Joining Altisource During a Critical Moment
I joined Altisource early in my design and product management career. They were a large financial services company trying to act more like an innovative startup. Their goal was to create a Home Loan Origination software solution after the 2008 housing crash.

When I joined, the development effort was already six months behind schedule. However, it was immediately clear that neither the development team nor the PMs had a shared understanding of what we were building, for whom, and why it mattered.

Introducing User-Centered Design Practices
Despite being the youngest person on the team, I pushed for best practices in user-centered design. I led design-thinking exercises to establish foundational knowledge, created user personas, and taped them to the walls in our war room. I also introduced structured feedback approaches, encouraging the team to frame discussions from the perspective of specific user types rather than personal preferences.

For example, instead of saying, "I don't like this design," team members learned to say, "As an underwriter, this UI element would slow down my workflow." This shift helped align the team around user needs rather than subjective opinions.

Impact and Leadership Recognition
Within weeks, our shared understanding improved dramatically, and leadership determined we were back on track. As a result, I began meeting directly with the CEO, Bill Erbey, for monthly 1-on-1s. During these meetings, I pitched ideas on employee onboarding and workplace design strategies to enhance productivity and engagement.

This experience reinforced my belief in the power of user-centered design and demonstrated how even small process changes can transform a project’s trajectory.