Hi.

Sure, I Build Products. But What I Really Build is Trust.

When someone opens your product, they’re bringing their whole life with them—stress from their commute, family responsibilities, maybe financial pressure. I design for that reality, not just the screen.

About Me

I’m Thelma Van — a product and design leader who makes sense of complexity by listening to what systems and people don’t always say out loud. Over the past decade, I’ve led UX and product efforts across government, public, and private sector systems – guiding large-scale transformations and building tools that serve millions. My approach blends strategic product thinking with deep user empathy, whether I’m mapping journeys for voter registration across 26 states, designing applications for nuclear chemists, creating aviation compliance tools, or shaping AI-powered platforms for federal systems serving millions of people. What drives me isn’t the scale of these systems, but the moments when people can accomplish their work.

How I Work

For me, product design starts with understanding how people actually live. I design with the belief that users bring their full reality with them: deadlines, distractions, tech fatigue, and lived experiences. I build for that complexity – not just what shows up on the screen.

This mindset isn’t just how I approach UX, it’s pretty much how I help transform organizations. Often best practices aren’t one-size-fits-all so I develop frameworks that scale with real teams. Like product users, organizations are navigating complexity too. They face shifting priorities, constraints, and constant change. Understanding the people who make up an organization is design thinking.

I care deeply about getting it right, but I don’t expect we’ll get it perfect on the first try. The sooner we put something in users’ hands, the sooner we know what actually works. The sooner we try, the sooner we’ll know if it was the right thing to try.

What I Bring

I work at the intersection of UX, product strategy, and organizational transformation. My sweet spot is in environments where there is complexity, challenges, and the stakes are high.

Here’s what I bring to the table:

Strategic product thinking that connects user needs with business outcomes
Design leadership that’s both hands-on and big-picture
Scalable, adaptable frameworks tailored to evolving team and organizations
Coaching and mentorship that lifts individual contributors and entire teams
Experience with high-stakes, high-scale systems – including platforms serving millions

What I’m Looking For

I thrive in environments that value both innovation and authenticity, places where we can push boundaries while shipping solutions that meet real human needs. I’m drawn to teams that aren’t afraid to tackle hard problems, that give people autonomy to contribute their best work, and that focus on outcomes that matter.

Whether stepping into a leadership role or contributing as a high-impact individual contributor, I’m most energized by organizations that see design and product strategy as essential to their mission, or at least give me the chance to show them why it should be.

If you’re building something that matters, let’s talk, connect with me on LinkedIn.

What People Say About The Work That I Do

I’ve told you a lot about my work from my perspective. But honestly, what matters more is what the people I’ve worked with think.

On Practical Impact

Following a problem statement workshop: “On Monday, our project sponsor wanted to add another task to our plate. The team was about to hold a dozen meetings and shift priorities, but I asked them to pause. We created a problem statement and showed the sponsor where it ranked. Now the POs are debating and ranking problem statements instead of building nebulous features. The BAs can break things down more easily, and the dev team isn’t jumping ahead to what they think the solution should be…. We even resolved one issue with a process change instead of writing any software.”

On Mentorship + Empowerment

“What I appreciate most is how Thelma teaches. First, she models it. Then she supports you while you try. Then she steps back so you can lead. I didn’t think I could do this role, but with her guidance, I’ve found my footing and made it my own.”

On Influence + Results

“During the three-hour oral presentation for a multi-million contract recompete, Thelma led the scenario response portion. She’s so calm and thoughtful that the prime asked her to take the lead. Through a week of intense prep, she guided leaders from multiple areas through practice scenarios, kept us on time, and produced responses that were cohesive and specific.”

On Transformational Leadership

7 disconnected scrum teams. “She convinced leadership to give us two weeks, and in that time, helped us rethink how we triage, prioritize, and work together. Within months, we were actually operating as one program. We’re about eight months in, and the feedback I’ve gotten from my leadership and our customers about the changes, about our new direction, our cohesive vision, and our communication has all been glowing.”

On Communication + Trust

“Thelma is incredibly insightful and knowledgeable in her design, research, and strategy work. She has a demeanor that makes her easy to talk to and learn from. She was able to take a challenging team and worked with them to offer designs and comprehensive research to inform a much larger epic of work. She is confident during team meetings and her input is always valued.”

On Design + Execution

“I think Thelma is one of the most remarkably talented designers I’ve ever met. The collateral she’s put together is so usable, intuitive, and thought provoking. In meetings, I’m impressed with her ability to roll with new information and think on her feet, she has polished, insightful responses to questions and pushback.”