Herding Cats Around The World
in 6 Weeks

Somehow, I managed 24 people around the world as a Product Lead.

Case Study Summary

As Product Strategy Lead, I stepped mid-stream into Phase 3 of Lago, an insurance-aggregator platform built for underserved Nigerian communities. I hired and led a globally distributed team, established communication SOPs and sprint planning, and directed competitive analysis and priority mapping that shaped the platform's Help Center and quote-comparison experience.

how it started

The Backstory

Tech Fleet is a community of research, design, and development professionals that produce pro-bono projects, frequently for non-profits. These projects are multiphase and typically operate in 1-week sprints. I was hired as a Product Strategy Lead for Phase 3 of the LAGO Project.

This case study will focus on my leadership skills & product strategy.

UX / UI SKILLSET LEVERAGED

ux surveys

Research

Interviewing

Competitive Analysis

Card Sorting

User Testing

User Stories creation

Design Audit

TOOLS USED FOR lago

Note: Due to an on-going Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with Tech Fleet & our client, this project has been anonymized to 'Lago'.

Re-shaping Nigeria’s Insurance Footprint

The Client Challenge

Currently in Africa, there are very few insurance aggregators to help residents choose appropriate insurance plans for themselves and their families.

LAGO is focused on the target country of Nigeria, which currently lacks insurance aggregators.

Adoption rates for insurance in Nigeria has been low, historically; however, as of August 2023, the government of Nigeria has passed policies requiring all residents to obtain health insurance.

jumping in mid-stream & paddling the team to safety

Lago had many challenges, one of the them was getting myself up-to-speed of where the project currently was.

Stepping into the third phase Lago meant that the design decisions was mostly established by the previous teams & phases.

Discovery

Solution

Strategy & Design

Development

QA & Testing

While the previous team in Phase 2 (Solution) did a good job establishing a hand-off document, with limited access to historical knowledge from the previous designers mean that my roles as a Product Strategy Lead was to fit the pieces of the puzzles where the previous team left off.

Adapt, react, re-adapt, apt

Product Management Starts
with People Management

Every team has 2 co-leads and 4 apprentices. I interviewed my co-lead and sourced 10 candidates, and together, we interviewed 8 individuals, hiring 4 apprentices. These candidates showed professionalism, passion for the project or product strategy, and relevant technical skills or backgrounds.

leading through example

My Responsibilities

Created a standard interview template to cross-compare candidates

I wrote and established communication SOP for the entire project

I built the project strategy workspace and whole team Kanban in Notion

As a lead, I facilitated weekly scrum meetings with apprentices and other leads

meeting milestones

Managing Project Timelines

I reviewed materials from the past two phases over a span of two weeks, with a focus on identifying key product features for Phase 3.

Next, I collaborated closely with Research, Design, and Project Management Leads to ensure an integrated approach.

My strategy involved managing timelines through sprint planning and mentoring apprentices by delegating tasks.

sprint planning & outcomes

delegating tasks asynchronously

Managing Project Tasks: Competitive Analysis

I tasked my apprentices with choosing an insurance aggregator and analyzing the user flow and experience of selecting a quote for a family.

After my apprentices finished collecting the data, I facilitated a workshop, where I showed them how to synthesize the data collected.

We drew three main conclusions: All aggregators compared a total of 3 plans, each had separate paths for comparing individual plans vs. family plans. The simpler the design, the easier it was for users to navigate.

prioritize what's important

Managing Project Tasks:
Priority Matrix

Three of our apprentices have backgrounds in customer service. They played a pivotal role in owning and executing the product strategy for the Help Center Page.

I tasked them with researching similar Help Center Pages then I facilitated a workshop to narrow down features that fell into the high priority and high feasibility range of this phase.

priority mapping outcome

The design of the fully functional Help Center Page established a platform for users to seek support through email and ticket submission for inquiries or problems.

At the end of the day...

Outcomes & Challenges

Project Challenges

Managing a new midstream project team required establishing robust communication standards, especially given its global nature. Handling meetings, availability, and language barriers added complexity to the task.

project changes

The client initially engaged to transition the project from the previous phase. However, as the phase progressed, crucial questions went unaddressed, leading to a decline in their involvement.

Given the chance, I would have supported the project management team in establishing consistent communication channels with the client from the onset.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Lago project and what problem did it address?

Lago is an insurance-aggregator platform built for underserved communities in Nigeria, a country that historically lacked insurance aggregators to help residents choose appropriate plans. The work became especially relevant after the Nigerian government passed policies in August 2023 requiring all residents to obtain health insurance.

What was Emily's role on the Lago project?

I was hired as Product Strategy Lead for Phase 3 of the Lago project through Tech Fleet, a community that produces pro-bono projects for non-profits. I stepped in mid-stream, so my role was to fit the pieces together where the previous team and phases had left off.

How did Emily build and lead the team?

I managed 24 people distributed around the world. I created a standard interview template, sourced 10 candidates with my co-lead, interviewed 8, and hired 4 apprentices. I also wrote the project's communication SOP, built the strategy workspace and team Kanban in Notion, and facilitated weekly scrum meetings.

What was Emily's design and strategy process?

I spent two weeks reviewing materials from the prior two phases to identify key features for Phase 3, then collaborated with the Research, Design, and Project Management Leads for an integrated approach. I managed timelines through sprint planning and delegated tasks to mentor apprentices, including a competitive analysis of insurance aggregators and a priority-mapping workshop.

What were the outcomes of the work?

The competitive analysis produced three conclusions: aggregators compared three plans, used separate paths for individual versus family plans, and simpler designs were easier to navigate. The priority mapping led to a fully functional Help Center Page that lets users seek support via email and ticket submission.

What tools and methods did Emily use?

The team used Slack, Loom, Google Calendar, Notion, and Miro. The UX skillset leveraged included UX surveys, research, interviewing, competitive analysis, card sorting, user testing, user-story creation, and design audits.

Herding Cats Around The World in 6 Weeks