About Me
Product Manager | CX Specialist | UI/UX Guru | Team Leader
I am a heavy-weight product manager with a strong focus on all things digital. With more than 20 years experience across digital design and development and team managemen I live and breathe all things User Story focused, FIGMA and ClickUp and I am quite content with using HTML and CSS. I am a true #digitalnerd — I love spending time solving technical challenges, am reliable, and very organised.
My digital journey started back in 2003 with a humble FrontPage website - and I've been hooked ever since. What started as a hobby has grown into a two-decade passion for creating digital products that solve real problems for real people.
Today, I'm a Product Manager working in the data privacy space, helping major retailers, banks, insurers, and healthcare organisations turn tricky compliance challenges into smooth, intuitive user experiences. I believe that even the smartest product doesn't matter if people can't actually use it.
As a CX Specialist I completely reimagined how we support and educate our customers - building a full learning academy from scratch. It now includes 100+ expert articles, multimedia courses, and an AI-powered help centre that solves most problems in seconds, not hours.
I get involved in the whole product lifecycle - turning ideas from initial brief to wireframe, through to an interactive mockup (using FIGMA), collaborating with developers, and making sure customers have the resources they need to succeed. I'm always asking: how can we make this easier, better, more helpful?
I have built teams and managed them through all steps of team leadership and mentorship. As of 2022, I was the co-lead of the Interaction Design Foundation's Cape Town chapter in an exciting endeavour for me as it brought together knowledge sharing and the chance to set up really interesting speakers for monthly meet-ups.
My days are generally spent writing user stories, acceptance criteria, designing UI pieces and creating CX artefacts . I aim to end each project 'pixel perfect' with a user friendly UX and UI. I work with Visual Studio, FIGMA, Adobe CC, Intercom, Learnworlds and work in an Agile/Scrum environment.
Top Skills: Project Management • UX Research • User Experience (UX) • Customer Experience • User Interface Design
Skills & Expertise
Product Management
- Product Roadmapping
- Requirements Gathering
- Product Releases
Customer Experience
- Customer Education & Enablement
- Knowledge Base Development
- AI-Powered Support
- User Training & Onboarding
- Technical Documentation
UX & Design
- User Experience Design
- FIGMA & UI Design
- Customer Journey Mapping
- Wireframing & Prototyping
- Mobile Responsive Design
Technical Skills
- HTML5 & CSS
- Bootstrap
- Visual Studio & GitHub
- WordPress & Joomla
- Data Privacy (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA)
- DevOps & Agile/Scrum
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Invision & Adobe XD
Leadership & Community
- Team Management (5-30+ people)
- IxDF Cape Town Co-Lead
- Mentorship & Training
- Agile Team Leadership
- Cross-functional Collaboration
Professional Experience
Product Manager
Leading product strategy and development for a secure data collaboration platform at the forefront of consumer intelligence and computer learning technology.
- Product Management & Roadmapping
- Project Management
- Squad Management
- Stakeholder Collaboration
- AI collaboration, mainly with Claude using the DEX framework
Customer Experience Specialist
Heading up Customer Experience and UX for an innovative start-up with 2 rounds of funding behind it. Built a comprehensive learning academy from the ground up with 100+ expert articles, multimedia courses, and AI-powered help centre.
- Designed and implemented full customer education platform
- Created AI-powered help centre reducing support response times
- Developed 100+ technical articles and multimedia courses
- Led UX initiatives for secure data collaboration platform
UI/UX
Worked on cutting-edge data collaboration platform, focusing on creating intuitive interfaces for complex computer learning and consumer intelligence systems.
Online Portfolio: chessac.co.za/portfolio
UI/UX Designer
Created wireframes and mockups using FIGMA, developed front-end solutions with HTML and CSS, and executed intensive UI work on the company's native app.
- Researched and implemented latest UI/UX industry trends
- Designed interfaces and created unique design solutions
- Collaborated with Business Analysis and Development Teams
- Identified and solved UI/UX issues across platforms
Head of Digital Development, UI/UX Designer
Led digital development initiatives and managed multiple client projects from conception to launch.
- WordPress, Joomla, and Moodle design and development
- Mobile responsive websites and UI/UX
- Project Management and Operations
- HTML5, CSS, MySQL, PHP, Bootstrap
- Notable projects: airspacesa.com, axistraining.co.za, mycollsonline.com
Online Portfolio: chessac.co.za/portfolio
Digital Designer / UI Designer
Specialized in website design and development for mobile-friendly environments with focus on modern web technologies.
Senior Digital Designer / UI and UX Designer
Long-term role developing digital solutions for diverse clients with emphasis on user-centered design.
- Website design and development
- Digital design for mobile friendly environments
- WordPress and Joomla development
- Graphic design and print management
- Notable projects: sisters.org.za, modata.co.za, bantingcook.co.za
Online Portfolio: chessac.co.za/portfolio
Key Projects
Customer Learning Academy
Built comprehensive education platform from scratch with 100+ expert articles, multimedia courses, and AI-powered help centre for data privacy SaaS platform.
Data Privacy Platform UX
Designed intuitive user experiences for complex compliance tools serving major retailers, banks, insurers, and healthcare organizations.
AI-Powered Help Centre
Implemented intelligent customer support system that resolves most customer queries in seconds, dramatically reducing support response times.
Native App UI Design
Intensive UI work on enterprise native application with focus on consistency, usability, and modern design patterns.
References
Here are my references from past clients and employers. You're welcome to contact them directly for a reference.
"I have known Francesca and worked with Francesca since 2008. Not only is she talented and able to deliver creatively, she is genuine, caring and warm and this adds a personable approach to her work.
When working on a project or piece of work, she will immerse herself passionately and will be available for consultation as well as offer good insight to any gaps.
She is a pleasure to interact with, is open to changes to briefs, willing to go the extra mile where needed in terms of flexibility and timing, is honest and realistic, and has a quiet confidence about how to deliver the end product.
I wish her well in all her career and life endeavours."
"I have worked with Francesca for many years, first within a corporate environment where she worked on all Mazars' electronic and digital materials and projects. She was instrumental in creating our electronic internal newsletter, emailers to clients as well as assisted us with website, intranet and general digital marketing materials for use across various platforms.
She was always most willing to provide input and give advice where necessary, and she turned around her work very quickly so that we were always able to meet stringent deadlines if required.
On a personal basis, Francesca completely redesigned and built my Scout Cape Town website and has been of huge assistance in giving advice on how to maximise its performance and has provided me with on-going technical assistance whenever I've asked for help. Without her, my online presence would definitely not be as effective as it has been."
Certifications
CSM and Agile Scrum Course
Design Thinking 101
Purpose-Driven Leadership for Strategy and Innovation
Influencing People
Product Management Fundamentals
Improve Writing with ChatGPT
Customer Interviews
The 10 Pillars of Customer Experience
Harness Your Creativity To Design Better Product
How to Deal with People Who Don't Get Design
How and When to Run a Design Sprint
UX Careers - Setting Yourself Up for Success
Co-Lead Certification
Adobe CC 2014
Adobe CS2
DTP
Let's Connect
I'm always interested in hearing about new opportunities, collaborations, or just chatting about product design and team leadership!