How Robin, the ultimate sidekick hero, streamlined our operations, enhanced workflows, and boosted market presence.

Introduction

At a pivotal moment, Sidekick Health introduced 'Robin,' a strategic design system, under my leadership and the Director of Product Design. This case study explores how 'Robin' not only rescued our market and operational positions but also unified our product design, development, and marketing, resulting in enhanced operational efficiency and elevated market presence.

The Challenge

Upon my arrival, I discovered significant fragmentation among our teams. Product designers, developers, managers, and marketers worked in isolation, producing inconsistent outputs and inefficient processes. Compounding the issue was our outdated branding and products, which had caused us to lose our market leadership. My objective was to establish a cohesive system to align all departments and revitalize our brand and product line.

The Solution: Crafting 'Robin'

I spearheaded the development of 'Robin,' a design system aimed at rejuvenating our brand and enhancing user experience. In collaboration with the Director of Product Design, we formed a cross-functional team, including key stakeholders from various departments. Together, we:

Partnered with Wreel, design agency, to refresh our brand and user flows.

Established a unified design language as the single source of truth.

Adopted atomic design principles for seamless transitions from design to development.

Designed 'Robin' to be accessible and time-saving for all team members.

Collaborated with Mark Reynolds for strategic design enhancements.

Developed a comprehensive wireframe library to support ideation and alignment.

Value Proposition

'Robin' revolutionized our workflow by:

Centralizing resources, achieving an adoption rate of over 85% among design teams.

Reducing design and development redundancies by 40%, and cutting handover times significantly.

Enhancing scalability and innovation, boosting our market presence and brand awareness.

Strategy Overview

As design system manager, I conducted weekly design audits and biweekly reviews, driving comprehensive training and regular feedback to refine 'Robin' continually. My outreach and advocacy efforts ensured that 'Robin' was recognized as the definitive source of truth. I also led strategic efforts in auditing, adoption, and system maintenance, centralizing all design activities to boost efficiency and brand integrity.

Outcomes

Streamlined Processes: 'Robin' centralized design resources, enhancing brand consistency and efficiency.

Accelerated Workflows: Synchronized design and development phases, shortening project timelines.

Enhanced Collaboration: Improved teamwork across disciplines, increasing agility in product development.

Business Impact: Boosted operational efficiency and market competitiveness.

Key Learnings and Skills Gained

This project refined my leadership and communication skills, taught me the importance of feedback in strategy refinement, and highlighted the need for user-centric solutions. Through leveraging external expertise, 'Robin' helped create accessible solutions that effectively met user needs and drove adoption.

This case study demonstrates the transformative power of a well-implemented design system in reviving a company's fortunes and positioning it for future success.