As an early hire, I helped shape the direction and scale the consumer interface. During my three years at Driveway, I redesigned the end-to-end consumer experience and raised the bar for design quality.
Role
Principal Product Designer
Contributions
UX Design
UI Design
UX Research
Design System
Context
Driveway, a startup backed by Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD)—the largest new-car retailer in the U.S.—is a web app where over 80% of customers browse and complete purchases on mobile devices.
Context
Driveway, a startup backed by Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD)—the largest new-car retailer in the U.S.—is a web app where over 80% of customers browse and complete purchases on mobile devices.
Context
Driveway, a startup backed by Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD)—the largest new-car retailer in the U.S.—is a web app where over 80% of customers browse and complete purchases on mobile devices.
Context
Driveway, a startup backed by Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD)—the largest new-car retailer in the U.S.—is a web app where over 80% of customers browse and complete purchases on mobile devices.
Context
Driveway, a startup backed by Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD)—the largest new-car retailer in the U.S.—is a web app where over 80% of customers browse and complete purchases on mobile devices.
Context
Driveway, a startup backed by Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD)—the largest new-car retailer in the U.S.—is a web app where over 80% of customers browse and complete purchases on mobile devices.
Context
Driveway, a startup backed by Lithia Motors (NYSE: LAD)—the largest new-car retailer in the U.S.—is a web app where over 80% of customers browse and complete purchases on mobile devices.
“Derek was a linchpin in Driveway's launch in late 2020 and substantial growth in the years that followed.”
Jules Monza, Mds
Director of Research
“Derek was a linchpin in Driveway's launch in late 2020 and substantial growth in the years that followed.”
Jules Monza, Mds
Director of Research
“Derek was a linchpin in Driveway's launch in late 2020 and substantial growth in the years that followed.”
Jules Monza, Mds
Director of Research
“Derek was a linchpin in Driveway's launch in late 2020 and substantial growth in the years that followed.”
Jules Monza, Mds
Director of Research
“Derek was a linchpin in Driveway's launch in late 2020 and substantial growth in the years that followed.”
Jules Monza, Mds
Director of Research
“Derek was a linchpin in Driveway's launch in late 2020 and substantial growth in the years that followed.”
Jules Monza, Mds
Director of Research
“Derek was a linchpin in Driveway's launch in late 2020 and substantial growth in the years that followed.”
Jules Monza, Mds
Director of Research
“In terms of moving the needle for the business, Derek led a team of designers on a massive redesign of the entire shopping experience for driveway, optimizing the core revenue driver of the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
“In terms of moving the needle for the business, Derek led a team of designers on a massive redesign of the entire shopping experience for driveway, optimizing the core revenue driver of the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
“In terms of moving the needle for the business, Derek led a team of designers on a massive redesign of the entire shopping experience for driveway, optimizing the core revenue driver of the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
“In terms of moving the needle for the business, Derek led a team of designers on a massive redesign of the entire shopping experience for driveway, optimizing the core revenue driver of the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
“In terms of moving the needle for the business, Derek led a team of designers on a massive redesign of the entire shopping experience for driveway, optimizing the core revenue driver of the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
“In terms of moving the needle for the business, Derek led a team of designers on a massive redesign of the entire shopping experience for driveway, optimizing the core revenue driver of the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
“In terms of moving the needle for the business, Derek led a team of designers on a massive redesign of the entire shopping experience for driveway, optimizing the core revenue driver of the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
Key IC Accomplishments
Led design strategy & vision
Defined the overarching design direction for customer experiences, collaborating closely with product and business leadership to align on key priorities.
Optimized growth & conversion
Partnered with user research to improve critical metrics, driving higher engagement and conversion rates across key touchpoints.
Increased add-to-cart rates
Redesigned the vehicle details and consumer category pages, resulting in a significant increase in the add-to-cart rate.
Enhanced vehicle discovery
Redesigned the search results page, improving the ability to find and compare vehicles—boosting click-through rates and reducing funnel abandonment.
Led design strategy & vision
Defined the overarching design direction for customer experiences, collaborating closely with product and business leadership to align on key priorities.
Optimized growth & conversion
Partnered with user research to improve critical metrics, driving higher engagement and conversion rates across key touchpoints.
Increased add-to-cart rates
Redesigned the vehicle details and consumer category pages, resulting in a significant increase in the add-to-cart rate.
Enhanced vehicle discovery
Redesigned the search results page, improving the ability to find and compare vehicles—boosting click-through rates and reducing funnel abandonment.
Led design strategy & vision
Defined the overarching design direction for customer experiences, collaborating closely with product and business leadership to align on key priorities.
