DESIGNING EXPERIENCES THAT MATTER
Hi. I am Marianne, UX leader with expertise in Strategic Innovation & AI Transformation
With 14+ years of UX experience and scaling teams, I blend deep human-centered design principles with forward-thinking innovation.
As AI increasingly transforms digital experiences, I'm developing frameworks and methodologies that help teams and organizations integrate new technologies successfully - while ensuring trust, usability, and measurable business impact.
MY APPROACH
UX AS A STRATEGIC FUNCTION
I believe UX is more than just design—it's a strategic function that shapes business outcomes. My approach blends systems thinking, research, and agile execution to ensure UX is not just a tool for efficiency but a driver of innovation and growth.
I transform user experience into measurable business value by combining strategic design thinking with deep user understanding. My collaborative, research-driven approach helps organizations create exceptional experiences that drive growth while solving real human problems.
1
UX as Business
Strategy
I position UX as a strategic business function that directly impacts customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and revenue growth. My approach combines deep user understanding with business focus to create experiences that resonate with users while delivering measurable outcomes.
2
Research-driven Innovation
I establish scalable research practices that embed customer voices into decision-making at all levels. By translating complex user insights into actionable strategies, I help organizations make confident decisions that enhance experiences while optimizing business metrics.
3
End-to-End
Optimization
I specialize in developing seamless journeys across physical and digital touchpoints, ensuring consistent, intuitive experiences that build brand loyalty. Using service blueprints and journey mapping, I identify optimization opportunities that enhance both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
4
UX AI Integration
I develop practical frameworks for integrating AI into UX practices, helping organizations implement AI, while maintaining user trust.
My recent AI UX maturity framework and trust models provides UX teams and organizations with actionable strategies for human-centered AI transformation.
BRIDGING UX & AI
PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION OF AI UX
I develop frameworks and tools that bridge the gap between theoretical AI principles and practical implementation for UX teams. My approach focuses on operationalizing AI UX - helping organizations integrate AI capabilities while maintaining seamless user experiences and appropriate trust.
AI-enhanced experiences demand fundamentally different approaches to design, research, and metrics. UX leaders face unique challenges in adapting existing methodologies, upskilling teams, and establishing new governance models that evolve alongside rapidly advancing AI capabilities.
01
Operationalizing AI UX Framework
Comprehensive implementation guide for integrating AI into existing UX processes, teams, and organizations
03
AI UX Governance & Measurement
Lightweight governance models and alternative success metrics specifically for AI-enhanced experiences
02
Cross-Functional Collaboration Models
Practical frameworks for effective collaboration between UX teams, data scientists, and engineers during AI implementation
04
Transformation Playbook for UX Teams
Change management strategies for upskilling UX teams and navigating the shift to AI-driven experiences
AI UX LEADERSHIP & TRANSFORMATION
Bridging UX & AI
Developing the AI UX Navigator, a comprehensive implementation guide and toolkit that helps UX leaders successfully integrate AI into existing processes, teams, and organizations while maintaining human-centered experiences.
STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION
Scaling UX Maturity
Established the UX team as a strategic function for citizenM hotels, creating seamless cross-channel experiences that increased customer satisfaction by 10% while reducing development time by 15%.
STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION
Integrating UX in
Business Strategy
Transformed McKinsey's Data & Analytics division by leveraging UX research for executive decision-making, delivering $35M in annual savings and structural realignment through end-to-end journey optimization.
COMPLEX PLATFORM DESIGN
Enterprise Platform Redesign
Led UX research & strategy for Moody’s 5,000+ page B2B platform, CreditView, shaping design sprints and expert-driven research—contributing to $601M revenue growth and $2.8B sustained growth.
CONTENT & ENGAGEMENT OPTIMIZATION
Optimizing Digital Engagement
Reimagined McKinsey's internal global change management program through UX-driven content strategy, driving 500% increase in digital engagement in six weeks.
EXPERTISE
UX Strategy & Leadership
AI UX Innovation & Product Integration
Research-driven decision-making
Cross-channel experience design
Stakeholder alignment & Change management
Transparent AI Design & Governance
Emerging Technology Innovation
TESTIMONIALS
"During Marianne’s leadership of the UX team, I witnessed her methodically build and strengthen the team by expanding strategy, design, and research. Her focus on empowering us not only elevated the team but also helped embed design and insights deeply into the company’s culture."
ANDREW CHANDLER / LEAD UX RESEARCHER / CITIZENM HOTELS
"Marianne's exceptional leadership in user research is indisputable. At McKinsey, she fostered a culture of process-based research that enabled teams to prioritize what truly brought value to the organization."
DANIEL HERSKOWITZ / PRINCIPAL DESIGNER / McKINSEY & COMPANY
"Marianne excels in using design thinking to identify opportunities and implement transformative changes that optimize team performance. Her strategic approach to change management consistently yields tangible results."
ADINA THEODORIAN / DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY / McKINSEY & COMPANY
"I worked with Marianne at McKinsey's Technology and Digital Department. Her UX research insights were crucial to our successful merger of multiple Data & Analytics teams. I watched her evolve from UX researcher to transformation expert, creating significant organizational impact through stakeholder alignment and bias toward action."
BRIAN BUSSING / ENTERPRISE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE / DATABRICKS
*Testimonials sourced from LinkedIn recommendations on my LinkedIn profile
EXPERIENCE
2024 - Present
Independent Practice
AI UX Leadership & Strategy Consultant
Research, frameworks and toolkits at the intersection of AI and user experience leadership, helping organizations successfully integrate AI while maintaining human-centered principles
2023 - 2024
citizenM Hotels
Head of UX
As the first Head of UX, established and scaled UX strategy, built a high-performing team,
and implemented design operations that transformed customer experience across physical and digital touch points—driving a 10% increase in customer satisfaction metrics
2017 - 2023
McKinsey & Company
Senior Manager, User Research & Transformation
Led user-centered research to improve end-to-end analytics journeys and drive digital transformation, establishing UX as a strategic function, integrating design thinking into executive decisions, and delivering $50M in annual savings
2016 - 2017
Moody's Analytics
Associate Director, User Researcher
Led UX research for flagship B2B platform redesign (CreditView, 5,000+ pages), driving data-driven decisions through iterative design sprints that ensured seamless adoption and contributed to $601M revenue increase
2015 - 2016
Usablenet
Senior User Researcher
Led mobile UX research across e-commerce, travel, and retail sectors, optimizing digital experiences and improving conversion rates for enterprise clients
2010 - 2015
Design Creatives
Design Researcher
Applied industrial design thinking to early-stage physical product development, conducting human-centered research to inform physical innovations for clients​