Bio
I'm Rachel Showalter.
I'm a UX and product design leader.
I have over 20 years of experience designing intuitive digital products and growing collaborative, cross-functional teams.
For the past 8 years, I've led multidisciplinary teams of designers, developers, and researchers to launch user-driven products that meet real customer needs and scale with the business.
I help teams connect design decisions to business outcomes, build inclusive team culture, and push innovation forward through research and cross-functional collaboration.
Experience
Crutchfield.com- Senior UX Manager, 2022-present
- Agile Coach, 2021-present
- UX Manager, 2020-2022
- UX Lead, 2017-2020
- Senior UX Designer, 2014-2017
- Front-end Developer, 2012-2014
- Certified in Mental Health First Aid
- 20+ years of long-form improv & ensemble coaching
- BA in Russian Studies
Skills
- UX Strategy
- Team Leadership
- Agile Methodologies
- Inclusive Design
- Design Strategy & Influence
- Research & Usability Testing
Case Studies
AI Agent Assistant
Led design and Agile coaching for a Vue-based AI assistant used by Crutchfield's contact center, improving agent efficiency and reducing customer wait times.
Speaker Shopper Research
Led a multi-method UX study of Crutchfield's SpeakerCompare tool, uncovering customer pain points and driving successive conversion gains.
Speaker Feature Matrix
Directed product design for a tool visualizing speaker sound profiles, collaborating with AI and data teams to translate qualitative reviews into a data-driven model resulting in increased conversions and speaker sales.
Inclusive Design Initiatives
Launched accessibility workshops and updated design standards, leading to better experiences for customers using screen readers and mobile assistive tech.
Agile Transformation
Implemented Agile methodologies across the UX team, enhancing collaboration and delivery speed.
Contact
Let's connect! I'm looking to bring my UX leadership to a team ready for growth, collaboration, and fresh challenges.
Reach out via LinkedIn