: Facilitating workshops with business stakeholders, user research, user testing, user journey mapping, sketching, designing detailed wireframes, clickable prototypes to test with customers, all the way through to delivery in a fast agile environment.

Creating synergy between CX and Operational teams. Working as part of the Westpac GEL team to support the Re-Imagined Banking project for Bank of Melbourne
Using a design system focus on the governance of CX 
Ensure the established GEL principles were being adhered to
Working with design, developers, producers, and CX teams to achieve the strategic goals of production efficiency; multi-brand; and accessibility were delivered.
Making sure that CX concepts and intents were able to be maintained throughout the project from concept to delivery
Workshops to establish the baselines for production efficiency with the AEM platform
Following a mobile-first and responsive model  
Stakeholder engagement with impact on several departments from CX and Visual Design to Production and Technology. Often with stakeholders having specific and sometimes divergent objectives.

Deliverables: journey mapping, sketching, wireframes, prototyping, interaction design, visual design, presentations for senior stakeholders, workshop facilitation, accessible user interfaces.

As the Design consultant I was responsible for the design for new tenders and client redesigns. It was the role of the design consultant to be the champion for Computershares clients customers. I did this by using all the tools of UI, UX, UCD, workshops and design skills honed over 20 years to achieve that goal.
For Computershare the design consultant was crucial at all phases of the sales and development cycle. From woking with sales on pitches and tenders to creating redesigns which were taken from workshops to development. 
• Working as a facilitator for design workshops designing personalised communication pieces for both print and digital channels.
• Creating Customer communications that include personalised correspondence, emails, statements, forms and direct marketing.
• Provide direction for the design and usability of electronic forms, web and mobile applications where these solutions were required.
• Challenge existing practices and provide strategic direction to guide clients
• Helping Clients discover and define the best Computershares technologies to use to achieve their customers journey. From channel choice to frequency of messaging and what to say.
• Leading and coordinating teams across various skill sets whether developers, PMs or BAs to always maintaining the link between the client’s desires and achievable to support the delivery of the solution design (and relevant documentations)
• Managing not only Sydney client base but also Perth, Brisbane and a number of regional clients from Newcastle to Toowoomba
• Working closely with clients marketing and brand teams to ensure any communications are represented regardless of the technologies used.
• Influence the outcome of client proposals through the design and pitching, presentations, as well as across written responses for customer specific communication solutions.

At Pixels or Ink we aimed to give our clients the highest level of design and production whether it is the finest linen or cotton stocks on a range of collateral to helping you take your brand successfully online, we can assist with a variety of packages and options to suit your budget.

As an art director worked on the smooth running of the art departments of all three NWN publication.
Coordinating the traffic of illustrations through the department. Rostering and budgeting of casual staff for all publications. Stepping in as a designer for The Daily Telegraph features department, as need required, which covers edition and pre-press as well as one-off special projects that come to the department.

Senior Designer working on features pages and covers for Sydney's Metro newspaper. High turn over of design for a nightly newspaper cover Food, Computer, IT, Music and Motoring

Graphics and feature design for New York cities largest selling tabloid. In true “Murdoch” tabloid style the Post was a vibrant and exciting newsroom with passionate journalists and photographers working with highly talented designers.
As with most tabloids tight deadlines and news stories breaking constantly in “the city that never sleeps” made for fast paced decisions and workflow.

A coffee table style magazine for Brisbane’s emerging inner-city market. Seeing a gap in the local street press of poor quality
and advitorial content driven newspaper style magazines. Myself and 2 colleagues decided to create a high quality sophisticated product that would engage and excite a new market for Brisbane’s urban dwellers.

As the art director, I was responsible for creating content and managing a staff of 15 designers for the newspaper. Rostering or juggling casual and perm staff requirements whilst getting out a daily national newspaper.
This covered designing and designers creating content for features, sports, and lift outs, as well as the graphics team supplying to news, foreign and finance. As the senior creative, I was called in to create mock-ups for new sections/lift outs and supply advertising with material to take on the road for our clients. As the web grew in prominence overseeing the overall look of the website, through a substantially redesign, and the creation of graphics for use online and establishing workflow parameters for graphic content to migrate to the website.

Management of nightly graphics and traffic flow as well as the management and rostering of 8-12 artists

Working on Promotional material for events. Creating print advertising for high-end brands and magazines. Promotional material for client gifts

At News Limited as a graphic designer included a wide variety of disciplines including page design, information graphics, digital illustration, photo manipulation, and retouching. High-quality artwork for some of Australia's most influential newspapers. From maps and information graphics of natural disasters such as bushfires and floods, disasters from 9/11 to Bali bombings.
I worked closely with editors in the design of the front page for The Daily Telegraph, which involved typography, colour selection and photo selection of editorial and marketing elements of the page. Often with breaking news events, these pages needed to be redesigned only minutes from the deadline.

James Earnshaw🇦🇺

About James Earnshaw

Expertise

Sessions with James Earnshaw

What mentees say