menu
ABOUT
I’m Sarah Meissner. I design things for a living, but mostly I help teams think. I’ve been doing this for over 15 years, across places like Microsoft, Etsy, Indeed, and Expedia. Big names, sure. But what really matters is how I lead and what I believe.
I believe in making things make sense. I believe in protecting creativity in places that would rather crush it. And I believe the best ideas often come when you’re standing at a whiteboard marker in hand, asking the dumb question no one else will. Even if it's only to an AI-agent.
WHAT I BELIEVE
This part matters. This is what guides me when the meeting runs long or the project gets political or the spark starts to dim.
The root need is everything
If you don’t understand what people actually need, you’ll waste time solving the wrong problem. The true business problem usually lives under the user problem. Dig deeper.
Design is thinking, not decoration
Design happens way before Figma. It’s the questions we ask. The assumptions we challenge. The systems we untangle. The mess we’re brave enough to step into.
Creativity needs care
The spark dies fast in places that worship productivity over curiosity. Good design leadership is about creating space where weird, useful, surprising ideas can actually show up.
The environment matters more than the artifacts
No one does their best work in fear. Creativity needs air. It needs trust. It needs a team that feels safe enough to try something strange and smart enough to know why.
HOW I WORK
My process isn’t fancy. It’s not a diagram with ten swimlanes and a catchy acronym. It’s just a rhythm that works:
Understand the problem
Talk to people.
Read the research. Feel the tension. Don’t assume.
Make a plan
Pull the right people in. Sketch out a path. Leave space to wander.
Try the thing
Put something in the world. See what sticks. Learn what doesn’t.
Reflect & adjust
Ask what changed. Ask what hurt. Ask what could be better next time.