New York, February 19th, 2020

Fifteen years back, Momentum Design Lab started changing the design scene at heart of Silicon Valley. Now, with offices also in New York, México City and London, the agency hopes to consolidate on that growth this year, doing more with its current clients and also expand to new ones to do more amazing work.

Matthew Wohl joined the agency last year as its UX head after having worked eight years for Bank of America. Despite it has only been a few months, he was involved in big projects and changes at Momentum. In an interview with TIA, Wohl described the opportunities and challenges for the agency and its work environment.

Which kind of moments you value most at the office?

By far the biggest highlight is the bias for action and collaboration we all have, coupled with a minimalistic approach to formal meetings. We’re really aligned when something needs to get done and our teamwork is tight across time zones and offices. So, what I value the most is the respect for everyone’s time. The fast turnarounds through constant collaboration, the elimination of meeting paralysis, and the understanding of what and how everyone on the team is contributing to the work of the day.

How would you describe the evolution in your work from when you began until today?

The shift from pixel-focused UX to strategy-driven CX is the largest change in the work I’ve been involved with. The clients and projects that I’ve worked on that required basic UI/UX attention are still there and are still just as fun to tackle.

However, the problems and opportunities that have become the most enjoyable to solve are the ones that go deeper into the world of a company and being able to make a positive impact on the totality of experiences that their customers have with them.

Talking about the agency.. how do you feel Momentum stands out in such a crowded sector?

I think it goes back to the CX approach to almost every question a prospective client brings to us. Every person on our team shares a common understanding that the most value we can provide to a client is more than just solving UI challenges with pixels, but is one where we’re able to put together a program where we can get at the heart of the human and/or business problems and turn them into human solutions.

What steps have you put in place to guarantee innovation on the projects developed?

We keep it simple and try not to overcomplicate it. Innovation is part of our routine whether it’s coming from a project or from just an internal conversation about what-if situations. We keep our task lists short and achievable so that we make sure our resources are exploring only the most valuable ones. We plan it out so that the amount of work isn’t expanding based on a bloated or unstructured amount of time. And we make sure we all have time to reflect and understand our progress so we can identify areas for adjustments.

Can you name some of the opportunities and challenges that the agency is currently facing?

Focusing on CX is providing the opportunity to become trusted partners in a customer’s digital strategy. Clients are starting to see the value of the workshops and the strategic artifacts as opposed to just getting visual comps. And this gives us the opportunity to keep adding value across more than just the one or two digital properties that clients originally come seeking our help with.

Staying true to who we are and what we want to be is a challenge day in and day out. We put great effort into not just pitching for every piece of new business out there but focusing on the ones that we believe our team is the right and best team to deliver the solution.

Which are some of the most promising innovations that we can find at Momentum today?

We’re developing some partnerships to be at the forefront of design delivery through Adobe XD.
We’re not just following a cookie cutter design thinking process. We’re either attacking each problem with an evidence-based or expert-based process that allows us to solve both simple and complex situations.

How do you foster employees’ personal goals?

Quite simply we talk to our teams and instill the idea that communication is two-way street. The leadership team and each individual are equally accountable for employee growth and improvement. While we as a leadership team are seeking out ways to align work based on goals, we’re also fostering a culture of open communication so that our teammates can share what’s important to them.

If you have to name something that people would be surprised to learn about you, what would it be?

I’m an amateur woodworker and overall DIYer.

Who comes to mind when thinking of an influential mentor?

Two people. Someone I worked with 20+ years ago who taught me lessons about client relationship and account management that are still part of my day to day. And another person I worked with/for during my longest tenure at a company who instilled the leadership skills and love of design that keeps me going.

What can we expect for 2020?

Growth. Clients are seeing our value beyond just the one project they’re bringing to us, and that’s enabling us to do more for existing clients. And in return this is expanding our footprint out there in the ether and more companies are noticing. And with all that client growth has come physical growth too. We’ve moved physical locations in each of our offices and now have the space to grow into them.

Any global issue you are most passionate about and why?

Sexual assault awareness and survivor assistance. My wife has devoted her professional life over the past 25 years to be an advocate for survivors and it has carried over into our home and family life as a movement that my entire family and extended family care deeply about.

Things I wish I knew when I left school:

Focus my time and energy on the people that are focusing their time and energy on me.
Take your time finding a job. It’ll come in time, in the meantime go travel more.
Do what feels right for you. Don’t let other people’s expectations drive you.
Who was going to win the Super Bowl the next year because I’d definitely put some money down on that.

A playlist to help you get inspired:

My Shinedown channel on Pandora.

Thanks Matt!

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Customer ExperienceMatthew WohlMomentumUX Design