RACHEL DLUGOS
Product Design, Strategy, and Leadership
Hi, I'm Rachel, a hands-on design and UX leader with 15+ years experience building products and high-performing research and design teams at early stage startups and agencies in insurance, finance, fashion, analytics, and publishing.
I specialize in 0→1 product development for data-heavy web and mobile apps, data-driven strategy, and cross-functional collaboration in remote environments. I love getting my hands dirty, diving into ambiguity, and making complicated things easy to understand.
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
EXPERIENCE
Director of Design & UX
Pawlicy Advisor, May 2022 - August 2025
Series A-›B Pet Insurance Marketplace Startup, serving personalized insurance policy recommendations to over 1M pet parents
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First design hire, tasked with building data-driven product, research, and design capabilities from the ground up.
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Conducted extensive user and competitive research across the U.S. pet insurance industry to define a long-term product strategy that increased annual recurring revenue 70% YoY.
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Created processes and implemented tools for continuous discovery: user testing, monitoring user journeys, gathering customer feedback, tracking product metrics, and sharing insights and outcomes company-wide.
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Drafted the first design system, consolidating UX patterns and styles across multiple channels and 500+ existing site pages, increasing accessibility and engineering efficiency.
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Established career levels, continuing education opportunities, and regular mentoring for product designers, visual designers, and copywriters to support career development and the delivery of high quality, user-centered work.
1M+
CONSUMERS SERVED
+53%
INCREASE
IN CONVERSION
78.5
NET PROMOTER SCORE (NPS)
Design Director
Ground Signal, August 2017 - April 2022
Series C B2B Analytics Startup, providing sales and marketing teams in the alcohol industry insights into their consumers and top accounts, powered by machine learning
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Led a team of 4 to design and develop a 0-1, blue ocean B2B SaaS web app that enables sales and marketing teams in the alcohol industry to better understand their consumers, find the right accounts, and optimize sales.
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Collaborated with tech and business leads to define the product strategy and business model that took Ground Signal from Series C (post-pivot) to cash-flow positive.
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Created data taxonomies, information architecture, data visualizations, and interactive tools to deliver actionable qualitative and quantitative insights to the alcohol industry.
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Developed project management, documentation, and review processes for a fully remote team.
+140%
YoY REVENUE GROWTH
1200+
NEW DATA POINTS FOR THE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY
Senior Experience Designer
DigitasLBi, July 2012 - February 2016
Publicis Groupe Digital Advertising Agency
CLIENTS
Bank of America
Merrill Edge
Merrill Lynch
U.S. Trust
Sprint
Dunkin Donuts
Puma
Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Senior Graphic Designer
Brides Magazine, August 2017 - April 2022
Monthly Condé Nast Publication
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Conceptualized and designed Brides Dressing Room, the first tool to allow users to virtually try on wedding dresses.
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Created editorial, advertorial and promotional pages for Brides print and digital / interactive editions.
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Designed sales presentations, media kits, microsites, event graphics, invitations and signage.
Graphic Designer
Barnum Design, March 2009 - May 2011
Boutique NYC Design Studio
Clients include Sherle Wagner, David Kirsch Wellness Company, Irina Sher Skincare, Gimme Shelter, Talalay Global, and RTape.
Freelance Design & Consultation
Brides Magazine, August 2017 - April 2022
Monthly Condé Nast Publication
UX / UI / PRODUCT
Applight
Hello Alfred
Hereaftr
Merryfield
Protobrand
Simple Circle
Style Me Pretty
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Bon Appétit Magazine
EF Education First
Explorica
Harvard Business Review
Jackrabbit Design
J.Jill
Kingfish Media
Lucky Magazine
Member’s First
Nautica
Phillips Exeter Academy
Vogue Magazine
ZinePack