Launching into orbit: Repositioning design to boost revenue growth
At Cisco, the seller and partner ecosystem faced a "leaky bucket" challenge: low renewals (ARR), and design org operated in disconnected silos trapped in reactionary "whack-a-mole" mode.
I elevated the design practice through strategic, intentional, orchestrated initiatives, transforming it into a strategic force resulting in increased ARR and aaS revenue.
Focus areas
This work brought together multiple aspects of design leadership. Here’s what it emphasized across three key dimensions—shaping direction, elevating execution, and enabling success.
Drove this transformation through a focused leadership team of four design managers & 1 Sr. IC.
Shaping direction
Elevating execution
Enabling Success
This journey began with a simple but open-ended question: What exactly was the 'leaky bucket,' and why were subscriptions slipping through?
That question led to deeper investigation across systems, tools, and teams. What emerged was not just a sales challenge. It was a fragmented product experience and a disconnected organization.
My work was cut out for me, and I got to work immediately: improving critical seller workflows while repositioning design as a strategic force for long-term growth.
What problem were we solving?
When I joined Cisco to lead design for their seller ecosystem, I faced a complex landscape spanning direct sales teams, channel partners, distributors, and resellers, all using various tools to configure solutions, generate quotes, process orders, and manage customer relationships.
The "leaky bucket" of subscription renewals wasn't just a sales problem, it was an experience problem. The fragmented tools and inconsistent interfaces made managing customer relationships difficult, resulting in missed renewal opportunities and stalled subscription growth. This threatened Cisco's strategic transition to a recurring revenue business model.
Cisco operates in the B2B technology space, selling through multiple channels and relying on numerous platforms throughout the customer lifecycle. This complexity created a challenging environment where sellers struggled to effectively manage the renewal process.
We had to :
Enabling sellers to drive more subscription sales
Improving annual recurring revenue (ARR)
Increasing renewals by providing better visibility into renewal opportunities
Encouraging and empowering sellers & partner network with the right tools and insights
What made this challenge so complex?
My first observations revealed challenges at both customer and organizational levels. The seller experience was highly fragmented. User journeys lacked consistency and coherence. Meanwhile, our design team was notably decentralized, scattered across different product areas with limited coordination.
This organizational structure directly contributed to the disjointed experiences we were delivering, making it clear that team alignment would need to be an early focus of my work.
Digging deeper revealed more fundamental challenges. We faced structural issues, systemic problems with engineering-first mind-set and limited visibility These findings can be consolidated into the three dimensions:
It was clear we needed both immediate fixes and a long-term transformation strategy. We had an incredibly talented design team—think of it as a rocket with massive potential—but we were using it more like a prop for a roller coaster. Still valuable, but not what it was meant to be.
How did I approach the transformation?
I recognized that untangling these interconnected challenges required more than just a good plan—it needed a thoughtful strategy and genuine buy-in. Success would depend not just on what we changed, but on bringing both my leadership team and the broader organization along on the journey. With this in mind, I developed a three-pronged approach that balanced strategic thinking with the human elements of transformation:
Making scrappy adjustments
Before rebuilding the rocket, I needed to make some quick repairs to get us moving in the right direction.
My first priority was understanding this complex landscape. I created an initial ecosystem map that helped identify connections, gaps, and opportunities that weren't immediately visible. What started as a simple onboarding exercise evolved into a sophisticated strategic tool that informed our priorities.
Targeted adjustments:
With this clarity, I made targeted adjustments to maximize our impact:
Shifted our focus to products with the highest strategic importance and revenue impact
Connected managers directly with cross-functional counterparts on key product teams
Reshaped our team structure around three problem-focused pillars rather than technology silos
Created an Excel-based tracking system to increase visibility into our work and impact
These weren't massive reorganizations but strategic shifts that positioned us to have greater impact with our existing resources.
Dialing up product excellence
With early momentum established, it was time to strengthen our foundations. Quality couldn't be an afterthought, it needed to become part of our identity and working model.
Built quality foundations, deepened expertise, and embedded design upstream in business processes.
