I was hired to lead the design of a new Mental Health product offering as part of Teladoc Health’s post-merger expansion with Livongo. With a tight deadline and no existing design team, I built foundational design processes, hired and mentored a high-performing team, and delivered a user-centered experience aligned with a clinically validated stepped care model—all in under four months. The product exceeded initial engagement goals and helped establish a more mature, outcomes-driven design culture within the organization.
Imagine you're in the C-suite at Livongo. You have a clinically developed mental health strategy. Multiple engineering teams are already building. But you’re still hiring your product team. Design, so far, consists of a handful of exploratory prototypes—and it’s October. You’re trying to launch by January.
Livongo, a healthcare startup focused on chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, was merging with Teladoc, a telemedicine leader. Part of the Livongo roadmap included expanding into mental health, and the merger unlocked access to Teladoc’s existing therapy infrastructure.
I was brought in to lead the design of this new Mental Health product—and to build the design team from scratch. What became clear almost immediately was that this work was about more than delivering a single product: it was an opportunity to help establish a new design culture inside a newly merged company.
The challenge was big: launch a clinically validated, user-centered digital product—backed by complex infrastructure and a multi-disciplinary team—in under four months.
Everyone talks about 30/60/90 plans, but in this case, I had to triage and act immediately. I was both a hands-on designer and a design leader. From day one, I set out to establish the mindset and systems that would enable speed and quality.
Communication was going to make or break this effort, so I set up lightweight but critical structures:
When building a team it’s worth taking the time to get it right, because getting it wrong can be costly down the road. So, what am I looking for? Of course I want folks that will do great work and create value for our business. But I think to do that requires not just a skilled designer but a culture that enables their specific skills to shine and is a place where they can grow beyond those current skills.
I'm looking at outcomes over output. That can definitely mean metrics and alignment with business goals, but it can also mean an approach that is about a "why" more than a "how". When creativity is coming from a place of solving a problem tied to an outcome, then we're in the right zone.
I want folks that have a point of view and are proactive. Now I realize as a junior you might need mentorship and cannot work with complete autonomy, but you can take the initiative. You can be developing a perspective and actively taking steps instead of waiting to be told what to do.
At the end of the day, I seek out people who are genuine and kind. Life's too short, and while we're all dedicated to our work and care about achieving great things, I firmly believe that no level of success justifies bad behavior.
How do you do this in an interview situation? It's not easy, but by asking the right questions about the work, having some hypotheticals prepared, and if I'm honest sometimes a little bit of a gut feeling, I've built some special teams.
Our strategy was rooted in a stepped care model—an evidence-based framework for matching members to the right level of care based on clinical need. Here’s how it translated into the product:
The myStrength offering would be based on these steps of care. Once they had been assessed, lower severity members would have access to self service treatment in the form of short form digital content and self guided programs. Those needing more guidance would have access to coaching. The highest level of acuity would have access to remote licensed care in the form of teletherapy.
Clinical quality and regulatory standards raised the bar. We weren’t just optimizing for engagement or NPS—we were designing for actual health outcomes.
Given time constraints, full-scale user research wasn’t feasible. So I anchored our design direction using:
Clinical assessments determine condition and severity. Allowing us to provide a personalized plan with the right mix of services.
Members received short-form, evidence-based content based on their plans.
The home page serves as the single hub to guide members in following their personalized plans, deliver important messages, and includes a daily check-in to assess how they are feeling. It also provides tailored recommendations based on each member's unique needs.
A wider library for optional self-discovery and support.
A clean, simple way to find and schedule teletherapy sessions.
This work sharpened a way of operating that I now bring to every project: staying grounded in ambiguous situations, leading with principles, and creating clarity without needing perfect certainty. I learned how to break the work into manageable pieces, stay focused on near-term priorities, and still zoom out regularly to keep the broader strategy in view. That balance is what helps teams move forward with confidence, even when not everything is fully defined.