Dana Smitham✳UX Director. People leader.
I build design teams
that do their
best work together.
I built Anaconda’s UX department to 16 people across design, research, and technical writing, and sat on the Extended Leadership Team through three acquisitions. I set clear direction, give honest feedback, and hold a high standard, so people can do their best work.
Open to UX Director, Design Director, and Head of UX opportunities.
Leadership in practice / Anaconda
Three acquisitions.
A clear way forward.
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.
01 / Product thinking
Beautiful is a start.
Useful is the point.
I like clean, intuitive design that balances what people need with what the business is trying to achieve. Getting there takes more than a good-looking screen.
What brought someone here? What are they trying to do? What happens next? I look beyond the screen to understand the whole experience.
AI helps us explore and move faster. But a convincing interface can still solve the wrong problem. Empathy, research, and judgment are what make it work for a human being.
The magic is in making something complicated feel simple, with a moment of delight along the way.
02 / How I work
Good leadership makes
great work possible.
Support that builds confidence. Standards that stretch it. I create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable enough to be honest and challenged enough to surprise themselves. Here’s what you can expect from me.
Ownership
Give direction. Give room.
I set the tone, the priorities, and the standard. Then I trust people to bring their expertise. I’m hands off, but I’m paying attention. I’ll help you get unstuck and course correct when needed. 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. We need to challenge our own thinking before the work goes out into the world.
Decision making
Have a point of view.
Be willing to change it.
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 move forward together. When new evidence changes the picture, we adjust.
Execution
Make the next step clear.
I help the team connect user needs with business priorities and understand what good looks like. Everyone should be able to stand behind their work and explain the decisions that got us there.
Research & partnership
Get close to the problem.
I want designers involved in research and close to researchers. Testing can humble you. Let it. Build relationships with stakeholders and listen to ideas from outside the team. Better products come from real partnership.
Experimentation
Take a chance. Learn quickly.
I look for blind spots and opportunities we might otherwise miss. I encourage the team to try things, test the thinking, and change course quickly when we learn something new. Being proven wrong is useful. Staying wrong is expensive.
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. Sometimes that means coaching. Sometimes it means opening a door and making sure they get the credit.
From someone who was there
“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.”
03 / How I move a team forward
Find the opportunity.
Give people a way through.
A shared understanding of the problem. A direction people can act on. Evidence that helps us adjust. Here’s how that translates into practice.
Understand the problem.
Bring research, user needs, business goals, and constraints into focus. Map the whole experience so we can see the gaps and the connections.
Give the team direction.
Agree on what success looks like and what comes first. Give people ownership, with the context and support to make good decisions.
Challenge the thinking.
Invite critique, bring partners into the work, and test the assumptions. Ask the questions that help us catch a problem while it’s still easy to change.
Learn and adjust.
Use evidence to make the next call. Keep people informed, adapt the plan, and hold the experience to the same high standard as we move.
In practice / Anaconda
Three acquisitions. One direction to work toward.
I led UX convergence across desktop and SaaS as three acquisitions changed the product landscape.
We used research, journey mapping, and a phased plan to bring teams into alignment.
A fully adopted shared system gave us a foundation; the rebuild for the acquired products was still underway when I left.
Read the leadership story →04 / The journey
The work changed.
The care didn’t.
First, a designer.
Hands on with the craftI sharpened my skills through hands-on design and mentorship from exceptional designers at places like Microsoft, Amazon, and Starbucks. Working across different products and perspectives taught me to question my assumptions, develop my eye, and understand the decisions behind the work.
Those years still shape how I lead. I know what it takes to turn an idea into an experience you’re proud to put in front of people, and how much the right guidance can help a designer grow.
Then, a leader.
Senior Designer → Art Director · ResponsysAt Responsys, I moved from Senior Designer to Art Director. Alongside the creative work, I was helping people find their strengths, leading teams through demanding projects, and building trust with clients. My contribution was becoming as much about the people as the pixels.
Independent, by design.
Creative Director, UX/UI Design · Dana Designs · 2012 to presentMy independent consulting practice became my main focus in the years before Anaconda, with ServiceNow as a main client. I led UX/UI and creative work across websites, brand, campaigns, and visual storytelling, working closely with clients to turn complicated briefs into a clear direction.
Dana Designs continues as an active consulting practice alongside my leadership roles.
A team, built together.
UX Director · Anaconda · 2022 to 2026At Anaconda, I built a fully remote UX department nearly from scratch. Sixteen designers, researchers, and technical writers brought different strengths to a shared way of working.
The role grew beyond leading individual projects. I was shaping how UX worked across the company, developing new leaders, and connecting product strategy with the team’s everyday decisions.
05 / In good company
The team can tell you
better than I can.
Excerpts from recommendations by people I’ve managed and worked with.
“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 has a genuine ability to form meaningful connections with his team and makes people feel supported, valued, and cared for.”
More from Erika
“He created such a supportive environment where our team was encouraged to learn, grow, collaborate, and bring creative ideas to the table.”
“He is thoughtful, encouraging, incredibly empathetic, funny, and just a real joy to work with.”
More from Idan
“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 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.”
“I felt at home and empowered when I worked on his team, and I appreciate his approach to team management very much.”
06 / 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.