Dana Smitham✳UX Director · People leader · 20 years in design
I build design teams that make complex products feel simple.
Most recently, I built and led Anaconda’s 16-person UX department through three acquisitions, reporting to the CPTO.
Open to UX Director, Design Director, and Head of UX opportunities.
Where I’ve done the work
AnacondaMicrosoftXboxAmazonServiceNowStarbucksSmartsheetVerizon
Selected impact / Anaconda
Three acquisitions.
A clear way forward.
As the design leader on the Extended Leadership Team, I owned the UX roadmap, budget, headcount, and OKRs. I led the UX convergence strategy across desktop and SaaS, built shared design foundations, and shipped tools that helped teams move faster.
Read the leadership story →The shared design system was fully adopted across pre-acquisition products. The rebuild to support the acquired products was still underway when I left.
How I lead
Good leadership makes
great work possible.
High standards. Honest conversations. Room to shine. I create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable enough to be honest and challenged enough to surprise themselves.
Ownership
Give direction. Give room.
I set the tone, the priorities, and the standard, and I make sure everyone knows what good looks like. Then I trust people to bring their expertise. I’m hands off, but I’m paying attention. I’ll help you get unstuck. I won’t hover.
Communication
Say the thing. With care.
You’ll know where you stand with me. My feedback is direct, specific, and about the work. I want people to explain their thinking and question mine. My title doesn’t make my idea the best one. We talk through the tradeoffs, make a call, and adjust when new evidence changes the picture.
“Managing more than a dozen people, he was able to check in, stay apprised of everyone's workloads, and still make it feel like we were the only direct report.”
Product & research
Get close to the problem.
What brought someone here? What are they trying to do? What happens next? I want designers close to research and close to the people we’re designing for. Testing can humble you. Let it. AI helps us move faster, but a convincing interface can still solve the wrong problem. The magic is in making something complicated feel simple.
Growth
Find the opportunity
that makes someone shine.
Skills can be taught. The desire to get better has to come from you. I get to know what motivates each person, then connect them with work that stretches them. At Anaconda, five people moved into expanded roles, including a principal designer I coached into her first management role.
In good company
The team can tell you
better than I can.
“Dana works with great integrity and is not afraid to have a difficult conversation or tell someone something they may not want to hear.”
More from Jon
“If you have the opportunity to work with or hire Dana, you should seize it. I hired him once, and would again without hesitation.”
“He was quick to incorporate my team and make us really feel part of the UX department, encouraging cross-functional collaboration between our respective units.”
“He has a genuine ability to form meaningful connections with his team and makes people feel supported, valued, and cared for.”
More from the team
“He created a unique team environment that was both nurturing and empowering, where everyone felt valued and motivated, and where company objectives were balanced with team member wellbeing.”
More from Blythe
“Dana’s mentorship was foundational to my development as a designer - he coached me in visual design and project management, gave feedback on my designs, helped me build up to leading significant projects, and entrusted me with exploring and implementing my ideas while always providing support and guidance when I needed it.”
“As a manager, Dana helped me see where my strengths were, and led me to a direction where not only my ideas and work were most successful, but where I was happiest overall.”
“He is thoughtful, encouraging, incredibly empathetic, funny, and just a real joy to work with.”
“I felt at home and empowered when I worked on his team, and I appreciate his approach to team management very much.”
The journey
The work changed.
The care didn’t.
- 2022 to 2026
UX Director · Anaconda
Built a fully remote UX department of 16 designers, researchers, and technical writers nearly from scratch, and developed new leaders along the way.
- 2012 to present
Creative Director, UX/UI Design · Dana Designs
Independent practice across UX/UI, brand, campaigns, and visual storytelling, with ServiceNow as a main client in the years before Anaconda.
- Responsys
Senior Designer → Art Director
Where the work became as much about the people as the pixels.
- The early years
Hands on with the craft
Learned from exceptional designers on work for Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks. Explore UX/UI work · Design & creative
The next chapter
Your next challenge.
Our next conversation.
If you’re looking for a design leader who will care deeply about your people, ask hard questions, and hold the work to a high standard, that’s what I bring.
I want to understand your users, find the opportunities, and help a team turn them into something useful, thoughtful, and a little unexpected.
Seattle, WA
Open to UX Director, Design Director, and Head of UX opportunities.