pascal.
Pascal Lola
Product Design Lead
Specializing in "Zero-to-One" strategy & execution in regulated and highly complex domains, and driving alignment through facilitation.
Experience Highlights
A decade of impact across industries and domains
2014 - 2016
Design for Elections
Election Systems & Software
UX Designer
Challenge
Design solutions meeting rigorous federal accessibility and security standards for millions of voters in the United States while navigating the highly complex election technology domain.
Approach
Worked across the election cycle (voter registration, election day, vote counting, reporting). Led tactical design for multiple product lines. Managed relationships with external design firms to scale UX efforts.
Outcome
Shipped multiple products still used today by millions of individuals and thousands of U.S. governing jurisdictions, maintaining an important ritual in the democratic system.
Media gallery coming soon
2016 - 2018
Design for Energy
GE Oil & Gas
Staff UX Designer
Challenge
Improve oil & gas production safety and reliability for major partners like BP by leveraging data from physical infrastructure in high-stakes environments.
Approach
Joined brand new team to define, design, and deliver solution on GE Digital Predix Platform. Conducted research with users, led co-creation sessions to speed up alignment.
Outcome
Delivered Plant Operation Advisor app that improved situational awareness, maximizing production reliability and safety. Successful shipment expanded to additional partner sites, leading to revenue growth.
Media gallery coming soon
2018 - 2021
Design for Healthcare
Humana
UX Strategy & Transformation Lead
Challenge
Deliver on a vision to become the most trusted solution for consumers to shop, buy, and use healthcare benefits while navigating strict regulatory constraints.
Approach
Led multidisciplinary design team of 10+ people. Established "Project Henshin" transformation initiative. Championed design thinking workshops. Introduced service blueprints and journey maps for alignment.
Outcome
Established hiring guidelines and drove talent acquisition. Improved morale through transparent communication. Secured $600,000+ budget for global incubation sprint (US, Australia, Singapore).
Media gallery coming soon
2021 - 2025
Design for Cloud & AI
Microsoft
Senior UX Design Lead
Challenge
Build Microsoft Cloud solutions to seamlessly migrate and manage SAP workloads for the world's largest organizations. Address cloud cost management and establish the foundation for Azure Copilot.
Approach
First design hire on a multibillion-dollar opportunity team. Led problem framing, strategy alignment, and shipped the first E2E SAP solution. Facilitated cross-company initiatives for cloud cost management. Contributed to the first generative AI features in Azure portal.
Outcome
Shipped dedicated SAP on Azure experience with immediate customer adoption and positive feedback. Led key Cost Management improvements. Contributed to Azure Copilot and platform-wide AI design patterns.
Media gallery coming soon
2025 - Present
Design for a New Era
Syntro Studio
Principal Architect
Challenge
Leveraging a decade of product design and development experience to explore, define, and launch product experiments at the intersection of AI and design.
Approach
Co-established a collective to identify, organize, and collaborate with top-tier talent in a semi-structured studio model where autonomy, high agency, and high velocity of experimentation are key ingredients.
Outcome
Published essays on Substack, shipped solutions like SketchPrompt (1000+ downloads), Nenoly, Unpack, and more. Working with renewable energy companies on stablecoin solutions.
Media gallery coming soon
Ongoing
Design for Community
Multiple Organizations
Facilitator & Leader
Challenge
Facilitate sessions and initiatives to rally people to act towards a common mission. Convert ambiguous inputs into clear shared meaning, roadmaps, and action plans.
Approach
Leveraged facilitation as core strength in workshops, meetings, and projects. Founded and facilitated social and professional communities.
Outcome
Co-led Microsoft's 6000+ person Design Community. Increased executive engagement in community events. Brought visibility to less-visible Microsoft Design hubs globally.
Media gallery coming soon
Future
Design Together
Your Organization
Let's Collaborate
Challenge
Your organization faces complex challenges that require strategic design thinking, cross-functional collaboration, and execution excellence in regulated or emerging domains.
Approach
Partner with a proven design leader who brings zero-to-one strategy, AI integration expertise, and facilitation skills to transform vision into reality. Build high-performing teams and establish design practices that scale.
Outcome
Create breakthrough products and experiences that delight users, drive business outcomes, and position your organization as a leader in innovation. Build lasting design capabilities and culture.
Media gallery coming soon
Leadership & Peer Feedback
What Others Say
Strategy & Handling Ambiguity
"Your ability to take complex ideas and turn them into a cohesive, forward-looking strategy is truly impressive. You consistently bring clarity to ambiguous spaces, ensuring everyone—from design to engineering to leadership—understands the direction and why it matters."
Senior Designer
Microsoft
Ready to Design Together?
Let's explore how strategic design leadership can transform your organization's most complex challenges into breakthrough solutions.