Building Relationships — Mallory Hartzler Design

Building Stronger Team Relationships for Impactful Design Outcomes

Strong team relationships built on trust and psychological safety are critical for driving innovation and performance. As a design lead, I prioritized fostering connections within the design studio and with stakeholders across the organization. By implementing structured touchpoints, encouraging collaboration, and providing support tailored to individual and team needs, I created an environment where designers thrived even in high-uncertainty and fast-paced settings.

Primary role: UX and Accessibility Lead

Time frame: February 2021 – November 2023

The Challenges:

Transition to remote work during the pandemic left team members feeling disconnected and drained.
Designers across squads often lacked alignment, leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for collaboration.
Fast-paced projects in uncertain environments required robust team structures and support systems.

Supporting Individuals

Tailored 1:1s with designers to boost growth and energy needs

Challenge:

The shift to remote work during the pandemic left team members feeling disconnected and drained by constant virtual interactions, hindering productivity and engagement.

Solution:

Co-created flexible monthly 1:1 agendas tailored to each designer’s evolving needs and career goals.
Introduced walking audio-only 1:1s where appropriate to reduce screen fatigue and provide opportunities for energy renewal.
Focused on neuroscience-backed strategies to support engagement and growth.

Impact:

Enhanced individual clarity and problem-solving capabilities.
Increased designer satisfaction and energy management in a remote environment.

Evan, Senior Product Designer, KeyBank

“Mallory is both thoughtful and decisive. Mallory really steps up as a thoughtful and compassionate lead and helps me a lot whenever I feel like I'm in a rut. She provides clarity and a great perspective on large, sometimes abstract problems, and create an environment where I feel like I can make the necessary space for myself to solve the problem at hand.”

Building Team Cohesion

Weekly syncs for alignment and support

Challenge:

Designers working across multiple squads often lacked opportunities to align their work and felt isolated within their projects.

Solution:

Established weekly team syncs to:
- Share progress, challenges, and opportunities across all squads.
- Ensure work alignment with consumer digital’s broader goals.
- Foster a sense of belonging and mutual support among team members.
Liaised weekly with the head of Consumer Digital to address challenges, ideate solutions, and plan next steps collaboratively.

Impact:

Improved team alignment across 8 squads, reducing silos and inefficiencies.
Fostered a stronger sense of team identity and support, enhancing collaboration and morale.

Melissa, Product Designer, KeyBank

“Mallory makes my day instantly better. She is a ray of sunshine. I love how she kicks off meetings by building relationships with things like asking what people are grateful for and what we’ve learned recently.

I know I can always count on her for useful tactical advice and words of encouragement to complete tough challenges. She proactively removes blockers sometimes before I even realize and articulate what they are. Having Mallory in my corner is a game-changer and something I’ll always be grateful for.”

Driving Organizational Growth

Introduced cross-functional perspective and context to organization-wide priorities

Challenge:

The design studio needed stronger connections with cross-functional partners and tools to support organization-wide priorities.

Solution:

Represented the design studio in weekly cross-functional meetings with product owners and managers, providing crucial context and insights.
Co-created recurring meetings for design leads to align priorities and share insights across teams.
Partnered with another UX lead to design and deliver an interactive training workshop on relationship building, equipping designers and leadership with tools to foster collaboration and reframe challenges.

Impact:

Accelerated organizational alignment and transformational growth through strengthened relationships and shared context.
Empowered designers and leaders with new skills to approach problems collaboratively and innovatively.

Maria, UX Lead, KeyBank

“Mallory takes initiative. She has been an endless source of ideas. She’s always looking for ways to improve the way we work as a team. I enjoy brainstorming and partnering up with her for execution, like we did for the Studio Onsite session on Relationships Building.”

Recapturing the magic of on-demand home servicing