Erika Flowers

Product Strategy, Service Design, Customer Experience, Design Leadership

eflowers@gmail.com   —   linkedin.com/in/flowerserika   —   helloerikaflowers.com

Product strategist and design leader with a drive for creative productivity. 24 years experience in hands-on product contribution, with 10 years of strategic design leadership experience in organizations across the capability maturity spectrum.

I live in the nexus of design, business, and psychology where meaningful experiences happen.

Key Differentiators

• Expert in customer experience, service design, and systems thinking with a passion for end-to-end product strategy and delivery
• Extensive knowledge of product craft, with expert fluency in product, service, and software development
• Inventor of the "Practical Experience Blueprint" method, framework, and curriculum, author of book "Your Guide to Blueprinting the Practical Way"
• Skilled mentor, teacher, and writer with a talent for simplifying complex topics and problems.

Work History

NASA - United States Government
Digital Service Expert (Federal Civil Servant)
6/23-Present — Space travel, climate science, universe exploration — nasa.gov

Applying the practical-practices of customer experience, service design, and human-centered systems thinking for the projects and teams of NASA. Duties include:

• Spearhead the application of design thinking principles to optimize digital service delivery, driving both user satisfaction and mission effectiveness at NASA.
• Design and lead cross-functional workshops that bring together engineers, designers, and stakeholders, fostering a collaborative environment for innovative problem-solving.
• Utilize service design methodologies to revamp and elevate customer interactions, transforming them into intuitive, user-friendly experiences that align with NASA's ambitious goals.
• Act as a key facilitator in implementing agile frameworks within project teams, ensuring swift delivery of high-impact digital solutions while adapting to the ever-evolving needs of space exploration and research.
• Serve as a vital liaison between technical and non-technical teams, ensuring seamless communication and integration of diverse skill sets in pursuit of NASA's digital transformation objectives.

Mural
‍Sr. Principal Experience Strategist — New Business Initiatives, VR/XR
4/21-Present — Digital Collaboration — mural.co

• Focused on new initiatives: Product Strategy, Service Design, Customer Experience - specialist in the human-experience side of XR / VR / AR / MR
• Led cross-team and cross-functional collaboration that helps Mural craft effective experiences for its members. Focused on enterprise engagement strategy.
• Revolutionized MURAL's immersive product and service experience as the lead producer and customer experience strategist, delivering cutting-edge VR, MR, and AR strategies and metaverse offerings
• Strengthened MURAL's position as an industry leader through strategic partnership with Meta's Reality Labs unit, resulting in joint experiments, experiences, and services defining the future of professional VR and immersive technology
• Instrumental in establishing MURAL's "Product Strategy and Innovation" team as a founding member, developing net-new product strategies and service offerings.

Intuit
Principal Product & Service Designer & Principal Design Technologist
2/14-4/21 — Financial Technology — intuit.com

• Pioneered the Service Design function as the first Service Designer for QuickBooks small-business group, setting the standard for end-to-end customer experience (see story here).
• Led the strategic vision and execution of remediating top customer support issues for the QuickBooks Online product line, defining the current-state, diagnosing critical moments and root causes, and launching a cross-functional remediation plan that spanned silos and touchpoints for a true end-to-end solution.
• Transformed the Intuit Partner Program through visionary product and service strategy, conducting insightful research, program design and touchpoint design to revolutionize the integration of third-party product partners with QuickBooks.
• Elevated the QuickBooks Online experience as a trailblazing Service Design leader for "QuickBooks Live" service and the billing and subscription experience, conducting cutting-edge research, blueprinting and providing actionable insights to key stakeholders.
• Revitalized the Apps.com product unit as a visionary Principal Product Designer, spearheading a comprehensive rebuild of the customer experience and delivering a ground-breaking, company-first "mobile-first responsive" launch of the property.
• Conducted company-wide workshops, trainings, and consulting engagements on critical projects, inspiring cross-functional collaboration and driving customer-backed practices to new heights

Jive
Design Director
6/13-2/14 — Cloud Video & Voice — jive.com

Venafi
User Experience Manager
8/11-6/13 — Cybersecurity — venafi.com

• Pioneered product strategy as first UX designer and team manager, driving customer-focused innovation on existing infrastructure to launch the company's first encryption management product and establish user-centered design processes.

User Experience Lead, Helix Education — 10/10-8/11 — Vertical Marketing — helixeducation.com

Sole-proprietor design consultant — 2006-2010 — Design Consulting

Web & UX generalist, Various web and product firms — 1998-2006

Education

B.S. Psychology, Southern Utah University, 2005

Emphasis in applied psychology, research design, neuropsychology, and practical methods of psychotherapy

Social Work intern for the State of Utah Division of Child and Family Services, working with foster children, case workers, at-risk youth, and court-ordered adults.

Intuit-trained Innovation Catalyst

Presentations, Publishing, Projects of Note

Speaking and Workshops

• Service Design Network Dallas 2020 - Exploring the Practical Service Blueprint
• Google's “Sprints” Conference 2017 - Service Blueprinting at Scale
• Service Design Week Boston 2017 - Service Design Bootcamp, Board Member
• St. Louis STLX Design Conference 2017 - Service Design Supower Powers
• Service Design Network National Conference 2017 - Introduction to Service Design
• San Francisco Design Week 2017 - Beyond the Product: Silicon Valley Needs Service Design
• Service Experience Chicago 2016 - Life on the Service Design Working Ranch Workshop
• O’reilly Design Conference 2016 - Demystifying Service Design
• Evolve UX 2016 - Turning Customer Experience Pain into Service Design Opportunity
• Adaptive Path Service Experience Conference 2015 - Practical Service Blueprinting Workshop
• Service Design Chicago 2015 - Practical Service Blueprinting Workshop
• Adaptive Path Service Experience Conference 2014 - A Service Design Odyssey

‍Co-founder of Practical by Design

Practical by Design is an online learning resource focused on practical methods that make it easier to do design, innovation, and strategy. Co-creator of the best-selling online course “Introduction to Practical Service Blueprinting” with students from around the world utilizing the format in companies throughout the Global 2000.

Co-author of “Your Guide to Blueprinting the Practical Way” book, a detailed, step-by-step guide on the method, framework, and facilitation of creating current- and future-state experience blueprints.

Personal interests

I have a deep and uncompromising love of fiction storytelling and the fundamentals of story and plot structure, and maintain a consistent level of effort in the pastime of fiction-crafting. I enjoy playing my e-drums, virtual reality, historic home renovation, and playing with my labrador dog.

I am the author of “The Dauntless Gambit,” an ongoing 4 book series in paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats. See more at erikaflowerswrites.com.