Selma Zafar Consulting

Experience Design Leadership

Executive experience design leadership, without the full-time hire.

I help Canadian retail, commerce and technology organizations turn experience design from a delivery function into a strategic one — with clear experience strategy, a team built to scale, and systems that make every release faster. Twenty years of doing it from the inside, now on your side of the table.

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Who I work with

You have designers, but no XD leader

Your UX, content and research people report into Product, Marketing or Technology. Nobody at the leadership table owns the customer experience.

Your channels don't connect

Customers, store staff and contact centre agents work around gaps between your stores, website, app and phone lines every day.

A major investment is coming

A new corporate strategy, replatform or AI program is on the way, and you need an XD plan your executive team will approve and fund.

Services

Five ways I work with leadership teams.

Each one starts with a specific problem and ends with something you can point to. The track record under each is work I led, and you're welcome to ask me about it.

  1. Experience Design Leadership

    Track recordAt Best Buy Canada, I reported to the SVP of eCommerce, Technology and Marketplace and won executive adoption for the Digital Flagship and Shipping & Delivery programs.

    Before

    Your UX, UI, content and research people report to different leaders. No one sets direction for the customer experience, so the work follows whichever request is loudest.

    After

    I join your leadership team part-time and run XD. I set priorities, review the work, and represent it in planning with Product, Technology and Marketing.

  2. XD Organization Development

    Track recordI introduced critique, design standards and decision rights at Best Buy Canada before growing the team from 20 to 70 in under three years.

    Before

    Quality depends on two or three senior people. Decisions get reopened, nobody is sure who signs off, and hiring more designers would make it worse.

    After

    You have defined roles and levels, a regular critique practice, and a review model your managers run themselves. Who decides what is written down.

  3. Enterprise Design Systems, XD Operations & Responsible AI Solutioning

    Track recordAs part of lululemon's global website redesign, I set up the company's first reusable XD standards and a component-based design system, used by XD and development teams to give customers a consistent experience in every market. I also defined the governance model that kept it that way, and put it in place.

    Before

    Each product team builds its own buttons, forms and wording. Design work arrives late in the sprint. People use AI tools with no shared rules on accuracy, accessibility or brand.

    After

    You have one design system with named owners and contribution rules, with XD built into your Agile process. Written guidelines cover where AI is used, who checks its output, and where it isn't allowed.

  4. Omnichannel Experience Strategy & Roadmap Development

    Track recordI led Best Buy Canada's Digital Flagship, which connected customer, store associate and agent experiences across store, web, app and call centre and became a corporate strategic initiative.

    Before

    Your store, website, app and contact centre were built by different teams at different times, and customers notice. Every department has its own roadmap.

    After

    A three-phase engagement covers discovery and research, strategy and vision, and the roadmap and execution plan. It ends with one prioritized roadmap, showing what each phase needs in people and budget.

  5. Coaching for UX Leaders

    Track recordI've coached design managers and senior designers across the organizations I've led, and taught Human Factors and Information Design at Langara College from 2008 to 2013.

    Before

    You promoted your best designer into management. They're still doing the design work themselves, and they struggle to get time with executives.

    After

    Regular one-on-one sessions cover running a team, giving critique, building a business case and presenting to executives, with a new skill to apply after each session.

FAQ

What executives usually ask first.

Have a different question? Email selma@selmazafar.com.

What happens on the first call?

It's 30 minutes. You describe what's going on, I ask questions, and I tell you plainly whether I can help. If I can, you get a written proposal. If I can't, I'll say so.

How is an engagement structured?

Strategy work runs as a phased statement of work, with a review point after each phase so you can adjust scope before the next one starts. How long it takes depends on where you are today, how mature your XD organization is, and how complex your business is. We'll work that out together before anything is signed. Leadership coaching is sold as a set package, such as 3 or 6 months.

How do you price?

I bill hourly against a not-to-exceed total written into the statement of work, so the budget can't grow without your sign-off. Travel is billed separately. You'll get a written quote after our first call.

Will you replace my team?

No. I work with the people you have, including your design, product, technology and operations leads. If you need a permanent XD leader, I can help you define the role and assess candidates.

Who is this not a fit for?

If you need someone to produce screens or run usability tests full-time, hire a designer or an agency. I work at the leadership level, on direction, structure and decisions. If that's not what you need, I'm still glad to help you find the right person. After twenty years in this field I know a lot of good people, and I like connecting them with each other.

Book a 30-minute call.

Bring the problem you're working on. You'll leave knowing whether I can help, and what a first engagement would include.

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