Jared Lewandowski🇺🇸

About Jared Lewandowski

Founder at Umbrella Sports

Beyond fortunate to have enjoyed a career focused on helping organizations and teams connect with their customers and audiences, delivering research-based strategies, and outcome-based experiences which exceed expectations. Currently, Design Leader at IQVIA Digital, Founder of Umbrella Sports, and creator of SmartGrip Golf, helping athletes around the world improve faster than ever before. SmartGrip is a motion-enabled golf grip aid permitted for use in USGA-sanctioned golf competitions.

Formerly, Parsons Xtreme Golf (PXG), OKX, GoDaddy, Handy, AncestryDNA, LDS Church

Expertise

Sessions with Jared Lewandowski

• Discovery Call (20 min): This discovery call is designed to get to know better and provide you with the some initial guidance and support. Whether you’re a student looking to break into the field or a professional seeking to enhance your skills, this free session offers a unique opportunity to learn from my experience and gain valuable insights into the industry.
• First-time Founders Crash Course (30 min): As a designer-founder, I've learned a lot about what it takes to turn an idea into something tangible. Now, I'd like to share with you the mistakes I've made as well as some of the things that worked along the way. In this advanced session, we'll discuss the fundamentals of solo entrepreneurship and what it takes to innovate on a budget. Learn startup fundamentals, how to quickly validate ideas, and create a compelling business plan. Master marketing, process management, the beauty of design sprints, and how to navigate challenges.
• Intro to UX & Agile (30 min): In these advanced sessions, we will explore the power of UX-driven metrics and how they can drive better user experiences. As the saying goes, "What gets measured gets done." By focusing on UX metrics, we can ensure that our products and services truly improve people's lives. 1. Empowering Your Agile Teams: Transform your teams' KPIs and OKRs to be human-centered. Discover how this shift in mindset will enable your Agile teams to view their most important wins as improvements in users' lives. 2. Rewarding Best-Designed Products: Gain insights into how your executives and key stakeholders can reward teams for delivering the best-designed products. 3. Uncovering Ongoing Costs: Track critical metrics that demonstrate the impact of poorly-designed products on your organization. Join us for this enlightening session and unlock the potential of UX-driven measurements to elevate your organization's success!
• Intro to Product Experience Visions (30 min): Product experience visions are crucial for organizations as they provide a compelling narrative that showcases the potential impact of their ideas on users’ lives. These visions are stories that depict how a user’s experience would be transformed in the future. In these advanced sessions, we will dive into the following topics: 1. Empowering Your Team: Learn how to ensure that your team and stakeholders have a *clear understanding* of how their work is *improving people's lives*. Discover the secrets to fostering a collaborative environment that drives innovation. 2. Crafting Great UX: Get everyone on the same page about what great UX looks like. Uncover the art of creating intuitive, seamless, and delightful user experiences that leave a lasting impression. 3. Driving Long-Term Success: Explore how the next release's features play a *critical role* in your long-term UX vision. Gain insights into aligning your product roadmap with your users' evolving needs and aspirations.
• Portfolio Review (30 min): In these advanced sessions, we will explore the power of portfolio reviews in product design and how they can help you showcase your skills and stand out from the competition. Session 1: Initial review focused on your current portfolio and resume, as well as better understanding your skills, goals, and experience. Session 2: Final review of updated portfolio and resume, how to optimize your LinkedIn page, as well as how to stand out with recruiters. You will learn how to prepare for a product design portfolio review by crafting a compelling presentation that highlights your design process and problem-solving abilities. We will discuss the importance of selecting a case study that demonstrates your capabilities as a designer and showcases your ability to work in a team. You will also discover effective strategies for structuring your portfolio presentation, including introducing yourself, providing an overview of your design process, and reflecting on the impact of your work.
• Design Leadership (45 min): In this session, we will explore the role of design leadership in fostering creativity and driving innovation within organizations. We will discuss the key principles and strategies that design leaders can employ to inspire their teams, promote collaboration, and deliver exceptional user experiences. Typical agenda includes: Session 1: Intros, background, journey thus far, interests, goals. Session 2: Communication, XFN collaboration, mindset shifts, and design strategies. Session 3: Plan of action, milestones, deliverables, worksheets, and success metrics. By the end of these sessions, you will have gained valuable insights into the role of design leadership in driving business success through effective design practices. You will leave with actionable strategies that you can apply within their own organizations to elevate your design capabilities and deliver exceptional user experiences.

What mentees say

“Jared is an incredible mentor who brought clarity, direction, and actionable advice to our conversation. Our session was packed with high-level strategic thinking and practical steps I could immediately apply. He challenged me to refine how I position myself as a product designer, helping me think more deeply about what I want to be known for and how to align my messaging accordingly.”

“Very happy we had to connect and would love to meet again! I appreciate your willingness to help”

“We talked just a bit, but it made a hige impact. Need a level headed and insightful mentor? Jared is your dude. I met with Jared over a year and a half ago while I was getting my career in UX off the ground. To be fully transparent, I was a nervous wreck and super stressed out about the job hunt.”