Jenn Whittingham shares how she approaches UX design by deeply understanding users, validating business problems early, and ensuring solutions are simple, effective, and aligned with organizational goals.
Her story highlights the realities of growing into leadership, learning to trust teams, balancing motherhood with a demanding career, and eventually redefining success around purpose, fulfillment, and the freedom to choose roles that genuinely support a meaningful life.
Key Takeaways:
- UX design centers on understanding users and creating simple, enjoyable experiences across digital and real-world interactions.
- Early user research reduces risk and avoids costly rework, preventing issues that can be 10–100x more expensive to fix later.
- Successful UX solutions must align user needs, business goals, and technical feasibility.
- Transitioning into leadership requires stepping back, trusting teams, practicing servant leadership, and managing both up and down.
- Jenn’s career path evolved from creative and architectural interests to marketing, startups, and UX leadership.
- Balancing motherhood and work brought challenges, but ultimately strengthened her children’s independence.
- Her leadership philosophy focuses on supporting and uplifting teams, giving credit away, and assuming responsibility when things go wrong.
- She attributes her success to curiosity, passion for her craft, and continuous learning.
- Jenn is currently prioritizing personal fulfillment, evaluating companies for culture and leadership fit rather than titles or salary.
- Her long-term dream is a peaceful, creative retirement—painting by the ocean surrounded by family.
Reach out to Jenn on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennwhittingham/
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