Q&A: Stepping into design leadership with Ellie Pujol
The first article in the series dives into the daily lives of Skyscanner’s design leadership team. Today, we’re sitting down with Ellie Pujol to chat about her career path to the role of Discovery Design Lead and the significance of building strong work relationships to deliver exceptional creative work.
Ellie embarked on her Skyscanner journey four years ago, joining the company as a Senior Product Designer. Now, she leads a team of product and content designers, overseeing the core product — Skyscanner’s search experience. Starting as freelance, she quickly advanced to the role of Discovery Design Lead. In our conversation today, we’ll take a walk down Ellie’s career path to design leadership and chat about the significance of strong relationships when delivering exceptional creative work. We’ll explore how she navigates leading a design team amidst the always-changing strategy of an agile software company.
Could you please introduce yourself and your journey to Skyscanner?
I joined Skyscanner in April 2019 as a freelancer. During my first five months, I worked separately from the rest of the company, collaborating with a small team consisting of a product owner and an engineering squad.
We had a dedicated room where we brainstormed ideas and worked closely to solve challenges together. This was one of the most enjoyable projects I had worked on in my career; we all sat in the same room, and had blocks of time to experiment and simply iterate different designs.
After that initial period, I took a two-month break for a planned trip. Fortunately, my work was well-received, and I received a call during my travels asking if I would like to return and continue working with the team.
That’s quite an unusual way to join the the team on a permanent basis but it’s great that it’s worked out for you.
That’s quite an unusual way to join the the team on a permanent basis but it’s great that it’s worked out for you!
You mentioned that from the very beginning you were invited to collaborate with stakeholders from very different disciplines. Do you have any tips for designers on how to effectively immerse themselves within a team?
For me, the key to success when joining a new team lies in building relationships with colleagues. Understanding each other beyond our professional roles — as individuals rather than just an engineer or a designer — helps reduce friction and fosters better collaboration.
Investing time to understand colleagues’ professional passions and perspectives is crucial. When I became part of my current team, working together in the same physical space played a massive role. We actively sought to establish personal connections.
There’s a noticeable impact when you collaborate with individuals like Leo, Ismail, and Paolo, rather than addressing them solely by their roles such as ‘product designer on the project’ or ‘front-end engineer.’ It becomes much more effective when you can relate to each other as people and not just professional titles.
Transitioning from Senior Designer to Principal Designer is a significant step. What new aspects of design leadership have you found most fulfilling in your current role?
Transitioning from a senior to a principal role is an enormous leap, and the differences were profound. As a senior designer, you are a doer: you determine your impact, produce results, and operate relatively autonomously.
However, stepping into the principal role was a big change for me (which I didn’t anticipate). Unlike the autonomy of a senior designer, the principal role involves managing teams and facilitating their success. Instead of personally crafting designs, the focus shifted to empowering others to be creators.
At first, it was difficult to navigate because the measurement of impact became more elusive as it was no longer tied directly to individual design output.
Becoming a principal meant contributing to the growth of both the team and individuals, and this, in turn, contributed to my own sense of accomplishment. Being able to mentor and guide others is now one of the most rewarding pillars of my career, and despite initial hurdles I’m very glad I stepped up to this role.
Can you give an example of the new scope or responsibilities you have as a Principal Designer?
My approach to design projects has definitely evolved. I’ve started focusing on long-term goals rather than just immediate tasks like designing the next feature or solving a particular problem. My perspective has widened, becoming more strategic and less defined. It’s about envisioning where we want to be in a year and figuring out the steps to get there, which involves more planning.
Now, my role is more about shaping the product’s future and innovating, rather than focusing on tweaking metrics or adding features. I’m collaborating across different disciplines, becoming proactive in running workshops, understanding user needs for the upcoming years’ work, and coordinating research and product requirements. This marks a significant shift from being primarily focused on hands-on design work and concept development in Figma, tasks which I very much enjoy, and instead on to PowerPoints and Miro boards.
How has the company’s culture played a role in shaping your career, especially as you moved into a more senior position?
I genuinely believe that Skyscanner cultivates a remarkably friendly culture. When we take on new colleagues, our interview process ensures that we’re not only hiring the best but that we’re also hiring collaborative, socially aware individuals that are open to giving and receiving feedback. This focus on ‘soft skills’ — skills that go beyond technical or industry-specific knowledge — is invaluable.
On top of that, there is a culture of openness and honesty that really eases our work. There is no finger-pointing or blame, instead there is collective ownership and an understanding that mistakes are part of the process. We learn from mistakes and move forward, acknowledging no one is perfect. This really helped ease my mind when stepping into a leadership role; I knew it was okay to ask questions or probe decisions around product strategy.
Skyscanner is a dynamic environment. How do you balance adapting to the evolving needs and goals of the company while guiding other designers at the same time?
That’s a really good question! As a very agile organisation we tend to re-evaluate our strategies fairly regularly and sudden twists and turns can get very frustrating. However, it soon becomes clear that company strategies evolve based on a myriad of factors, many of which are beyond a designer’s control or even awareness.
My approach to dealing with these changes involves proactive engagement. During the project phase, I frequently question our direction and adjust my methodologies as we go along.
As for managing my team through these transitions, the key is keeping them in the loop. Open, honest communication is vital. It’s important to acknowledge the reality of the situation, even when it’s not ideal, and not to sugarcoat the challenges. Embracing these changes with honesty helps the team adapt and refocus on what can be achieved.
Designers often find inspiration in unexpected places. Are there any non-design influences that have shaped your creative thinking and contributed to your growth as a design leader?
It’s a cliché to work for a travel company and love travel, but I genuinely absolutely love to travel! The excitement of discovering unfamiliar places and the simultaneous stress, especially when language barriers come into play, is an experience I find challenging and creatively stimulating.
All these aspects — the excitement of exploration, the challenge of communication, and the rich tapestry of colours and cultures — truly invigorate me. I believe, like many of us,
Creativity flows best when fuelled by genuine happiness and excitement.
Last but not least, speaking of the future: what’s your next travel adventure? Or what’s one place you want to visit in the future?
I recently returned from a fantastic two-week trip to Mexico, and it was amazing! The highlight, undoubtedly, was the food. Now, I find myself in the midst of relocating to a new country. Despite technically moving back to my hometown (Barcelona, one of Skyscanner’s office locations), it’s been 12 years since I’ve been here and I’m looking forward to returning to this place with a completely new lens!
Keen to understand more about Design at Skyscanner? Get in touch!
If you’re looking for design roles, we have a few over on our careers hub, why not check them out.
