15+ years old, with over 1500 people, Twinkl had built a successful business through purely organic growth that had never required deliberate design. The UX landscape was fragmented, there was no design system, and design credibility was low.
The team was three people, one a contractor. I had also inherited a games and animations production team, which in practice meant managing 3 different disciplines.
Year 1 was about building the foundation — processes, standards, and enough credibility that design had a seat at the table rather than just a delivery role.
Year 2 was about raising the ceiling — bringing the design system to life, targeting WCAG AA compliance, taking on higher-stakes initiatives, and expanding design's influence beyond the product function.
Year 3 will be about going beyond essentials — becoming more strategic about the impact we can make.
Here are 6 small stories about my impact while there.