Brian Williams

Head of Design Operations
Strategic Vision | Operational Leadership | Design Program Management
Charlotte, NC
linkedin.com/in/rockturn | brian@rockturn.com | rockturn.com

A strategic product design leader with a passion for empowering teams to shape digital experiences that drive meaningful outcomes. Leveraging innovative tools, methods, and processes, I blend creative design sensibilities with behavioral insights and pragmatic business perspectives to elevate the influence of design across all aspects of product development. As a DesignOps pioneer with over 20 years of experience engineering design systems at scale, I not only operationalize standards to drive consistency and productivity; I codify principles of design excellence into strategic problem-solving frameworks that elevate design thinking, leadership, and influence. My approach cultivates a dynamic and resilient design culture, empowering teams to forge meaningful partnerships and drive significant outcomes, rooted in confidence and clarity.

Work Experience

Rockturn – Charlotte, NC

Founder & Principal
March 2024 – Present
Leading the creation and growth of Rockturn, a comprehensive knowledge platform for digital product designers, aimed at elevating their strategic influence and creative problem-solving capabilities through curated insights on design, technology, business, and psychology.

  • Built and launched Rockturn from concept to a fully operational knowledge engine with over 1,500 topics, designed to empower digital product designers to contribute more meaningfully to strategic decisions beyond traditional design roles.
  • Developed the “Design Dimensions” methodology, a unique categorization framework reflecting distinct affinities within the design audience, informed by decades of experience in recruiting, coaching, and empowering UX designers. The five dimensions—Attract, Influence, Enable, Deliver, and Transform—represent key aspects of the product design continuum, catering to the diverse strengths and interests of product design professionals.
  • Authored thought leadership content on topics such as humility, adaptability, and the evolving role of designers in the age of AI, positioning Rockturn as a critical resource for navigating the intersection of product design and enabling technology.
  • Curated high-impact knowledge by excluding rudimentary design concepts and focusing on advanced strategies, business insights, and the interplay between technology and human behavior, establishing Rockturn as a premium resource for design professionals.
  • Championed a novel approach to disruptive technology, authoring the “Surfist Manifesto,” a set of guidelines and principles to help designers pivot from “outputs” to “outcomes” by amplifying creativity and influence through the strategic adoption of AI and automation tools.
  • Guided content strategy by conducting extensive research and analysis on emerging design practices, creating a platform that attracts and retains a growing user base of digital product designers, product managers, researchers, and engineers.

Ally Financial – Charlotte, NC

Senior Director, UX Design & Strategy
May 2015 – Dec 2023
Elevated the strategic impact of design across product development by scaling DesignOps as a core function, positioning accessibility as a driver of growth and innovation.

  • Championed design practice maturity, incrementally widening the scope of operations from standards and tools, to process, governance, and inclusivity, elevating the craft while streamlining production.
  • Guided design integration for strategic acquisitions, tailoring outreach and operational strategies to build trust with new product partners, resulting in the accelerated adoption of product design standards and processes.
  • Pioneered ways to adapt and scale operations through design systems for growth, innovation, accessibility, cohesion, adaptability, coordination, and engagement amidst the complexities of rapid expansion.
  • Drove design engagement on fast-tracked digital transformation of payment relief and delivery programs; achieved self-service payment deferrals for 1.1MM auto finance customers within 30 days following the pandemic lockdown.
  • Led a strategic expansion of UX hiring and ongoing management of small teams that ran multifunctional, pioneering operational practices that improved remote collaboration, agility, and engagement pre-pandemic.

 

Director, UX Design
May 2012 – May 2015
Led organizational, operational, and cultural transformations that enhanced engagement, collaboration, and productivity, positioning design as a critical function in achieving enterprise-wide product goals.

  • Reimagined the UX office transforming it into a design studio with 20x more vertical work surfaces, 10x more ideation space for collaboration, and a seating plan that’s 40% more space-efficient for future growth.
  • Saved $1MM+ in agency outsourcing demonstrating the nascent design org’s credibility and versatility to execute on marketing creative at a high level while simultaneously contributing excellence in product design.
  • Expanded design’s impact by leading two emerging in-house development teams, laying the groundwork for deeper collaboration between product design and IT in preparation for enterprise IT consolidation.
  • Re-engineered ambiguous job descriptions, qualifications standards, recruiting methods, and vetting processes, attracting talent with a legacy portfolio encompassing over 100 well-known brands.

 

Senior Manager, UX Design
Oct 2008 – May 2012
Founded Ally’s in-house design team, shaping product strategy to digitally transform its 100-year-old legacy by fostering a dynamic, entrepreneurial design culture to execute a bold vision for digital financial services.

  • Assembled a top-tier design team in 90 days while orchestrating a design strategy to deliver a redesigned award-winning digital banking experience—from merchandising to onboarding and servicing—in six months.
  • Led the UX design team in pursuit of a frictionless online banking customer journey, contributing to service design enhancements resulting in $14.7 billion deposit base growth within two years of the bank’s launch.
  • Directed a wide range of in-house creative services supporting Ally’s brand vision, architecture, and identity system, personally crafting 30 pieces of original art for facilities branding in its new corporate headquarters.

Volunteer Experience

Leading an Opportunity – Charlotte, NC
March 2002 – March 2007
Led English training workshops for a socioeconomic research panel to isolate trends, predict outcomes, and steer investment towards regional economic mobility initiatives.

Professional Skills

Product Design Strategy & Operations

  • Product Design Systems: Development and management of scalable design systems that align with product strategy, including workflow integration, design impact, process governance, and project facilitation.
  • User-Centered Product Development: Visual and digital identity creation, experience mapping, accessibility, and ethical considerations in product development.
  • Leadership in Product Design: Team building, engagement, retention, recruiting, onboarding, training, and talent development.
  • Strategic Problem-Solving: Translating brand pillars into cohesive design strategies and themes, developing content strategy, component and pattern libraries, and driving cross-functional collaboration to align product design with business objectives and enhance market impact.
  • Operational Management: Resource capacity planning, allocation, and prioritization to ensure efficient product team readiness and the highest-quality design.
  • Technical Acumen: Strong understanding of digital product design tools, platforms, and technologies; proficient in guiding teams through complex technical implementations and leveraging emerging tools to enhance design and operational efficiency.

Soft Skills

  • Visionary Leadership: Inspiring teams to think creatively and strategically, encouraging them to challenge the status quo, explore new possibilities, and pursue meaningful goals beyond conventional expectations.
  • Motivational Mentorship: Cultivating a culture of growth and dedication by guiding individuals to find purpose in their work, fostering a sense of ownership, commitment, and collaboration towards shared objectives.
  • Purpose-Driven Influence: Leading with empathy and a higher vision, uniting diverse perspectives to build trust, drive engagement, and achieve transformational outcomes that align with organizational values and mission.
  • Strategic Communication: Articulating complex ideas clearly and persuasively, ensuring alignment across teams, stakeholders, and executive leadership to drive consensus and action.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Facilitating synergy across teams and disciplines, leveraging diverse talents to solve complex problems, innovate, and deliver impactful results.

Education

University of North Carolina – Wilmington, NC
Bachelor of Arts – Communication Studies, 1996

Awards And Honors

  • Navy Achievement Medal – Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; March 1991
    Awarded by the Secretary of the Navy for “exceptional initiative, vast professional knowledge, and dedication,” while serving as a Non-Commissioned Officer in the United States Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm.