About me

👋 Hi, I’m Sarah.
I'm a design leader, systems thinker and problem‑solver based in Christchurch, New Zealand.

I’ve spent over a decade designing digital products, services and systems across startups, SaaS, the public sector, and high‑impact industries. At my core, I’m a designer who loves understanding people, unpacking complex systems, and shaping meaningful product experiences.

I care deeply about products and projects that make life easier for others - whether that’s simplifying essential tasks, improving clarity, supporting better decisions or removing cognitive load when it matters most.

My current role

I’m currently the Design Lead at Datapay, a payroll platform that pays 1 in 6 New Zealanders. We support medium to large organisations with deep configurability, modern integrations, and ongoing AI‑led innovation. In my role, I guide the product experience through clarity, evidence, and genuine connection to the people who rely on our payroll SaaS every day.

I lead detailed JTBD research, market analysis (TAM/SAM/SOM), structured Outcome-Driven-Innovation discovery, and cross‑functional workshops that create shared understanding across the organisation.

A big part of my work focuses on understanding customers' real behaviours and pains in high-pressure operational environments. Our greenfields product eases cognitive load during high‑pressure workflows and replaces complexity with confidence and clarity.

My work goes beyond UI/UX. It spans service flows, decision-making processes, and how cross-functional teams utilise product research insights. I ensure our solutions work effectively within the wider ecosystems our customers operate in.

I’m also leading design through Datapay’s shift towards AI‑driven development. This includes shaping our agentic‑first design system, enabling AI to understand and consume design context, and evolving our discovery workflows so we can learn faster, align earlier, and deliver meaningful value with more confidence.

My vision is a design practice that helps us imagine, prioritise, and build the next generation of payroll technology by blending rigorous research with AI‑accelerated learning.

My leadership philosophy

For me, design leadership is about helping teams grow through clarity and connection to real customer needs. It’s about creating the conditions for thoughtful problem‑framing, healthy collaboration, and outcome‑driven design.

I’m particularly passionate about designing for real-world scenarios, not ideal behaviours - reducing friction and stress for our customers. I build systems, processes, and culture that support empathy‑first decision‑making.

I uncover customer insights, turn those insights into alignment, alignment into strategy, and strategy into human‑centred solutions that make a meaningful difference.

A bit about my background

Before Datapay, I led the design team at FarmIQ, where I supported and mentored designers, improved our processes, and helped the organisation build a clearer understanding of customer behaviour.

I’ve worked across many different environments: agencies, SaaS products, the public sector, and organisations of all sizes, from start‑ups and not‑for‑profits through to large enterprises.

Across all these roles, I’ve often worked in complex spaces where real customer needs, business goals, and practical constraints all come together. I enjoy making sense of that complexity and shaping solutions that work for people in real life, not just in prototypes.

No matter the context, I’ve always gravitated toward information‑rich, purposeful products. The products that genuinely help people, and contribute something good to the world.

Leadership Impact Areas:

✨ Growing and mentoring design teams
🙋‍♀️ Leading product discovery and problem‑framing
🧱 Building scalable design systems and workflows
💬 Facilitating cross‑functional alignment
🧠 Turning research insights into strategic direction
♿ Designing for clarity, accessibility, and cognitive ease
🤖 Embedding AI into design practice and delivery
🧩 Connecting design decisions to organisational goals

Outside of work...

You'll usually find me outside tramping, riding one of my bicycles, making pottery, gardening, or hanging out with animals. 🥾🚴‍♀️🦧🦇🐳🐙🐛🦀⛰️

Tools & craft skills
Figma & FigJam • Miro • Dovetail • Pendo • Adobe Suite •

Researcher • JTBD Framework • Outcome Driven Innovation • Workshop Facilitation • Design Sprints • Service Design • Design Systems • WCAG Accessibility • Systems Thinking • Agile Collaboration • Evidence-led Product Discovery • Brand Identity • Illustration & Asset Creation

↑Back to Top