VMware supports half a million partner users, including 75,000 companies (+ Fortune 1,000) and 120,000 learners. VMware's flagship portals manage partner relationships and programs to increase revenue, enable channel sales, enhance product offerings and portfolio. I spearheaded VMware’s Parnter Experience initiative to improve engagement and drive revenue growth through intuitive self-service models and exceptional user experiences.

The focus on being a design-driven company isn't just about aesthetics; it's a strategic choice that prioritizes user experience and innovation. By helping place design at the core of its operations, VMware's realignment that every product or service it creates is intuitive, functional, and aesthetically pleasing. This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also fosters loyalty and advocacy, leading to continuous improvement and adaptation to market changes. Ultimately, embracing design as a driving force helps VMware to differentiate itself, stay relevant, and succeed in an increasingly competitive landscape.

VMware relies heavily on its partners, who are responsible for 80% of the company's revenue. Ensuring these partners have a positive and efficient experience when working with VMware is essential for the company's growth. The design and user experience of enterprise software is critical. Although difficult to get right, a well-designed enterprise tool provides a great user experience which benefits businesses as a whole.

There are seven partner types with 20 sub personas based on their roles with their companies and relationship with VMware. Great enterprise UX benefits all user types of a product. When products are well-researched and well-designed, users regardless of experience-level feel more capable and effective at their jobs.

Partner performance is critical to company's growth. However, partners have encountered multiple painpoints, which necessitates a solution to improve the overall partner experience and strengthen their relationship with VMware. Great enterprise UX creates products that users want to use — when the product acts as a tool that enables them to get their work done, instead of an obstacle that makes their work harder.

With enterprise products, the research step is particularly important due to the inherent complexity of the ecosystem, and the importance accomplishing business goals. When we conduct enterprise UX research, we talk to people — consumers and end users, experts and novices alike — in order to understand goals and needs and create products that support their work.

During the research phase, we capture users opinions about their experiences with VMware through a survey designed to understand customers, their work-related goals and drivers, and what they want improved. We identified partner tasks across all types that are most important when interacting with VMware to reduce complexity and understand what really matters to customers.

Through extensive research and direct engagement with partners, we gained profound insights into their needs and pain points. We audited the partner experience (before and after login) of 5-7 companies comparable to VMware to determine best practices.

We created a meticulously crafted partner roadmap as our blueprint for optimizing interactions and enhancing revenue streams. Task-based models and self-service frameworks empowered partners, streamlining processes and boosting operational efficiency.

I focused on enhancing intrinsic values, baking gamification into foundational processes, making partner interactions enjoyable and rewarding. By aligning tasks with partner motivations, we fostered a supportive ecosystem that drove sustained success to increase sales through optimizing and motivating people’s feelings, making tasks a fun and engaging experience.

I redesigned partner portals which were pivotal in enhancing user experience. Streamlined designs and intuitive functionalities enabled partners to navigate effortlessly, accelerating transaction times and fostering unparalleled satisfaction.

Platforms like VMware.com and Partner Central became comprehensive hubs tailored to partner needs. They offered everything from sales enablement to technical training, providing partners with the tools and resources to thrive within our ecosystem.

The VMware Partner Network offered customized support and programs that empowered partners worldwide. By fostering collaboration and providing targeted resources, we ensured partners had the support needed to achieve their business objectives.

The Demand Center provided partners with self-service access to marketing resources and integrated campaigns. Advanced analytics and lead management tools enabled partners to optimize their marketing efforts and drive tangible business outcomes.

The Renewals Center automated and streamlined the renewal process, enhancing partner efficiency and ensuring seamless management through API integrations. Meanwhile, the Developer Center offered role-based learning paths that equipped partners with the technical skills necessary for success.

Provides VMware's rolebased Learning Paths through a sequential training roadmap to increase sales, aligned with job function, skill level and goals, and organization's area of focus.

Partner University integrated learning management with Salesforce, offering accredited certifications that enhanced partners expertise and credibility in the market. Continuous education initiatives ensured partners remained competitive and informed.

Structured learning paths within VMware’s ecosystem aligned with organizational goals and partner expectations. These initiatives empowered partners to achieve their sales objectives and fostered a culture of continuous improvement.

A unified design system guided our UX strategy, ensuring consistency and usability across all partner interactions. Design patterns optimized workflows and enhanced user satisfaction, reinforcing VMware’s commitment to excellence.

As UX advocates, we championed design excellence and maintained standards throughout the organization. By collaborating across teams, we ensured that partner-centric design principles were integrated into VMware’s broader business strategy.

Scaling VMware’s Partner Design practice was a journey marked by innovation and collaboration. By placing partners at the center of our design philosophy, we strengthened relationships and positioned VMware as a leader in partner engagement within the enterprise technology sector.