Via Varejo is one of Brazil’s leading retail companies, operating major brands such as Casas Bahia and Ponto. The company specializes in electronics, home appliances, and furniture, with a strong presence both in physical stores and e-commerce. Via Varejo stands out for its extensive logistics network and innovative digital strategies, positioning itself as a key player in the country’s retail transformation. It also offers financial services and consumer credit solutions, expanding its role in the Brazilian retail ecosystem.
My role:
UX Strategy
Division Development
Design Management
Team Leadership
I was hired by Via Varejo to serve as head of the entire design division, with the challenge of restructuring and elevating it to a higher level of delivery, agility, and quality.
To achieve this, I developed a strategy that ranged from revisiting the team’s organization and methodology to educating other departments about the capabilities of design — fostering greater understanding, trust, and respect for the team as a whole.
The strategy was divided into five stages:
Design Principles: Defining the core design principles, including mission, objectives, and key guidelines.
Education: Training programs and internal/external events open to the general public.
Processes and Deliverables: Work methodology, DoD and DoR definitions, software selection, management model, documentation, and repositories.
Team: Hiring, defining roles and responsibilities, internal and consultancy skill checks, assessing team maturity, setting up meetings and ceremonies, and forming special teams (CoE and Core Apps).
Projects: Defining Confluence and the institutional website, mapping customer journeys, accessibility strategy, Design Ops, Design System, and UX Writing guidelines.
One of the most relevant aspects of this initiative was team organization. Properly structuring teams, managing consultancies, and hiring strategically significantly improved budget efficiency and process agility. For example, the CoE (Center of Operational Excellence) team was responsible for Design Ops, the Design System, and UX Writing — providing guidelines that accelerated processes across the company.
However, it was essential that all of this remained aligned with business objectives and the working models of technology, product, and marketing. This ensured a harmonious and balanced operation. In addition, data analysis from the data team and ongoing CRO (conversion rate optimization) efforts were part of the daily routine.
This strategy was a cornerstone in enabling the delivery of strategic products such as the improved app checkout, the institutional website, and the new onboarding flow for the marketplace — all of which generated significant revenue for the company. These initiatives were also aligned with the company’s rebranding efforts, which required a comprehensive plan to update its digital products.