The Challenge
HP, the company that pioneered Silicon Valley, faced declining sales in its legacy hardware business. During COVID, unexpected profits gave HP another chance to reinvent itself in digital services. Yet its business units — Personal Systems, Printers, and Customer Support — operated in silos with disconnected processes, portfolios, and goals.
On top of this, Marketing introduced HP’s new brand identity with a custom font and colors designed for print, but failed accessibility and legibility standards on digital screens.
TL;DR: How does a 70+ year-old tech giant align siloed units and reintroduce itself with a modern, digital-first experience?
The Solution
A new horizontal team called User Interface Creative Direction (UICD) was formed to unify HP’s digital experience. Our user-centered approach included:
• Defined a “North Star” vision across end-to-end customer touch points in a well-documented Digital Style Guide and Content Style Guide.
• Partnered with Marketing + Design System teams to create a bespoke digital font and WCAG-compliant color system for accessibility.
• Drove adoption through roadshows, bi-weekly office hours, and dedicated Teams' channel to ensure alignment across 16 different workstreams while maintaining a safe and transparent space for feedback.
TL;DR: Created a horizontal team to unify new branding with an award-winning design systems in order to establish a modern, accessible UX vision across HP’s ecosystem.
The Results
• Secured $3M in quarterly funding during a company-wide budget freeze by translating strategy into a tangible product vision.
• Delivered aligned user experiences across HP ONE eCommerce subscription and a converged cross-platform HPX app, approved by the Board of Directors and Executive Leadership Team.
