Sónia Gomes

I'm Sónia, a Senior UX Manager and UX Designer at heart. I'm on a mission to influence the design culture in the tech cosmos. Currently, I'm working at Outsystems in Portugal, remotely. As a UX Design Operations Manager, I lead the UX and Design Ops Vision & Strategy, fostering the growth of the Design Ops practice, including the Design System and Research Ops teams. My goal is to cultivate a dynamic and healthy design community, streamline product development, and enhance cross-functional collaboration. I oversee an organization comprising two teams, working closely with two team leads to nurture team dynamics, mentorship, and professional development. I manage staffing, resources, and tool governance. Additionally, I empower the UX Group by establishing best practices and guidelines to expand the UX practice.

In my previous role as a Design System Manager at Namecheap, Spaceship, I led the design direction of our design system, collaborating closely with the core team. I was responsible for monitoring progress, reporting to stakeholders, and setting project priorities and timelines. I actively promoted the design system within the organization and facilitated feedback sessions to refine it. Additionally, I managed and mentored UX Designers and Developers, fostering their growth and development.

As the Head of User Experience at Prozis, I was pivotal in building and managing a world-class team, focusing on attracting and retaining top talent to ensure our team's success, happiness, and alignment with our core objectives. I was instrumental in shaping the design vision, providing clear context and direction to unify our efforts. By operationalizing design, I established efficient processes, tools, and workflows to enhance productivity. Additionally, I forged strong alliances across engineering, product, support, and other departments, building relationships that facilitated collaboration and drove our products and business forward.