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ABOUT ME
My background
Shane Ward
I'm a Senior Manager of UX with over 19+ years of experience creating digital products that are not only visually stunning but also intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable to use. I'm incredibly passionate about my work, and I love solving complex problems through user-centered design. Over the years, I've honed my skills and expertise by working with a variety of clients and teams, both in-house and as a consultant.
Leadership and mentorship have become a space where I excel as a UX Design manager, I am deeply passionate about leadership and mentorship. I believe in fostering a collaborative environment where team members feel empowered to innovate and grow. By providing guidance and support, I aim to help others refine their skills and reach their full potential. My goal is to lead by example, inspiring creativity and excellence while nurturing a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
In 2023, I joined Sam's Club as a Senior Manager of User Experience. I am responsible for overseeing the design process from research and conceptualization to prototyping and implementation. I work closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and researchers, to ensure that every design decision is grounded in user needs and aligns with business objectives.
Leadership and mentorship have become a space where I excel as a UX Design manager, I am deeply passionate about leadership and mentorship. I believe in fostering a collaborative environment where team members feel empowered to innovate and grow. By providing guidance and support, I aim to help others refine their skills and reach their full potential. My goal is to lead by example, inspiring creativity and excellence while nurturing a culture of continuous learning and professional development.
In 2023, I joined Sam's Club as a Senior Manager of User Experience. I am responsible for overseeing the design process from research and conceptualization to prototyping and implementation. I work closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and researchers, to ensure that every design decision is grounded in user needs and aligns with business objectives.
Expertise
My areas of focus
Design Leadership
Guiding designers to be the best versions of themselves and sparking creativity through curiosity.
Design Strategy
Breaking down problems and keeping the user in focus as we define the problem space, pain points and generate solutions.
Product Design
Developing innovative product ideas and translating them into compelling concepts that resonate with users.
Work HISTORY
My experience
Since 2023
Now
Sam's Club
Sr. Manager UX Design
As Senior Manager of UX Design at Sam’s Club, I lead a team of designers and agency partners across multiple projects, overseeing the entire design process from research and ideation to prototyping and implementation. I collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and researchers to ensure every design decision is user-centered and strategically aligned with business goals.
Since 2022
Now
Empathly
Co-Founder
Empathly is a platform my partner and I created to transform how personas are used in the design process. We launched the company as an opportunity to explore the SaaS business model and integrate AI into productivity tools, pushing the boundaries of persona-driven design.
Since 2018
Now
Brander Dash
Co-Founder
As Co-Founder of Brander Dash, I developed and manage a design subscription agency that delivers high-quality design services. I oversee the business, provide creative direction, and contribute to projects as needed. Our services include UI/UX, product design, design systems, and various design production solutions.
2019/23
Sabre
Principal UX Designer
As Principal UX Designer at Sabre, I led the UX initiative within our internal incubator, collaborating with a product owner, development lead, and marketing expert to develop and test new business cases. Following a 90-day cycle, we would discover, design, and validate innovative ideas for the Travel Network business. At the end of each cycle, we presented validated business cases to executive leadership for funding approval. Approved projects then advanced to the MVP stage for further customer validation. Throughout this process, we leveraged design strategy and lean startup principles to build and refine business cases aligned with user needs and market viability.
2015/19
Citibank
Creative director
As UX Creative Director at Citigroup, I led a UX team and collaborated with design agencies to create wireframes, high-fidelity comps, and fully functional prototypes for user testing and handoff to development. I was also actively involved in recruiting new designers to expand our Dallas design team.
2013/15
Southwest Airlines
Assistant Manager Online Design
As Assistant Manager of Online Design at Southwest Airlines, I led a UX team and collaborated with design agencies to produce wireframes, high-fidelity comps, and fully functional prototypes for user testing and development handoff. I also developed the style guide that supported the brand refresh, ensuring design consistency across digital platforms.
2006/13
Travelocity
Lead Web Designer
As Lead Designer at Travelocity.com, I managed the day-to-day operations of the production design team, overseeing the creation of promotions, microsites, marketing emails, and site enhancements. Our team owned site design standards managed site content, and provided CMS training for internal product owners. By collaborating closely with brand and marketing teams, we delivered impactful media for both internal and external clients, directly supporting the company’s bottom line.
TESTIMONIALS
Linkedin Recommendations
"Shane took on the role of Figma leader when Sabre introduced Figma for all design work. He developed the structure, training weekly 'office hours' to support designers and dev team members that participated. This was in addition to his design and leadership responsibilities within Sabre Design. Shane collaborates with leaders and teams very well and is a wonderful coworker. He is always ready to step up and assist, or perform when situations arise, is dependable and communicates with peers, leaders and those below him exceptionally well. Personally, he is friendly and simply a good person, which makes a great employee and coworker."
Bret Cullers
"I worked with Shane when our group was small, new and working through process. On top of that, he had a special project that had its own set of challenges. So we combined forces in an effort to better streamline the process and make it as efficient as possible. Cut to 3 years later when said project is long over, but he still has an open ear for collaboration and advice. He's extremely patient, calm and has a wealth of knowledge to share with his team. As a CD/Producer team, he's exactly what I look for in a work partner and would be happy to work with him again."
Allison Costantino
‘’I've had the pleasure of working alongside Shane and watched him grow from our best prototypers and designers into one of our strongest Creative Directors who's vision, passion, creativity, and leadership is at the heart of our Dallas studio. He turned Citi Wallet which was an app that our leadership wanted to be decommissioned when he got it, and he turned it into one of our strongest examples of modern design and innovation. This is just one example of his leadership and vision in a list that is so long that I lost count. He will always have a place on my teams if he wants it."
Stephen Gates
"Shane was a hardworking, well organized employee. Shane was someone who always seemed to know every answer to your question and was easy to work with. He would be a great addition to any design team!"
Heather Terrell
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Why is Shane leaving Sam's Club?
It has been a wonderful experience working for Sam's Club. I've learned so much, led awesome projects, and connected with the best people in the industry. My plan was to stay at Sam's Club much longer. Recently, Walmart has decided to consolidate their campuses to Bentonville, AR and the bay area CA. I was offered a relocation package and I want to continue my journey with Sam's. However, my family and I decided it was in our best interest to stay in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area where our family and friends are. I hope to work for Sam's Club/Walmart in the future.
How does Shane approach the design process?
I focus on a user-centric approach, starting with understanding user needs and iteratively refining designs for optimal user experience. I use frameworks like design strategy and lean startup to iterate through the double diamond of innovation.
What types of products does Shane specialize in designing?
I specializes in a wide range of digital products like desktop web, mobile web, native mobile apps, SaaS, digital signage and kiosks. I also have become expert level in prototyping and design systems in Figma.
Can Shane help with prototyping and testing product ideas?
Yes, I've run strategy workshops to product rapid clickable prototypes to use in usability research. I am proficient in several prototyping tools like Figma and I have my certification in Webflow to create full websites quickly. This site is built using Webflow!
How does Shane ensure designs are ready for development?
When I'm creating my designs I take the time to build out a proper design system to create consistency across all my output. When leading a team, I coach my designers on quality of our output and standardize our deliverables to development. As a creative director, I create several filter points for designs to be reviewed to catch inconsistency and errors.
What is Shane's leadership style?
As a design leader, I like to showcase my designers and the brilliant work they produce. I empower them to take the lead on the project and provide guidance and support when needed. It's my focus to align my leadership style to the designer and their career goals to encourage growth.
Let's work together
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