Reducing $1M Quarterly Vendor Spend by Hiring a New UX Team
In 2022, Walmart relied on a design agency for UX/UI services, costing $1 million per quarter. However, the work consistently failed to meet internal quality standards and design system compliance.
In order to reduce vendor costs and increase continuity, the department chose not to renew the contract and needed to transfer 9 in-progress design initiatives into an internal UX team.
COMPANY
INDUSTRY
Enterprise Software, Corporate Responsibility & Governance Technology
Business Objective
Cost Reduction
MY ROLE
As the Senior UX Manager, I led the transfer of design initiatives, facilitated cross-functional communication, and hired top talent to accommodate business demand for UX – all while working remotely.
TIMEFRAME
8 weeks
TEAM
Internal UX designers
External design agency
Cross-functional partners in Product, Business, Engineering, and HR
THE TASK
Seamlessly transition all design work from the external agency to the internal UX team. Ensure business continuity, maintain project velocity, uphold quality standards, and build a new design team.
Major Challenges
With the help of 2 part-time UX designers, we quickly took ownership of nine (9) in-progress projects with minimal documentation, context, or clarity on design decisions. Beyond the transition, my focus was on rapidly aligning cross-functional partners to new, process-oriented workflows grounded in UX best practices.
Process and Approach
I led with structure and clarity, aligning priorities across teams and maintaining consistent communication with key decision-makers. I set clear expectations with new hires, cross-functional partners, and agency leads—establishing shared understanding of roles, timelines, and quality standards from the start. This groundwork allowed us to stay focused, deliver effectively, and build trust throughout the transition.
Overview of key milestones that structured the transition. Clear expectations and aligned priorities kept teams focused and delivery on track.
Managing Risks and Tradeoffs
Balancing limited team bandwidth while actively hiring required difficult but necessary tradeoffs—and clear, empathetic communication. Our UX team initially received pushback for not being able to support all projects. However, hiring candidates through the HR processes realistically takes at least 3 months. It was in everyone’s best interest to focus on the highest-impact work during this period, which required many delicate yet firm conversations to align stakeholders around a more sustainable plan.
Together with cross-functional partners, we:
Prioritized high-impact work aligned with business-critical outcomes
Leveraged resources where design could drive the most value
Deferred lower-priority projects to preserve team bandwidth and delivery quality
Maintained alignment through regular check-ins with Product, Business, and Engineering stakeholders
These choices helped us focus, deliver meaningful outcomes, and grow the team in a way that set us up for long-term success.
I maintained a list of all projects within my portfolio. Projects below the "cut line" could not be supported due to limited resources or unclear scope. This helped track active engagements, anticipate future needs, and align resources across business pillars.
Seeing the Value of In-House UX
The strategic shift towards an in-house UX team gave us deeper visibility into the broader enterprise portfolio and uncovered additional UX needs. With an internal team in place, we were able to:
Scope and prioritize work more strategically for the year
Set clear expectations with partners
Ensure alignment with design system standards to improve product consistency
Most importantly, our embedded presence allowed us to evaluate the full ecosystem of internal and third-party tools across Corporate Responsibility—leading to more informed, experience-driven recommendations that improved user journeys from end to end.
Template view of the annual UX roadmap used to plan, align, and communicate design priorities across the enterprise. A key tool in scaling the impact of our in-house UX practice.
Driving Impact and Results
The transition delivered measurable impact across cost savings, team growth, and employee engagement. By shifting UX work in-house, we improved alignment, reduced expenses, and created a foundation for long-term scalability and cross-functional collaboration.
Cost Savings
Team Growth
Employee Engagement
Company Recognition
"Kristine's leadership in hiring and mentoring new designers was invaluable at a time when we were rapidly growing the team. She independently coordinated interviews with candidates and successfully hired skilled designers to support various technology design teams. Her expertise in UX design was critical to the growth and strengthening of our organization."
Laura B., VP of Associate Digital Experience
Received a "Making A Difference Award" for significant contributions to the success of Walmart in FY23 Q2.
Reflection
Leading this transition reinforced several lessons about communication, advocacy, and operational clarity—especially when building trust in a newly formed team. Key takeaways include:
Meet cross-functional partners early and often—especially in remote environments. Building relationships upfront fosters trust and helps align priorities before issues surface.
Set clear expectations from day one. Clarity around roles, responsibilities, and processes helped the teams move faster and with more confidence.
Call out risks early and document them. Early hesitation to raise concerns around usability and design system compliance resulted in some rework and timeline delays later on.
Process doesn’t slow things down—it speeds them up. A shared, repeatable way of working builds momentum and protects quality at scale.
Every interaction is a chance to advocate for UX. Find opportunities to educate non-designers about the value of user experience and the methods that support it.
Grateful to work with new team members and cross-functional partners across Austin, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Bentonville, Arkansas. Building strong partnerships in every corner makes the work even more meaningful.
