Nicole Gallardo
Nicole Gallardo

I help tech leaders grow companies with premium practical UX and product design.

I'm a 3X founder and UX/UI specialist who has designed 80+ products that have helped companies make $2B+ in rev and secure $210M+ in funding. MY STORY I’ve spent almost 20 years helping tech leaders design profitable digital solutions that make life easier and more enjoyable for the people who use them. My love for UX began while working with inspirational leaders at Quicken Loans and Publicis Sapient. It grew and evolved as I designed and eventually led high-stakes initiatives for iconic brands including Target, Chrysler, John Deere, and Norwegian Cruise Line. In 2010, after identifying key process, collaboration, and DEI challenges in the traditional design agency model, my husband and I set out to reinvent it. We co-founded Gallardo Labs–a UX and product design agency devoted to helping companies exceed their goals while simultaneously making the design industry inclusive for its practitioners. Since then, I’ve worn many hats–CEO, founder, product designer, and UX/UI director–usually all at the same time. Our Gallardo Labs approach is one where lean teams of subject matter experts co-create solutions with stakeholders that focus on outcomes rather than deliverables. As CEO, I provide the creative and strategic direction for the agency. Here, we’ve cultivated a shared UX mindset where curiosity is relentless, mistakes are opportunities, and design is another word for problem-solving. Some notable clients of ours include GE, Virgin Voyages, Carnival Cruise Line, Brightline Trains, Frida, and MDLIVE. However, a decade of client relationships unveiled another challenge in the tech industry: Top-tier UX and product design often remain out of reach for mid-tier organizations and high-growth startups, even with the lean model we pioneered at Gallardo Labs. In 2022, I launched Founders Who UX to tackle this issue. Founders Who UX provides practical premium user experience and product design resources, team training, and consulting to growing companies. Through our unique approach, we are able to empower growing teams to make big-impact, low-risk, and sustainable digital products.

Medium member since January 2021
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Nicole Gallardo

Nicole Gallardo

Founder & Chief Design Officer at Founders Who UX | CEO at Gallardo Labs | Published in Entrepreneurship Handbook, UX of EdTech, & UX Collective