Pigeonly builds platforms that help families stay connected with incarcerated loved ones—operating across consumer products, internal enterprise tools, and government-facing systems. The work required a high level of trust, reliability, and clarity while supporting rapid iteration across multiple product surfaces.

I led UX and design across the organization, establishing scalable design foundations that supported both product growth and operational complexity.Use a Hardware Wallet

The Challenge

Pigeonly’s product ecosystem spanned multiple audiences with very different needs:

• Consumer-facing products for families

• Internal tools for customer service and fulfillment teams

• Government-facing platforms deployed nationwide

As the company scaled, design decisions needed to balance speed, consistency, accessibility, and sensitivity—often under tight constraints and evolving requirements.

Key challenges included:

• Multiple products without a shared design foundation

• High operational complexity in internal tools

• The need to move quickly without eroding trust or usability

• Ensuring reliability in systems used in real-world, high-impact contexts

My Role

As Head of UX & Design, I owned design strategy and execution across all products, partnering closely with engineering, product, and leadership.

My responsibilities included:

• Establishing scalable UI and interaction patterns across products

• Designing internal tools to support customer service and fulfillment workflows

• Defining shared foundations that enabled reuse without blocking iteration

• Setting design standards and direction across consumer and enterprise experiences

This role required balancing hands-on design with system-level decision-making.

System Approach

Modular Foundations

Rather than treating each product independently, I focused on modular UI patterns that could be reused and adapted across different surfaces.

Systems for Real Work

Internal tools were treated as first-class products. Design decisions prioritized clarity, efficiency, and error reduction for operational teams.

Flexibility Within Constraints

Government-facing platforms required higher levels of reliability and compliance. Systems were designed to be adaptable without compromising trust or clarity.

Execution Highlights

• Designed reusable UI patterns shared across consumer, internal, and government platforms

• Led the redesign of internal dashboards supporting customer service and fulfillment teams

• Established interaction standards that reduced inconsistency across products

• Supported nationwide deployment of government-facing systems

Impact

• Enabled faster iteration across multiple products

• Improved efficiency and clarity for internal operational teams

• Increased consistency across consumer and enterprise experiences

• Supported platforms used in high-stakes, real-world environments

• 10,000+ monthly users benefited from a vastly simplified product experience.

• Reduced launch times through reusable templates and consistent components.

• Increased conversions via consistent branding and optimized email/social templates.

• Cost savings by avoiding the need to hire additional designers.

• Internal efficiency and dev handoff speed increased through a templated approach

Key Takeaway

Design systems are not just about visual consistency—they are about enabling trust, reliability, and clarity when products directly impact people’s lives.