Modernizing UX Design at a $2.3B Enterprise
2020 - 2024
Concept design utilizing the new D&B Design System
Business Challenge
Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) faced institutional friction that threatened its market dominance. Fragmented and outdated design systems and management frameworks were scattered across dozens of products and teams, many of which had no defined processes. Decentralized leadership and a lack of validated user insights created operational drag and legal vulnerability.
Strategic Pain Points
Systemic Legal Exposure: Pervasive WCAG non-compliance across the enterprise presented significant litigation and reputational risk.
Operational Inefficiency: The absence of a unified design system resulted in redundant work cycles and brand fragmentation across the global portfolio.
Resource Misallocation: Product decisions lacked voice-of-customer validation, leading to wasted development cycles on unverified features.
Legacy Stagnation: The central Small Business (SMB) digital platform required a modern reimagining to reverse attrition and capitalize on new customer acquisition flows.
Departmental Churn: Lack of a structured organizational design and professional development framework led to above average churn and dissatisfaction.
Challenge Statement
The comprehensive overhaul of the entire design function was an operational necessity to mitigate multi-billion dollar enterprise risk and modernize legacy assets.
Strategic Scope
I was hired to create a single global design system and address accessibility challenges. In less than two years I was promoted to overhaul design across the enterprise and accelerate product innovation.
UX Oversight: Directed DesignOps, design system development, and Accessibility governance for the $2.3B enterprise.
Portfolio Management: Managed design and product strategy for a $1.3B+ portfolio across Finance & Risk, Public Sector, and Small Business.
Ecosystem Optimization: Optimized digital platforms with over 5 million monthly visits.
Innovation Velocity: Accelerated the delivery of 9+ all-new segment products, realizing millions in net-new revenue streams.
People Management: Introduced management systems across the design organization; directly managed seven reports, including their cross-functional team integrations and the rules of engagement.
My Role
Institutionalizing DesignOps and Governance
Strategic transformation was achieved by moving design from a fragmented tactical support function to a centralized, scalable asset.
Design as a Scalable Asset
Architected and delivered the corporation’s first global design system and governance framework.
Built and centralized the UX Research practice, integrating systematic voice-of-customer data into product roadmaps.
Modernized and centralized the software stack, transitioning from Sketch to Figma, eliminating peripheral legacy software, and consolidating to a singular design repository, saving more than 50% in software costs.
Risk Mitigation via Accessibility
Institutionalized the first global A11y/WCAG program as a cornerstone of the enterprise risk management strategy.
Team Development and Integration
Created the first centralized design leadership and management program, including systems for hiring, onboarding, knowledge retention, career ladders, and resource utilization
The unified D&B Design System was composed of roughly 50 components and standards ranging from foundational (e.g., Color, Layout) to complex (e.g., Navigation).
Product Innovation and Platform Optimization
Led the design and launch of over nine new products, as well as optimizing the most used products and flows. Product launches and optimization led to millions in new revenue, more conversions, and industry accolades.
Spearheaded design solutions in:
Artificial Intelligence: Spearheaded the design of the company’s first GenAI-driven products across the enterprise.
Risk & Compliance: Launched all new products from 0→1 for KYC (Know Your Customer), KYB (Know your Buyer), Fraud prevention, Cyber Risk mitigation, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance).
Financial Services: Oversaw the design and launch of the company’s new small business credit platform, D&B Credit Insights, reimagining the solution and securing top industry ratings.
Public Sector: Received industry praise from Gartner and Databricks for products and solutions enabling large government departments to operationalize “AI-ready” data.
Small Business: Optimized the largest acquisition flow in the company for securing a D-U-N-S number, and reimagined the centralized small business platform, My D&B, increasing user satisfaction and winning a Gold Stevie for the mobile app.
D&B AI chat mobile concept design
Performance Highlights
| Initiative | KPI | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| New Product Launches | Revenue Growth | Generated millions in new revenue |
| Product Design & Development | Enterprise Retention Rate | Maintained ~96% client revenue retention rate |
| D-U-N-S Number Acquisition Flow | Conversion Rate | ~70% increase in digital conversions |
| A11y/WCAG Program | Legal Risk Mitigation | Enterprise-wide roadmap for 100% WCAG 2.1 AA compliance |
| People Program | Employee Retention | 100% direct report retention post-implementation |
Outcome Summary
The High-Performance Design Culture
Transforming design leadership at D&B became a primary driver of enterprise value. By institutionalizing DesignOps and prioritizing validated innovation, the portfolio transitioned from a fragmented legacy state into a modern, accessible, and scalable market leader.
Key Takeaways
Centralized Design System for Accelerated Product Innovation: The implementation of a unified design system and high-performing product design processes enabled seamless, accelerated development of nine new products realizing millions in new revenue in less than two years.
Optimized Legacy Assets for Exponential Returns: Successfully optimized the largest acquisition flow in the company, achieving a ~70% increase in conversions.
Eliminated Waste with Research-Backed Roadmaps: Formalizing and centralizing user research transformed the product development into a proactive, data-informed strategy ensuring development dollars were spent on validated market needs.
Design Governance as a Hedge Against Legal Liability: Created and implemented a unified, WCAG 2.1 AA accessible design system and related roadmap and governance, mitigating millions of dollars of legal risk and enterprise contract attrition.
Increased Talent Satisfaction and Performance: Developed and disseminated standardized management processes and frameworks, leading to 100% retention.