Optimized growth & conversion
Partnered with user research to improve critical metrics, driving higher engagement and conversion rates across key touchpoints.
Increased add-to-cart rates
Redesigned the vehicle details and consumer category pages, resulting in a significant increase in the add-to-cart rate.
Enhanced vehicle discovery
Redesigned the search results page, improving the ability to find and compare vehicles—boosting click-through rates and reducing funnel abandonment.
Led design strategy & vision
Defined the overarching design direction for customer experiences, collaborating closely with product and business leadership to align on key priorities.
Optimized growth & conversion
Partnered with user research to improve critical metrics, driving higher engagement and conversion rates across key touchpoints.
Increased add-to-cart rates
Redesigned the vehicle details and consumer category pages, resulting in a significant increase in the add-to-cart rate.
Enhanced vehicle discovery
Redesigned the search results page, improving the ability to find and compare vehicles—boosting click-through rates and reducing funnel abandonment.
Led design strategy & vision
Defined the overarching design direction for customer experiences, collaborating closely with product and business leadership to align on key priorities.
Optimized growth & conversion
Partnered with user research to improve critical metrics, driving higher engagement and conversion rates across key touchpoints.
Increased add-to-cart rates
Redesigned the vehicle details and consumer category pages, resulting in a significant increase in the add-to-cart rate.
Enhanced vehicle discovery
Redesigned the search results page, improving the ability to find and compare vehicles—boosting click-through rates and reducing funnel abandonment.
Led design strategy & vision
Defined the overarching design direction for customer experiences, collaborating closely with product and business leadership to align on key priorities.
Optimized growth & conversion
Partnered with user research to improve critical metrics, driving higher engagement and conversion rates across key touchpoints.
Increased add-to-cart rates
Redesigned the vehicle details and consumer category pages, resulting in a significant increase in the add-to-cart rate.
Enhanced vehicle discovery
Redesigned the search results page, improving the ability to find and compare vehicles—boosting click-through rates and reducing funnel abandonment.
Led design strategy & vision
Defined the overarching design direction for customer experiences, collaborating closely with product and business leadership to align on key priorities.
Optimized growth & conversion
Partnered with user research to improve critical metrics, driving higher engagement and conversion rates across key touchpoints.
Increased add-to-cart rates
Redesigned the vehicle details and consumer category pages, resulting in a significant increase in the add-to-cart rate.
Enhanced vehicle discovery
Redesigned the search results page, improving the ability to find and compare vehicles—boosting click-through rates and reducing funnel abandonment.
Elevated design systems
Contributed to the establishment of the initial design system and influenced its evolution before a dedicated team was in place, then continuing to be a core contributor.
Improved customer satisfaction
Introduced finance estimator tools, helping customers assess their eligibility for financing, leading to improved satisfaction and increased sales.
Streamlined checkout & financing
Redesigned the vehicle order process, reducing time spent on checkout and financing applications, enhancing the overall user experience.
Enhanced mobile experience
Refined mobile interactions and UI patterns to better serve the 80%+ of users shopping on mobile devices, ensuring a modern mobile experience.
Elevated design systems
Contributed to the establishment of the initial design system and influenced its evolution before a dedicated team was in place, then continuing to be a core contributor.
Improved customer satisfaction
Introduced finance estimator tools, helping customers assess their eligibility for financing, leading to improved satisfaction and increased sales.
Streamlined checkout & financing
Redesigned the vehicle order process, reducing time spent on checkout and financing applications, enhancing the overall user experience.
Enhanced mobile experience
Refined mobile interactions and UI patterns to better serve the 80%+ of users shopping on mobile devices, ensuring a modern mobile experience.
Elevated design systems
Contributed to the establishment of the initial design system and influenced its evolution before a dedicated team was in place, then continuing to be a core contributor.
Improved customer satisfaction
Introduced finance estimator tools, helping customers assess their eligibility for financing, leading to improved satisfaction and increased sales.
Streamlined checkout & financing
Redesigned the vehicle order process, reducing time spent on checkout and financing applications, enhancing the overall user experience.
Enhanced mobile experience
Refined mobile interactions and UI patterns to better serve the 80%+ of users shopping on mobile devices, ensuring a modern mobile experience.
Elevated design systems
Contributed to the establishment of the initial design system and influenced its evolution before a dedicated team was in place, then continuing to be a core contributor.
Improved customer satisfaction
Introduced finance estimator tools, helping customers assess their eligibility for financing, leading to improved satisfaction and increased sales.
Streamlined checkout & financing
Redesigned the vehicle order process, reducing time spent on checkout and financing applications, enhancing the overall user experience.
Enhanced mobile experience
Refined mobile interactions and UI patterns to better serve the 80%+ of users shopping on mobile devices, ensuring a modern mobile experience.
