Transformed’s product operating model and design

Finding the right problems to solve

For most of my career, I was lucky enough to work at a design agency specializing in digital transformation. Though I didn’t fully realize it at the time, much of this work aligned with the core themes in Marty Cagan’s Transformed.

As part of a specialized cross-functional strike team, I helped define problems from the stakeholder’s perspective, engaging directly with customers and users to gain deeper insights. Our assessments often led to refining—or even redefining—the initial problem statement, ensuring we solved the right problem rather than just the one originally proposed.

Through this process, I learned that applying a design lens early on is critical for accurate problem definition. This approach strengthens UX strategy by balancing business objectives with user needs, leading to more impactful outcomes.

Leading an In-House Design Team

When I joined Zonar, its approach to product development didn’t align with Transformed—something I found surprising. Given my design team’s “research to realization” expertise, I focused on driving organizational change to position design as a key player in problem definition—an approach I had seen succeed before. However, this shift was challenging until Pablo Supkay, Zonar’s Head of Product, introduced Transformed and began aligning the PM organization with its principles.

This transition greatly benefited the design team, as our strengths in research, problem definition, rapid prototyping, and holistic experience design became integral to the process. By embedding these capabilities more deeply into product development, we enhanced our ability to drive meaningful, user-centered innovation.

Click here to see how I operationalize Transformed’s concepts for Design Discovery work and right sizing UX efforts.