Establishing quality standards and rituals
Actively participated in design critiques to model quality and raise the bar
Established common strategic language across design teams
Influenced cross-functional partners to track & payoff UX debt via backlogs
Developed strategy for design system adoption and growth
Created and supported craft-focused pods to drive quality and cross-team learning
Strategic integration with Ways of Working
Embedded design in PMO processes to ensure upstream involvement
Created pre-discovery sprints to incentivize business units
Aligned design initiatives with business metrics and outcomes
Represented design in Agile ceremonies to influence XFN priorities and reinforce upstream value
Facilitated workshops with PMO, SAFe, and delivery teams to strengthen alignment and design’s presence
Elevating product thinking / Shift-left
Elevated partnerships from Product Owners to Business Leaders
Leveraged research insights to drive strategic decisions
Institutionalized metrics to demonstrate impact
Coached and supported the team to strengthen strategic thinking and cross-functional presence
Deepening expertise
Enhanced ecosystem mapping based on Jobs-to-be-Done framework
Mentored research leadership in developing a maturity model to scale research across the org
Initiated 'Passport,' a volunteer-led AI literacy program
Designed a pod model pairing UXR, design leads, and design partners to deepen focus and create growth paths
Amplifying influence and impact
To truly transform our role, we needed to change how the organization viewed and engaged with design.
Created strategic frameworks, operational systems and engagement models that elevated design from tactical order-taking team to a strategic force delivering business impact on an ongoing basis.
Developing strategic frameworks
Crafted a compelling strategic narrative that resonated with executives
Created a portfolio allocation matrix to drive focus and balance across initiatives
Developed a prioritization framework to assess where design should lead, partner, or support
Directed work allocation across moonshot, classic, and ideal tracks
Created an AI Experience Strategy to align design with emerging product opportunities
Establishing engagement models
Created tiered engagement options to optimize design involvement
Built ecosystem-wide insights using the JTBD framework to deepen cross-functional understanding
Identified strategic connections and opportunities to showcase the Ecosystem Insights project to senior leadership
Operationalizing metrics and visibility
Established practice metrics and UX measurement strategy
Instituted quarterly business reviews to track progress
Created cross-functional design sprint rituals to build shared visibility and alignment
Directed development of an automated portfolio dashboard to improve operational transparency
Fostering culture by design
Culture wasn't an afterthought but a deliberate foundation of our transformation. I recognized that sustainable change requires consistent investment in people and relationships—not just systems and processes. After all, even the best-designed rocket needs a cohesive crew to reach orbit.
Cultivating connection and resilience
Created intentional moments for connection and celebration
Established team rituals to strengthen cohesion
Recognized achievements and milestones
Prioritized wellbeing throughout our transformation journey
(And yes, somewhere along the way, I earned the nickname "DJ Rock"—short for "Dad Joker Rakesh." Turns out that strategic transformation pairs surprisingly well with groan-worthy puns. Who knew?)
What results did we achieve?
The transformation wasn't a single dramatic moment but a series of shifts: design getting pulled into early strategy discussions, being invited to sales-only conferences, having a seat at different tables. We were achieving lift-off, in our own way.
Organizational shifts
Cultural evolution
Business impact
Snapshots of design-led wins that made a difference
The shift didn’t come with fanfare, but it came. One project at a time, we moved from reacting to helping define the roadmap. We were being brought into pre-discovery, sometimes even before the problem was fully understood. It took time, trust, and a lot of steady nudges, but we got there. These snapshots capture the kind of work that signaled design had arrived.
What did I learn?
This project wouldn't have been possible without an incredible team that embraced ambiguity and rose to every challenge. I'm grateful for the opportunity to lead this transformation and came away with several insights that continue to shape my approach:
Strategic positioning is everything. By moving design upstream and connecting our work to business outcomes, we unlocked the team's latent potential.
Balance quick wins with system change. Scrappy adjustments created momentum, while systematic changes ensured lasting impact.
Approach with an open mind. Recognizing everyone's constraints and assuming positive intent built the trusted relationships that made transformation possible.
Humans first, tools second. Investing in relationships and trust created the foundation for process and design improvements.
Design at its best makes business sense. Focusing on the intersection of user needs and business goals transformed design from cost center to value creator..
