Promethean Transformation
Leading strategy, design, and team growth through a pivotal shift.
About Promethean
Promethean had once been a true pioneer in education technology, leading the classroom display market with little competition and becoming a well-known name present in over 1.2 million schools worldwide. But by 2021, the landscape had shifted. There was significant competition, post-pandemic budgets were shrinking, the hardware market was in decline, and panels had become commoditized — nearly identical in look, features, and price.
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I joined at this pivotal moment as the Director of Product Design, overseeing software and hardware. With no clear roadmap, my mandate was to help chart the future: defining how Promethean could diversify into paid software, and building the design foundations needed to make that transformation possible.
Promethean case studies
The Challenges on Day 1
The obstacles were significant:
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A portfolio of free, outdated apps with no revenue model.
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Products that didn’t connect across devices or platforms.
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No design system, guidelines, or accessibility standards.
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No strategy for software as a paid offering.
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A small, underperforming design team.
Design Team Transformation
Over the following 4 years, I turned these challenges into opportunities, building the design practice, strategy, and team capacity that powered Promethean's shift from hardware to SaaS.
Established a Strong Design PRACTICE
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Scaled team from 4 to 11
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Established culture of excellence
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Defined standards and principles
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Created a career ladder
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Reshaped how design operated across the company
Developed a SaaS Design Strategy
Created the design vision and strategy that unified hardware, firmware, OS, and apps into one connected experience.
Spearheaded an Accessibility initiative
Spearheaded the initiative that achieved WCAG 2.1 AA+ compliance and certified 95% of the product org in accessibility.
Created Product Design Guidelines
Worked closely with marketing to define user-based design guidelines that reflected Promethean's brand inside our products.
Built the First Design System
Created the Embers design system, bringing consistency, accessibility, and efficiency across platforms.
Envisioned New Industry-First Solutions
Named on two patents for innovative content delivery mechanisms.
Timeline of the First Year Transformation
Read my article about building the design team
"Collaboration is a Mental Space, not an Office Space"
Design Principles
I created these principles to guide our design and create consistent, quality experiences across our portfolio.
Quarterly Goals
For our quarterly goals, I created areas of focus to measure success.
Reflection
This work didn’t just grow a team — it established design as a strategic practice inside Promethean. The design vision I set became the foundation for Promethean’s SaaS transformation, influencing the company’s products, culture, and long-term direction. I am humbled to have had the opportunity to lead such an incredible design team that made all of these successes possible.
Case Studies
HELSA designed a Machine-Learning app that turns handwritten sketches into editable digital scores instantly.
HELSA built a design practice that elevated craft, consistency, communication and excellence.
HELSA transformed dated, disconnected apps into a unified and revenue-generating suite of educational tools.
HELSA imagined a patent-pending, innovative solution to lesson planning and delivery.