Transforming heritage Brands Through Design Leadership

I helped a 100-year-old media group modernise its digital design operations and embed design as a strategic driver across the organisation.

Role

Head of UX Design

Scope

Develop the Design Practice group-wide across Beano, Stylist, Puzzler, The Courier, Energy Voice and more.

The Challenge

For decades, DC Thomson’s beloved brands evolved in isolation. Each has its own digital platform, team, and uneven level of UX maturity. Design was often treated as a final polish rather than a strategic enabler, leading to inconsistent experiences and slow delivery.

The challenge: elevate design from an afterthought to a core strategic capability. Modernise product design, raise UX maturity, and establish a scalable foundation that unifies every brand experience under a cohesive vision.

.What I did

My Role

As Head of UX Design, I led the transformation of how DC Thomson approached user experience. I built and mentored a multidisciplinary team, introduced research and prototyping into product cycles, and connected different teams through a shared design language.

My north star: Make design a strategic, evidence-driven function, not a downstream service.

Developing the

.Design Practice

.The Portfolio

Meet a few of the iconic brands that define DC Thomson

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.The Approach

Improving products through design
thinking systems processes

Discovery

This phase builds empathy for our challenges and aligns with our goals.

Workshops, competitor analysis, user interviews, and journey mapping used to uncover needs and pain points. Projects begin with clear evidence and alignment between user goals and business objectives.

Validation

Validate whether the concept from the discovery phase is ready for development.

Rapid prototyping and usability testing applied to validate ideas early. Concepts refined before build, reducing risk and ensuring intuitive, user-friendly, commercially viable solutions.

Refinement

Refining concepts based on feedback, ensuring designs are ready for handover.

Designs improved through feedback and analytics, with attention to usability, accessibility, and interactions. Iterative cycles raised product quality and delivered measurable impact.

.Generating Solutions

Building the capability for smarter, faster delivery

Equipping cross-functional teams with the tools, talent, and frameworks to move seamlessly from concept to execution.

.Backed up by Data

Design Driven by Insight

To ensure every experience evolved with user needs, we embedded data at the heart of the design process. Qualitative and quantitative insights shaped decisions from initial concepts through to live optimisation, enabling teams to quickly identify what worked and what didn’t.

70%

of prototypes validated before build phase.
Tracked via usability test feedback and validation sessions against business/user success criteria.

40+

Cross-functional workshops facilitated over the years.
Bringing design, product, editorial, and engineering together.

95%

Of Design outputs met delivery deadlines.
Tracked against agreed sprint goals and release timelines.

Turning insight into impact

I help drive DC Thomson’s digital transformation, embedding user-centred design into product development and shifting the company toward a digital-first mindset. By championing research, prototyping, and testing, I enable teams to deliver faster, smarter, and more impactful digital products.

FAQs

What’s your leadership style?

I lead with collaboration and empowerment. My focus is on creating clarity of vision, giving teams the space to explore, and guiding them with constructive feedback. I believe the best design outcomes come from a culture of trust, curiosity, and shared ownership.

How do you balance business goals with user needs?

I treat them as interconnected. By starting with user insights and validating solutions through testing, I ensure the design delivers measurable impact for users. At the same time, I align design outcomes with business priorities so that products achieve both customer satisfaction and commercial success.

What’s been your biggest achievement at DC Thomson?

Evolving the design practice itself. Beyond delivering successful products, I’m proud of establishing repeatable research and testing processes, building a design system that scales across brands, and mentoring a high-performing UX team that consistently raises the standard of work.

How do you approach collaboration with non-design stakeholders?

I see collaboration as essential. I work closely with product managers, engineers, editors, and commercial teams to ensure design fits seamlessly within wider business objectives. My approach is transparent and inclusive, bringing people into the design process through workshops, prototypes, and open communication.

How do you keep your skills and knowledge up to date?

I stay engaged with the design community, attend industry conferences, and continuously experiment with new tools and methods. I also learn from my team. Mentorship is two-way, and encouraging exploration helps me stay adaptable and informed.

Case Studies

From Downloads to Daily Players

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The First Word in Energy

Expanding the marketplace • Crosspollination

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