About Katie
Hey! 👋 I'm Katie Riker and I'm a UX Designer & Leader in Massachusetts.
Currently, I'm a UX Manager at Red Hat, leading the Core Platforms team.
My team is responsible for the user experience of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and its supporting tooling. This is a super interesting, highly technical area where I learn new things every day - and I wouldn't have it any other way!
Management philosophy
As a manager, I believe in a team-centric approach. Success lies not with individuals but the collective efforts of the team. Here’s how I manage my team:
- Trust: Building trust is essential for an effective team. I hire and place people according to project needs, skills they possess, and their desire to learn – then allow them to excel at their tasks.
- Transparency: With trust comes the expectation of sound decision-making. So that my team members can make sound, informed decisions, I openly share information about business strategy, and any details of corporate bureaucracy they need to know with my teams. I prioritize giving direct and timely feedback on performance.
- Psychological Safety: I encourage open communication and professional disagreements - with a priority on finding the right solutions over ego. I demonstrate vulnerability by admitting mistakes and areas of improvement, inspiring others to do the same.
- Impact & Delivery: While not every action impacts revenue, we are part of a bigger picture. Delivering work on time and accurately is crucial for our success. I empower my teams to identify areas where they can make an impact on our customers.
- Work-Life Balance: A job should not consume one’s life. I encourage team members to maintain 80% capacity with regular product work, allowing them flexibility when additional effort is required without compromising their personal lives. The remaining time is used for training and development, or non-mission-critical projects.
- Training & Development: I support and guide my team members to learn new skills, experiment with cutting-edge technology, or work on side projects related to our work that motivates or educates them. (e.x., team members have experimented with and run local AI models, designed stickers for the team, or worked on writing blog posts about new product features or UX skills)
