UX chapter at ING: from nothing to 15 designers

In one sentence

At ING Bank Śląski I built a team of UX designers for business banking: from nothing to 15 people across 6–9 squads in 3 tribes, all hired by me, led for 5.5 years.

The problem

The bank was moving to agile ways of working. Products were delivered by small teams (squads) grouped into larger units (tribes), while cross-cutting communities called chapters were responsible for the quality and growth of each discipline. Designers worked in different teams, so someone had to make sure they kept to shared standards and kept growing. On top of that, business banking meant legacy systems, internal and external users, and a strong aversion to risk.

What I did

• I built the chapter from scratch: its scope, roles and ways of working with squads and with the tribe. From nothing to 15 people across 6–9 squads; I hired the entire team myself.
• I introduced design reviews and knowledge sharing between squads permanently, as a regular rhythm of work.
• I created concrete career ladders for designers in the chapter: about 6 levels, from junior up to the most senior expert roles.
• I co-created the foundations of the design system for business banking products.
• I brought user research into the process of an organisation that minimises risk by default.
• I worked on the gradual modernisation of legacy systems rather than on a single redesign.

I was the UX Chapter Lead and a UX Principal Expert.

How influence worked without formal authority

Designers reported to line managers in the tribes, so I had to build influence in other ways. The division's plans were discussed at shared planning meetings. As UX chapter lead I took part in those meetings, so design needs were visible where decisions were made.

I decided which competences a given role required. In hiring interviews, usually someone from tribe management assessed cultural fit, and I assessed hard skills, soft skills and experience. My contribution was making sure goals were defined in a way that fits design roles, and then helping to assess how they were met.

How you could tell it was working

The same problem was not being solved by more than one team. Product tribes designed processes that the tribe responsible for web and mobile channels then delivered, so everyone had to design to the same standards.

From the start I wanted the chapter not to depend on one person. The rituals, standards, career ladders and people in their roles kept working after I left in 2022, and most likely still do.

What this project proves

That I can build and sustain a design team in a large, regulated organisation where influence rests on trust and on the quality of the argument.