Elevated design systems
Contributed to the establishment of the initial design system and influenced its evolution before a dedicated team was in place, then continuing to be a core contributor.
Improved customer satisfaction
Introduced finance estimator tools, helping customers assess their eligibility for financing, leading to improved satisfaction and increased sales.
Streamlined checkout & financing
Redesigned the vehicle order process, reducing time spent on checkout and financing applications, enhancing the overall user experience.
Enhanced mobile experience
Refined mobile interactions and UI patterns to better serve the 80%+ of users shopping on mobile devices, ensuring a modern mobile experience.
Elevated design systems
Contributed to the establishment of the initial design system and influenced its evolution before a dedicated team was in place, then continuing to be a core contributor.
Improved customer satisfaction
Introduced finance estimator tools, helping customers assess their eligibility for financing, leading to improved satisfaction and increased sales.
Streamlined checkout & financing
Redesigned the vehicle order process, reducing time spent on checkout and financing applications, enhancing the overall user experience.
Enhanced mobile experience
Refined mobile interactions and UI patterns to better serve the 80%+ of users shopping on mobile devices, ensuring a modern mobile experience.
Elevated design systems
Contributed to the establishment of the initial design system and influenced its evolution before a dedicated team was in place, then continuing to be a core contributor.
Improved customer satisfaction
Introduced finance estimator tools, helping customers assess their eligibility for financing, leading to improved satisfaction and increased sales.
Streamlined checkout & financing
Redesigned the vehicle order process, reducing time spent on checkout and financing applications, enhancing the overall user experience.
Enhanced mobile experience
Refined mobile interactions and UI patterns to better serve the 80%+ of users shopping on mobile devices, ensuring a modern mobile experience.
Beyond the Pixels
My contributions at Driveway extended well beyond UX and UI design. I helped establish ways of working, introduced and managed new ceremonies, mentored designers, and often hosted lunch-n-learn sessions teaching the latest Figma techniques.
Introduced and managed design crit ceremonies
Launched and led twice-weekly Design Crit sessions, boosting design quality and fostering cross-vertical collaboration.
Defined ways of working
Interviewed cross-functional peers to streamline Figma workflows, making designs easier to find, track, and collaborate on.
Shaped design review processes
Created templates and guidelines for Design Reviews, standardizing how designs were presented to leadership and increasing review efficiency.
Up-leveled prototyping skills
Elevated the team’s prototyping skills, improving research effectiveness and ensuring stronger stakeholder buy-in for design concepts.
Strengthened cross-functional collaboration
Worked closely with engineering to refine design handoffs, speeding up implementation and ensuring consistent, high-quality outcomes.
Mentored teammates and hosted workshops
Mentored designers to accelerate skill development and career growth. Hosted brown bag sessions and delivered talks, enhancing the team’s technical skills and craft.
Want to Know More?
Book a call, request a case study, or ask me some questions.
Email Me
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
Want to Know More?
Book a call, request a case study, or ask me some questions.
Email Me
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
Want to Know More?
Book a call, request a case study, or ask me some questions.
Email Me
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
Want to Know More?
Book a call, request a case study, or ask me some questions.
Email Me
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
Want to Know More?
Book a call, request a case study, or ask me some questions.
Email Me
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
Want to Know More?
Book a call, request a case study, or ask me some questions.
Email Me
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
Want to Know More?
Book a call, request a case study, or ask me some questions.
Email Me
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
6 less
Reduce total number of steps
Decrease number of steps for a market assortment creation by six screens.
90%
Improve customer satisfaction
Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of at least 90% for customer post-support surveys.
20%
Reduce time to complete
Decrease the average time to complete a cluster market analysis across six assortments by 20% or more.
“Most importantly, Derek is a joy to work with. No ego, just high quality work and a genuine care for others and the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
Accepting work inquiries
“Most importantly, Derek is a joy to work with. No ego, just high quality work and a genuine care for others and the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
Accepting work inquiries
“Most importantly, Derek is a joy to work with. No ego, just high quality work and a genuine care for others and the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
Accepting work inquiries
“Most importantly, Derek is a joy to work with. No ego, just high quality work and a genuine care for others and the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
Accepting work inquiries
“Most importantly, Derek is a joy to work with. No ego, just high quality work and a genuine care for others and the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
Accepting work inquiries
“Most importantly, Derek is a joy to work with. No ego, just high quality work and a genuine care for others and the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
Accepting work inquiries
“Most importantly, Derek is a joy to work with. No ego, just high quality work and a genuine care for others and the product.”
George Clingan
Experience Design Manager
Accepting work inquiries
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