Scaling UX maturity through training and experiential learning

Trained over 400 employees in UX practices to help the organization make faster, confident, data-driven decisions

Overview

Throughout my career, my goal in any organization has been simple: create a deep, shared understanding of our customers, business, and practices to drive innovation.

I’ve seen firsthand that without a shared language or framework, even powerful customer insights remain siloed. UX becomes a specialized function instead of an organizational capability and part of everyone’s responsibility.

To address this in my latest role, I designed and led a scalable UX enablement program. Combining immersive training, experiential learning, and workshop facilitation, I transformed how teams understand and apply user-centered thinking. To do this, I developed and delivered:

  • 12 curated UX training programs

  • Custom workshops tailored to business needs

  • Dozens of short-form presentations and Lunch & Learns

  • 400+ people trained across multiple disciplines

The result: stronger cross-functional collaboration, faster releases, reduced risk, and more confident, data-informed decision-making.

Challenge

In growing organizations, customer insights are often generated, but not consistently operationalized. Common barriers included:

  • No shared language around UX or CX

  • Limited trust in research or testing outputs

  • Siloed decision-making across verticals

  • Misalignment between leadership, product, and customer teams

  • Hesitation to adopt new practices due to lack of understanding

People won’t commit to what they don’t understand or trust.

Training, especially personalized and situationally relevant training, became my vehicle to build trust, increase adoption, and accelerate impact.

Role

Lead CX / UX Specialist

Stakeholders

Training Creation & Facilitation, Workshop Facilitation, Team Assessment, Material Creation, Training Marketing

Responsibilities

Federal Leadership: Solutions Executive Leadership, Solution Architecture Management

UX Contract Team: UX Designers and Researchers

Solutions Development Teams: Product Owners, Engineers, Business Analysts, Account Executives

2-3 weeks per training or workshop, 1-2 months per immersive training project; 1 week per short form presentation

Timeline

Goals

Create a shared UX/CX foundation across disciplines

  1. Build trust in research and testing practices

  2. Increase organizational capacity without increasing headcount

  3. Enable faster, higher-quality releases through data-driven decisions

  4. Reduce risk on expensive or experimental initiatives

  5. Transform UX from a function into a capability

I bring UX concepts to life for everyone, regardless of role or background.

Trainings and workshops are hands-on, collaborative, and designed to shift thinking from “UX as a department” to “UX as a shared responsibility.”

  • 12 customized trainings and workshops created

  • 400+ employees trained

Since October of 2024, 80 people were trained on various methods and topics:

  • 100% of learners stated that trainings were effective

  • 77% of learners are likely to recommend the training to a colleague

“[Alex’s] leadership and strategic vision have been instrumental in not only fostering a deeper understanding of CX principles but also embedding them into our operational processes to improve service delivery and internal communication.”
— Solution Architecture Division Director

Impact

Using a low cost methodology and investing in meaningful collaboration, this work produced massive results:

xx%

reduction in support tickets during the “Plan Creation Phase” post-launch

#

of 12 usability issues addressed partially or fully by launch, with the other 2 addressed in training

XX

HR Team Members trained in usability testing and basic design principles

++

audience members at organization-wide Lunch & Learn about this case study

Early data for mid-cycle reviews showed a 76% reduction in support tickets compared to the prior year. Usability testing was scoped into the next phase of work by the HR team to be completed independently.

My leadership was very pleased with the collaboration effort and the role I played in the noticeable app improvement. Because of this, I received additional funding and support to continue growing UX solution development services.