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Education
Bachelor of Communication, 1st Class Honours
Massey University, Wellington
Massey Scholar, Top 5% of Class of 2015
What I do best
Product (UX/UI) Design
User research
Prototyping & validation
Product strategy & roadmapping
Design systems
Design ops
Soft skills
Communication & storytelling
Problem solving
Cross-functional collaboration
Stakeholder management
Kia ora, I’m Kendyl! I'm a Product Designer based in New Zealand ✦ I’m motivated by deeply understanding customer needs and helping companies translate product strategy and vision into delightful and effortless experiences for customers.
Based in beautiful Whangarei, New Zealand, I balance my love for the beach and the outdoors while working remotely for some incredible companies, tinkering about on some pretty exciting things!
With 8 years of experience in design, including both design leadership and end-to-end product design. I've led projects like reimagining Linktree's editor for 50 million users, that led to a significant increase in customer activation rates and retention. In London, I led the design of a new e-grocery app across iOS and Android for one of Europe's largest grocery companies.
Beyond hands-on product design, I have extensive experience in growing and leading design teams. At Linktree, during a two-year rapid growth phase, I was responsible for; establishing and leading our design rituals, creating our Design and Product Process and leading our hiring and onboarding processes.
In my spare time, I enjoy DIY renovation projects on our 60s home and reviving mid-century furniture. I also have an illustration side hustle, selling art prints via my Shopify store.
Full Career history
Linktree — Lead Product Designer
Feb 2022 – Apr 2024
Linktree — Senior Product Designer
Sep 2021 – Feb 2022
This Place, London — Senior Product Designer
Apr 2020 – Apr 2021
ANZ — Senior Product Designer
Feb 2018 – Oct 2019
Trade Me — Intermediate Designer
Nov 2014 – Feb 2018
Trade Me – Brand Designer
Nov 2014 – Aug 2017
Values I live & work by
1. Always stay curious. I often question the status quo and seek to learn and understand rather than be right. I keep an open mind because I often find the most useful insight or opportunity can often come from somewhere unexpected.
2. Growth, progress and learning over perfection. While I still set a high quality bar for my work, I've also learnt that the un-attainable pursuit of perfection closes people off from the growth that often comes with challenges and making mistakes. I've become more comfortable acknowledging and owning mistakes and always reflect on 'what could have been done differently' in order to learn and do better next time.
3. Trust & autonomy over control and hustle. With every team I've worked in I've always strived to contribute and create an environment of trust, support and autonomy. Having experienced many different team dynamics in my career i've found this leads to better and more creative outcomes, as oposed to an environment of control, and hustle.