Kate Wojogbe
Product Design & UX Leader
My background as a hands-on designer informs how I lead. I bring close attention to product quality and build the context, trust and clarity that help designers do their best work.
I spent the last decade at Sonos, leading UX across connected hardware and software. Earlier, I built the UX practice for hardware development and led the team that designed the current generation of Sonos speaker controls. Most recently, I led UX for the core Sonos app experience across mobile and web. My responsibilities also included the design system and content design, shared capabilities supporting the broader product organization.
Before Sonos, I worked across digital product and interactive design as a designer, design leader and independent consultant, with management roles at Yahoo!, Disney and Corbis. I’ve worked inside large companies, small studios and early internet startups, with a few unexpected chapters along the way, including time volunteering in Accra, Ghana.
How I lead
Creating the conditions for great work
Start with context
Joining a complex organization takes time. Onboarding helps people understand the team, the product, the culture and the relationships they’ll need to do their work.
I pace information and introductions rather than front-loading everything. Getting oriented is part of the work, with enough support and freedom for people to follow their curiosity.
Build trust and autonomy
I build relationships where people feel comfortable bringing me difficult things early. I start by listening, clarifying the problem and understanding what support is needed.
When a situation calls for my involvement, we agree on how I’ll engage. Making that process visible helps address the immediate issue while building people’s confidence and ability to navigate the next one themselves.
Lead through change
At Sonos, I led design teams through growth, reorganizations and layoffs. Each time, responsibilities and ways of working had to change with the team and the product portfolio.
I clarify priorities so people understand where to focus their work. Listening and providing context help the team move forward together.
Work across the organization
Much of the work at Sonos happened between groups: hardware and software, design and product management, UX and industrial design. I reported to our VP of User Experience and was one of a small group of UX leaders across consumer and professional products.
I look for where work overlaps across disciplines and programs, and bring those connections to the people who need them. When ownership is unclear, I work with partners to agree on how decisions get made and who owns what.
