Context

When I joined Boeing Digital Aviation Solutions (DAS) Design, it was the largest and most mature UX organization within Boeing. Our director was expanding its scope to support UX across Boeing Global Services—including Product Management and Technology Solutions (PM&TS) within Training Solutions, which developed software used to train commercial, military, business, and general aviation personnel.

UX within Training Solutions was fragmented and lacked formal leadership. Seventeen designers were distributed across four portfolios, reporting to ten different managers—none with design backgrounds. Several designers were assigned through a separate internal staffing organization, further diffusing accountability.

This environment created significant challenges:

• No centralized UX leadership or career development

• High attrition, with 33% designer turnover in one year

• Inconsistent design quality and processes across portfolios

• Limited coordination between teams, resulting in duplicated research and customer fatigue

• Multiple competing design systems across portfolios, creating inconsistency and duplication

Design was largely used tactically, focused on interface execution rather than shaping product direction. Leadership had limited exposure to modern UX practices or how design could reduce risk, clarify product strategy, and enable innovation.

I was tasked with improving design effectiveness and integrating Training Solutions designers into the centralized DAS Design organization.

Objective

The goal was to transform UX within Training Solutions into a coordinated, professionally led design organization aligned with enterprise standards.

Specifically, I aimed to:

• Reduce attrition through mentorship, leadership, and career development

• Establish centralized UX leadership and clearer reporting structures

• Improve collaboration and consistency across portfolios

• Integrate designers into enterprise design systems, tools, and practices

• Increase design’s strategic influence on product direction and planning

Approach

I led this transformation through organizational mapping, leadership alignment, designer mentorship, and gradual operational integration.

1. Establishing Organizational Clarity

I met with leaders across Training Solutions to understand product portfolios, team structures, and business priorities.

To create shared visibility, I built a comprehensive visual map of the organization in InVision Freehand, documenting:

• Product portfolios and teams

• Individual products and their lifecycle status

• Reporting structures

• Design staffing distribution

This became a widely used reference for leadership discussions and onboarding, helping establish a shared understanding of the organization.

2. Mentoring Designers and Building Community

Designers lacked mentorship, career guidance, and connection to a professional design organization. I met individually with each designer and established ongoing mentorship.

I also created cross-portfolio UX forums where designers could share work, coordinate research, and support one another. Training Solutions designers were integrated into DAS critiques, working groups, and learning programs.

In parallel, I coached UX leads on stakeholder engagement and strategic communication, enabling them to contribute earlier and more effectively within their product teams.

3. Establishing Leadership Alignment and Operational Coordination

To integrate UX into organizational decision-making, I established regular coordination forums with leadership and engineering, including:

• Cross-portfolio UX leadership forums

• Monthly reviews with the Training Solutions director and portfolio leaders

• Ongoing alignment with engineering leadership

• Coordination with internal staffing managers

These forums improved transparency, strengthened trust, and positioned UX as a strategic partner rather than a downstream service.

4. Elevating Design’s Strategic Influence

As relationships strengthened, designers became involved earlier in product definition.

In one case, a designer worked directly with senior leadership to translate an abstract product concept into concrete interface visions. Iterative design exploration clarified requirements and feasibility, enabling the organization to move forward with a strategically important new product.

This demonstrated how design could accelerate decision-making and reduce ambiguity.

5. Integrating Enterprise Design Systems and Tooling

I connected Training Solutions teams to enterprise design initiatives, including:

• Adoption of the Atmosphere enterprise design system

• Migration to Figma and modern collaborative workflows

• Participation in DesignOps programs and training

• Integration with CX analytics for product measurement

This improved consistency, collaboration, and alignment with Boeing’s broader product ecosystem.

6. Centralizing Hiring and Management

Initially, leadership was hesitant to centralize UX reporting. I began by supporting hiring efforts: modernizing job descriptions, evaluating candidates, and advising portfolio leaders.

As trust grew, leadership transitioned hiring authority to me. Over time, designers began reporting into the centralized UX organization, enabling consistent leadership, career development, and performance management.

UX evolved from a fragmented staffing model into a coordinated, professionally led discipline.