Nicole Gallardo

Nicole Gallardo

I help founders in tech design the right digital product before they invest a ton of money in building the wrong thing.

By helping early-stage startup teams solve a real problem for their business while learning the proven methods of UX, they are able to gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed to design user-validated digital experiences that society wants and needs.

MY STORY

For over 15 years I have enjoyed helping companies create profitable and equitable digital products with UX. I am most passionate about improving how design is applied within organizations to make businesses grow and communities soar. I’ve led the design of over 80 successful digital products for Fortune 500s and leading startups.

Throughout my career, I’ve been a UX/UI designer, creative director, e-commerce entrepreneur, and team builder for industry icons like Publicis Sapient, Target, Chrysler, John Deere, and Norwegian Cruise Line. I often struggled in navigating the design leadership world as a woman and it became my mission early on to help make it more gender diverse.

After identifying key communication, collaboration, and DEI challenges in the traditional agency model, my husband and I set out to recreate it. In 2010 we co-founded Gallardo Labs–a remote UX design agency devoted to helping business leaders reach their goals while making the design industry a more inclusive environment for everyone, especially women.

The Gallardo Labs concept is one where lean teams of subject matter experts co-create solutions with clients that focus on outcomes rather than deliverables. As CEO, I provide the creative and strategic direction for the agency. I’ve pioneered a culture here where different is better, mistakes are opportunities, and the design process is rooted in compassion.

Now I’m taking my vision a step further–to progress our society towards a gender-equal future–one founder, company, and digital product at a time. Founders Who UX invests in founders with ideas and uses the UX design process to close gender gaps in innovation, entrepreneurship, and leadership. I help earliest-stage tech and DTC founders co-create digital products and brand experiences that customers want and society needs.

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