Meet Sónia Gomes – a Product Design Leader and a Priciple Product Designer at Uphold.
Throughout her career, Sonia has led 20+ successful products for brands like OutSystems, Uphold, Blip/Betfair, Paybase, Net-a-Porter, Namecheap, Concentrix, Ernst & Young (EY), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and Prozis.
In this interview with UXtweak, Sónia talks about:
- Communities of Practice (CoPs) and why companies need them
- How to build CoPs from scratch
- Practical tips for structuring cross-functional collaboration
- Sónia’s layoff story and how she found her new role
- Advice for landing your dream job in a crowded UX market
… and so much more! Let’s dive right in!
You talk a lot about Communities of Practice. What are they, and why do you think they matter in today’s workplaces?
Communities of Practice (CoPs) are self-driven, collaborative groups where practitioners, from UX, research, design systems, to product design, come together to share knowledge, solve problems, and grow.
For instance, at OutSystems, I championed CoPs within a 70+ person UX & Research group, offering a space for designers of all specialities (interaction, content, UX, research, product) to co-create rituals like critiques, events, and collective learning sessions.
CoPs are vital in today’s fast-paced digital organizations, they foster shared identity, improve alignment, and help teams scale while staying grounded in user-centered values.
What strategies have you found most effective in getting designers to collaborate and learn from each other in these communities? How do you keep them engaged over time, especially in a remote or hybrid setting?
A few strategies really made a difference:
- Empowered ownership: At OutSystems, I encouraged rotating facilitation of CoP sessions, so designers felt part of leading the agenda
- Tailored forums: I crafted CoP topics tied to real pain points, like revamping design critiques or Figma workflows, that kept engagement high and relevant.
- Cross-team rituals: Even in hybrid settings, I integrated regular rituals, like design reviews and asynchronous discussions, that foster camaraderie and knowledge-sharing.
- Visible outcomes: Showcasing actionable outcomes from CoPs, improved systems, refined processes, or shared resources helps sustain momentum.
If someone wanted to start a CoP in their company tomorrow, where should they begin?
Start with a clear intention and a small core team. Define a simple mission, maybe “let’s learn from each other.” Use your first few sessions to co-create the format (e.g., lightning talks, problem clinics, case reviews). Document basic outputs, notes, patterns, and decisions, so knowledge can scale.
Don’t wait for approval; many strong communities grow organically from shared purpose and passion.
What’s your one piece of advice for building a community that truly thrives, regardless of the field or context?
Focus on belonging: when people feel safe, heard, and valued, they’ll show up, share, and contribute. Build an inclusive culture where diverse voices and perspectives are welcome, that’s what keeps a community alive and meaningful.
When people feel safe, heard, and valued, they'll show up, share, and contribute.
Collaboration and inclusivity
Do you have any tips for structuring cross-functional collaboration during the product design process? How do you effectively align design, development, and product management teams from the start of the project through to delivery?
Alignment begins with shared vision. For example, at Prozis, I held kickoff workshops that connected the design vision with product and engineering goals, defining success metrics collaboratively. At OutSystems, I created transparent roadmaps and rituals that kept all parties in sync, like shared demos, critique sessions, and co-planning sessions.
Storytelling helps too: framing design decisions in the language of business value and user impact bridges gaps across functions.
What does inclusive design mean to you in 2025?
In 2025, inclusive design is about more than compliance, it’s co-designing with diverse users from the outset.
For me, it means anticipating cultural, cognitive, and accessibility needs, building in flexibility, and empowering people to shape products that reflect their realities. It’s creating adaptable experiences—not one-size-fits-all.
In your experience, how do you prioritize accessibility without compromising aesthetics or functionality, especially in projects where business goals or branding might push against inclusive design principles?
Accessibility and elegance reinforce one another. For example, at Namecheap, as Design System Manager, I balanced branding needs with accessibility by embedding inclusive principles into the design system itself, creating accessible components that were also beautiful and on-brand.
When pushback arises, I present business-aligned arguments: accessibility drives broader reach, trust, SEO impact, and reduces legal risk. Framing it as strategic value shifts perception from “constraint” to “opportunity.”
➡️ Learn more about how to deal with pushback in our Resistance to UX Research Report.
Job search and mentoring
With so many designers in the field, as a mentor, what key advice would you give to those looking to stand out in a crowded UX market?
Stand out through storytelling. Beyond your portfolio, make your voice visible through writing, talks, or events. Authenticity is what makes you memorable, and it naturally grows your career visibility.
Share not just deliverables, but your process, the problems you solved, and the outcomes that mattered. Depth always beats breadth.
Equally important is community and networking. Join and contribute to design communities, whether that’s local meetups, professional associations like UXPA, or global mentoring platforms like ADPList. Communities are not only places to learn but also to give back, build relationships, and open doors to opportunities that aren’t always visible through job boards.
Networking, when done with generosity and curiosity, helps you stand out as someone who isn’t just a great designer, but also an engaged, collaborative professional shaping the industry with others.
After a layoff, many people feel the need to reinvent themselves. Did you find yourself reassessing your career path or skill set during your job search?
Yes, moments like that invite clarity. For me, it was a time to realign with roles that matched my values, impact, collaboration, and fun. I leaned into mentoring and community roles (like VP at UXPA Portugal and ADPList mentor) to stay connected and energised.
I also went back to the craft as an individual contributor, which allowed me to reconnect with hands-on design, sharpen my skills, and bring a renewed perspective to leadership. That experience reinforced my belief in the player-coach leadership style, leading by example, staying close to the work, and guiding teams not just from strategy but also through practice.
What advice would you give to others who are facing a similar situation? Whether it’s being laid off or struggling to find a new role in a competitive job market?
First, be kind to yourself. A layoff doesn’t define you. Reconnect with your community, online or local, and share your expertise beyond job apps: write, speak, mentor. That visibility and generosity often create new doors. Reassess, recalibrate, and keep moving.
I also feel that the job market is getting better, so pay attention and be ready when opportunities show up.
Don’t be afraid to ask for a referral or to apply for that position or company you want so badly.
In the meantime, keep working on yourself, feed your network, invest in learning, and make sure your portfolio is always ready to tell your story when the right moment comes.
👉 That approach worked for me: my network played a key role in landing my current role at Uphold. It reminded me that careers are not built in isolation, they’re built through community, relationships, and being visible for the value you bring.
Women in UX
What do you think is the best part of being a woman in the UX/tech industry?
It’s the power to bring empathy, nuance, and collaboration into how we build for people.
Our strengths in inclusive thinking, relationship-building, and resilience enrich product experiences and culture. For me, being a woman in UX means shaping more humane, inclusive, and thoughtful digital futures.
What is your message to other people in the UX/R industry?
Be generous. Whether you’re starting out or leading teams, invest in community, share your knowledge, and design with both humanity and impact in mind. Together, we shape an industry that’s not just functional, but deeply human.
If you’re interested to read more of inspiring interviews with women from the UX industry, check out our other Women in UX talks!
And dont’ forget to check out UXtweak – an all-in-one platform to recruit, conduct, analyze and share UX research 🐝
