CASE STUDY 3: ZOOPLA

The Challenge

Zoopla's consumer and commercial products were not designed mobile-first, despite mobile traffic dominating the property market. Internally, the UX team was talented but lacked clear leadership on inclusive design, error-state handling, and career progression. A mid-weight designer on my team was demonstrably operating at a senior level but had been blocked from promotion by two previous managers.

The Approach

I managed the UX team (mid-weight to lead level) while delivering hands-on work across consumer and commercial streams.

• Championed true mobile-first design: I shifted the team's default from "desktop down" to "mobile up," ensuring that constrained screens drove prioritisation rather than afterthought.

• Agent Valuation flow redesign: I led the UX for the valuation tool used by estate agents — a critical commercial product. I restructured the information architecture, simplified the data-input sequence, and introduced responsive patterns that worked across devices.

• Inclusive design & error handling: I introduced workshops on designing for edge cases and unhappy paths, moving the team away from "happy path" tunnel vision.

• Team advocacy: I successfully argued for the promotion of a mid-weight designer to senior, mid-cycle, after prior managers had failed to advance his case. I also ran 1:1s, appraisals, and mid-year reviews that counted toward annual bonuses.

The Outcome

• Agent Valuation flow redesigned for 1M+ monthly active users, with mobile session engagement increasing after the mobile-first rollout.

• Established inclusive design and error-state standards that were adopted across the consumer product suite.

• Team morale and retention improved: the promoted designer became a long-term senior contributor, and the career framework I used became a reference for future advancement cases.

• Bridged the gap between consumer and commercial product teams, creating shared UX patterns that reduced design debt.