A Product Design Manager with vision and heart.

I don’t just design products.
I build the teams and systems behind them.

With 15+ years of experience, I lead product design teams to solve complex business problems through clear strategy, strong craft, and collaborative delivery.

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About me

I’m a Product Design Manager who specialises in building high-performing teams, shaping product strategy, and driving measurable business impact. With over 15 years of experience, I focus on aligning user needs with commercial objectives, enabling designers to excel, and ensuring design plays a meaningful role in product decision-making across the organisation.

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My Design Pillars

Strategy & Direction

I define clear design and product visions that balance commercial goals with user needs. Ensuring teams build the right thing, not just the thing faster.

Cross-Functional Influence

I work closely with Product, Engineering, and Business to align priorities, manage expectations, and drive outcomes together. Outputs aren't individual they're a team effort.

Execution Through & With Others

I lead through example, direction, feedback, and decision-making, empowering designers to own delivery while maintaining quality and consistency.

Team Leadership

I create environments where designers can do their best work through trust, clarity, and constructive critique. I focus on developing strong, confident teams who can continuously improve how they collaborate, think & deliver.

Measurable Impact

I focus on outcomes, not just outputs, using data, testing and emerging tools to inform decisions, improve performance, and demonstrate the real business value that design delivers.

Future-Focused Design

I explore how emerging technologies, including AI, can improve product experiences, design workflows, and team efficiency while staying grounded in real user and business needs.

My Approach

I believe great product design is built on three things:
clear direction, empowered teams, and strong collaboration.

My role as a Design Manager is to create the conditions for great work to happen: aligning business goals with user needs, supporting designers to grow, and ensuring design has a real voice at the table.

I focus less on perfect pixels and more on building systems, processes, and cultures that consistently deliver high-quality outcomes.

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TIA MCGOWAN