Design at scale isn’t flashy – but it’s the most interesting work in the room

Her team is responsible for orchestrating the full product funnel experience, from the first exploratory click on a website, through to trying it out, to ongoing engagement, ensuring that every interaction, across web and app, feels intentional and human. “People perceive their experience with us as one long conversation,” she says. “Even if we don’t structure our teams that way, we have to design like we do.”

And that conversation has become a lot more complex. What began as a simple grammar-checking tool has evolved into a sprawling, AI-powered communication assistant, with new features, new entry points, and a lot more user journeys to consider. “Up until recently, Grammarly was essentially one product,” Verna explains. “Now, with multiple offerings, we’re not just designing journeys, we’re designing loops. It’s no longer a one-on-one at a dinner party. It’s a group conversation.”

Designing at scale means zooming out while staying grounded. That’s something Hana Tanimura, design lead at Google, has built her entire approach around. “When you’re designing for millions or even billions of people, you’re designing for enormous variation,” she says. “Languages, cultures, accessibility needs, infrastructures, it all changes how people interact with your product.”

To handle that kind of complexity, Hana leans on a metaphor pulled from the natural world. “Trees have deep roots that keep them stable and anchored. But when strong winds come, they bend, sway, and flex. That flexibility is what prevents them from breaking.” In other words, if your product can’t move, it won’t last. “The user experience needs to feel stable and reliable, which builds trust. But to stay relevant, the product also has to adapt.”

That adaptability has to live in more than just the interface. It’s a mindset, a culture. A willingness to test, rethink, and shift. “A product stays flexible by being flexed, over and over,” Hana says. And that flexibility also makes room for new perspectives, especially those from users on the so-called “edges”.

“Edge cases are where you find the most interesting ideas,” she continues. “People who can’t use your product the ‘standard’ way often end up hacking together the most creative solutions, and that can spark unexpected innovation.”

It’s a view shared by Teemu Suviala, global chief creative officer at Landor. “We’re not designing for the world, but with the world,” he says. That means tapping into nuance, of course, but also knowing where to hold your ground. “A brand’s true strength lies in its ability to stay fluid and versatile. You decide where to allow for creative flexibility, and where absolute consistency is non-negotiable.”

At this level, design isn’t just about visual expression; it’s about architecture, collaboration, and decision-making. “Launching anything takes a village,” Hana says. “Designers, PMs, engineers, marketers, legal… it’s a lot of voices, and a lot of moving parts. But that’s what makes the work richer.”

One way Hana keeps things human in the process? “I live-design in meetings,” she says. “I’ll open Figma and sketch in real time. It’s not about making it perfect – it’s about grounding the conversation in something visual. It helps uncover blind spots, and it invites everyone into the process. You get better design and stronger buy-in.”

Trust and clarity are the backbone of scalable design, but so are speed, gut instinct and a healthy tolerance for failure. At Grammarly, Verna’s Growth team works in fast cycles, launching A/B tests, measuring impact, and refining quickly. It’s a practice she’s honed over time. Back on a previous growth team, she remembers working on a rebrand that introduced a bold new gradient – something the whole team was excited about. “We loved it,” she says, “but enterprise users told us it made the product feel less professional.” So, they listened, adapted, and reworked the design, repositioning the gradient for a premium sub-brand and simplifying the palette across the core product. “Testing the rules allowed us to make user-informed decisions about how the design system should evolve.” It’s the kind of experiment-first mindset she’s carried into her work at Grammarly: design systems are great, but they’re only useful if you’re willing to question them. As Verna says, “You have to stay curious, or you stagnate.”

Design systems, in this context, are less like fixed rulebooks and more like living frameworks. “They’re a strong place to start,” Verna says. “But you have to stay open-minded – what good are the rules if they confuse users or stop them from meeting their goals?” For her, it’s about strengthening the foundation over time, using data, experimentation and user insight to shape how the system grows. Like any good framework, it needs room to adapt.

And for those wondering whether this kind of work still leaves room for creativity, the answer is a very clear yes. “Honestly, it’s some of the most creative product design I’ve ever done,” Verna says. “We can test ideas quickly, let go of what doesn’t work, and get fast feedback. When a small change suddenly increases onboarding by 200 per cent? That’s exhilarating – not just because of the number, but because it means we’ve reached more people, in a more meaningful way. We’ve made something clearer, more intuitive, more human. That’s what makes it exciting. It’s not about chasing shiny new ideas but nurturing the experience so it actually works better for the people using it.”