Interview with Matthew Hanson
Design Leadership Interview at DoorDash
Hey Matt, thanks for taking time to chat today. Let’s start a quick introduction: how long have you been at DoorDash and what does your role entail?
Thanks Tae! I’ve been at DoorDash since September of 2021. I originally joined to lead the International product design team, but I’ve recently transitioned over to lead the Shopping Experience charter within the Consumer team. My team primarily focuses on maintaining and improving our core restaurant discovery and ordering experience.
What inspired you to get into design?
I got into design through a circuitous route in fine arts and technology originally. I pursued a BFA in undergrad and moved to Chicago to pursue a masters degree in an experimental program at the Art Institute — Art and Technology — where I got exposed to all kinds of technology being used in traditional arts including graphic design. Having a generalist background served me well when I left school.
I started my professional career at an agency just when the web was originally taking off. At the time nobody was really an expert and the industry was evolving quickly, so it gave me the opportunity to wear many different hats and learn by doing. I started as a front-end developer, but quickly moved into information architecture and interaction design over the course of my first few projects at the agency, and kept building my skills as I gained more experience and the industry in general matured. I transitioned into design/team leadership before I left to start my own boutique agency, and have been in the field ever since.
What drew you to the team at DoorDash?
The caliber of talent was the initial draw, followed by gaining a richer picture of the company mission during the interview process. DoorDash is expanding in so many unique and interesting ways that aren’t immediately obvious from the outside. I’d worked on several international efforts previously at other big tech companies, but they never had the expansive vision DoorDash did of taking the harder route and building truly local products in each market. As I met more of the team it was impossible not to be impressed, or recognize how much I would learn and grow from the experience of working here.
You’re currently helping to lead our design efforts in the Consumer domain, which has been a major focus for you in your career. What are your favorite aspects of designing for users in this space?
The impact you can have at this scale. It’s a highly recognizable product loved by millions of people who use it frequently. We can test and learn quickly, and the work we do is highly visible in the world. People I know use our products and aren’t afraid to share feedback!
With the changing nature of modern life, the pandemic and other “new normals” that have emerged over the last several years, DoorDash can play a unique role in helping to power local economies and adapt to these new realities. It’s a mission-driven company experiencing rapid growth, but it’s still early enough for individuals to have outsized impact. I’m confident some of our most important innovations are still in front of us! Customer expectations are constantly evolving, so we have to move quickly and adapt, which keeps the work interesting and challenging.
Are there any aspects of DoorDash and our product that you find especially interesting or unique to work on?
Working on a three-sided marketplace with Consumers, Merchants, and Dashers is a really interesting challenge. We need to balance the needs of all three audiences when designing, so even though the Consumer team is focussed on customer facing experiences we have to always consider the other audiences to find the right balance.
At our scale small changes can make an immense impact, but DoorDash doesn’t think small, so we are constantly pushing to innovate. Whether it’s a 0–1 opportunity or something as simple as removing friction from an existing feature, you know it can make a meaningful difference for our customers and to the business.
The Consumer design team is growing rapidly these days, and you’re actively hiring for multiple roles. What are some of the qualities you look for in potential candidates?
Customer centricity is foundational to everything we do. Balancing that with a strong business acumen and ability to reach for our strategic goals without compromising customer experience is a tough job but essential for success. I also look for inspiring craft that can raise the bar for the team in some unique way.
You need to be able to weave a strong narrative in order to influence others, so we look at both hard and soft skills. We expect designers to partner closely with our Product partners to help drive product strategy/vision, so product sense/intuition & storytelling are also important.
We also look for humble self-driven learners — the industry is in a constant state of evolution and the best product designers are naturally curious and driven. They never stop learning. They have a bias for action.
It’s also important that DoorDash is the right place for you at this stage in your career, so we look for designers that are ideally situated to both contribute and grow. Finding the right designer for a given team is highly situational as well — how will they adapt and round out the skills on the team? Building great teams is a bit like putting together a complex puzzle, so we can’t use a one-size-fits-all approach to hiring.
Interested in joining Matt’s team? Check out our career page for open Product Design roles.
You’ve been a design leader for many years now. How would you define your leadership and management style?
It’s important for leaders to be authentic and emphatic, and I try to be as direct and transparent as possible with my team. It’s foundational to building trust. Getting to know each team member personally, understanding their unique situations and motivations that drive them to do their best work is an essential ingredient.
This leads naturally to a focus on building a design culture that is open and collaborative, and embraces diversity across multiple dimensions. Designers need psychological safety to thrive and operate openly. It’s a tough job to put yourself out there on a regular basis and take feedback for the gift it is without discouragement.
Strong product design teams depend on strong cross-functional partnerships, and in order to be impactful we need to build strong partnerships. I see my role as an enabler and someone who can remove roadblocks, but work to empower my team and their partners.
One of the key relationships for any Design team is the partnership with Product. How would you describe the relationship between the teams here at DoorDash?
One of the things I love most about DoorDash is customer centricity is part of the DNA — regardless of role — so we often see key partners pushing just as hard for more customer-centric solutions as the designers. Designers here have a broad scope, and are trusted by their product partners to bring ideas and creativity to problem solving.
We collaborate closely with Product to define the problem(s) we are hoping to solve before any design work begins. Once the problem is well defined, designers have a wide latitude to explore the solutions space. We partner closely with Product throughout the end-to-end process.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Do you have any hobbies or passions that you’re currently pursuing?
I’ve gone deep deep down the web3/crypto rabbit hole in the last couple years. There is so much innovation in this space I’m finding it endlessly fascinating and engaging. From the world of NFT’s, metaverse, digital rights/ownership models that are emerging to innovations in finance (DEFI), organizations (DAO’s), and the general movement towards decentralization and self custody. I could spend all my free time focussed on this space and barely scratch the surface of everything that is happening.
I started my career during web 1.0 and it feels very much like that time to me. Full of promise and experimentation, but still figuring out what it all means and what the world will look like when we figure these things out. There is so much to learn because it’s not easily accessible and the UX is often horrible! Which again reminds me of the early days of the web and the personal computing revolution before it. I expect a lot of creative destruction before this becomes mainstream, but it’s a fascinating time to learn and get engaged!
Thanks for taking the time to chat, Matt! One last question before we end: you live in Chicago, which is known for its amazing food scene. What is your favorite thing to order for delivery, and what is your go-to spot for enjoying a sit-down meal?
I’m a creature of habit, so I tend to reorder things I like frequently. Right now one of my favorite delivery spots is Parson’s Chicken & Fish. It’s the kind of food you want when you’re looking for comfort food, so I also enjoy ordering from Chicago Diner and Aba when I want to lean in a healthier direction. I live in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, so a few neighborhood go-to spots for dine-in include Lula’s, Lonesome Rose, and Longman & Eagle.
Interested in joining Matt’s team? Check out our career page for open Product Design roles.
Learn more about other leaders at DoorDash here.
