I'm Sanjay Pinnock from Toronto, a Product Design leader with over 10+ years in design. My expertise turns challenges into opportunities, emphasizing customer-centric design, design systems, visual storytelling, and data-driven user experiences.

About

— Product design and UX leader for 11+ years, focused on data-informed customer experiences and business value-driven KPI impact.

 
Live from in front of the camera

Live from in front of the camera

— Sanjay Pinnock

I love designing teams and thing, collaborating, identifying interesting problems and figuring out what I can build to solve them. Above all, I like to keep it simple and do it well.

Humans, Business, Inclusion, Research, Systems, Good}

{Design Focus:

Humans, Business, Inclusion, Research, Systems, Good} {Design Focus:

  • My principles guide how I lead, coach, and collaborate with teams, leveraging curiosity to cultivate connection through empathy for a better digital world.

    • Useful: Everything I create—whether it's a team, a product, or any kind of interaction—should meet a genuine need and offer real benefits. I focus on understanding their challenges and ensuring the solutions align with their goals. This way, users can trust what I create, feel more satisfied, and find it valuable in their lives. For me, being useful goes beyond just working well; it's also about having a meaningful impact.

    • Simple:I love designing teams and things, collaborating, identifying interesting problems, and figuring out what I can build to solve them. Above all, I like to keep it simple and do it well”. Simplicity means reducing friction at every touchpoint while amplifying clarity and delight. By stripping away unnecessary complexities, I ensure users can focus on achieving their goals effortlessly and delightfully.

    • Modular: I believe in making things that are flexible and easy to adjust, no matter what I'm designing or building. By dividing the problem into smaller parts, I help teams quickly adapt to users' changing needs or market shifts to create flexible, reusable components that solve multiple use cases. This approach allows for growth, encourages new ideas, and helps different systems work together smoothly, all while keeping everything consistent and high-quality.

  • I focus on values that inspire behaviour, guide agile teams and my decision-making, and foster alignment and impactful customer experience outcomes.

    • Prioritize Outcomes Over Mere Output: My main priority is to achieve meaningful results instead of just checking off a list of tasks. I strive to establish clear goals that have a real impact, ensuring our collaboration meets the business's and our customers' needs. This approach encourages fresh ideas, helps us prioritize what's most important, and emphasizes quality over just "doing a lot of work," allowing us to create valuable outcomes.

    • Assume Positive Intent: I approach every interaction with the belief that others have positive intentions. This value fosters an open, empathetic environment where ideas can be shared without fear and conflicts are addressed constructively. I create a foundation for collaboration, growth, and stronger team relationships by prioritizing understanding over judgment.

    • Promote Inclusivity: I strongly support diversity, background, and experience in everything I do. When we create a space where everyone feels welcome, mixing ideas ensures all voices are heard, valued, and respected, leading to better problem-solving, innovative ideas, and more impactful outcomes. Being inclusive isn't just a belief—it's a way of working that helps teams grow stronger and makes products that connect with people from different backgrounds.

  • I drive impact by guiding teams through every design stage, using strategic human-centred processes, design systems, and insights to create cohesive, results-driven experiences.

    • Empower Decision-Making with Insights: Use information from both quantitative and qualitative to guide design decisions at each step. By basing our solutions on what users need and valuable insights, we collaborate to ensure our team creates experiences that benefit users and achieve measurable results.

    • Build Consistency with Scalable Systems: Implement and evolve design systems that promote efficiency, alignment, and consistency across products or teams. This way, every part of our product feels connected and consistent, making it easier for both our teams and the people who use our products.

    • Focus on End-to-End Cohesion: Ensure every stage of the design process—from discovery to delivery—is strategically aligned to the overall vision and business goals. By keeping a strong link between what users want and the organization's objectives, I create useful experiences and build teams that make a meaningful difference.

I have a strong focus on understanding, communicating, and executing data-driven customer behaviour through both quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. Bringing design and engineering teams and processes closer, with an eye on the main issue of making an inclusive experience for the customer, and also meeting business needs from the very start is what I'm into. I believe in testing, learning, and delivering high-quality results efficiently.

Before joining CIBC as a Sr. Analyst, User Experience, I spent over a year at IGNITE Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber Student Union in the role of Manager of Creative Design and more than two years at Ontario Telemedicine (OTN) as a Sr. Digital Art Director. Further, I spent over three years running my e-commerce company, guiding designers and entrepreneurs on how to build customer-focused experiences for respective e-commerce undertakings, which I established in 2019. In addition to this, I worked as a lead digital designer at Rogers Media and a number of other various brands across Canada.

My Journey

Vertical Timeline
2021-22
CIBC
Sr. Analyst, User Experience

Specializing in user experience analysis and strategy.

2020-21
IGNITE (Humber College and University of Guelph-Humber Student Union)
Manager Creative Design

Overseeing creative design team initiatives and projects.

2018-22
Self-Employed
Entrepreneurship

Founded and successfully led an e-commerce company for over 3+ years, coaching entrepreneurs on effectively scaling their businesses and maximizing product impact.

2017-19
Ontario Telemedicine Network
Sr. Digital Art Director

Leading digital art direction and design strategies.

2015-17
Rogers
Lead Digital Designer

Spearheaded design projects for Today's Parent Magazine via tablet interaction.

2015-2015
Toronto Star
Lead Digital Designer (Contract)

Led a design team to execute user-friendly tablet templates.

2014-2015
SPC Student Price Card
Graphic Designer

View entire professional journey via:

Eduction:

My educational background includes graduating from the Graphic Design Communication program at George Brown College, School of Design.

Additional training:

  • Leadership 101 & Advance Leadership, York University Schulich Business School — 2023/24

  • Generating Big Ideas with Design Thinking, NN Group — 2021

  • Measuring UX and ROI, NN Group — 2023

  • Lean UX and Agile, NN Group — 2023

Core Skills:

Team Leadership and Mentorship, Experience Design Execution, Digital Transformation and Strategy, Design System Development & Strategy, Web & Apps, Digital Signage, Information Architecture, Art Direction and User Interface Design, User Research and Usability Testing, Product Discovery and Definition, Managing Roadmaps and UX Process


My Experience

Transforming customer experiences through design systems, digital transformation strategy, and user experience (UX). If you need a Product Design leader for unified, customer-centric solutions, let's connect.

© 2024 | Sanjay Pinnock