Challenges

The product didn’t exist yet.

When I joined, Sperity had no functional product, no real backlog, and no shared understanding of what “MVP” meant. Founders had a strong vision but no structure, and the team needed a clear plan that could guide hiring, development, and compliance.

Member experience had to work across extremes.

Our audience included tech-savvy executives and health-anxious spouses. Some wanted deep data; others needed reassurance and simplicity. The product had to meet both groups where they were, without overwhelming or under-informing either.

Clinical data and concierge care needed to feel seamless.

Sperity’s value hinged on diagnostics, wearables, and white-glove access to top physicians. But behind the scenes, everything was fragmented—manual outreach, patchy operations, no unified way to present insights or progress.

HIPAA compliance was non-negotiable, and the clock was ticking.

We needed to move fast, but we couldn’t cut corners. Security, consent, and data standards had to be deeply embedded from the start, not retrofitted after launch.

Solutions

Clarifying the product path

I kicked things off with a working backwards session to align on what success should look like, then translated those goals into a sequenced MVP roadmap and scoped backlog. We clarified what was in, what could wait, and what needed to be tested before moving forward.

Facilitating the right conversations

I planned and led the team’s early product rituals—structuring agendas, guiding decisions, and creating space for input across roles. This included bringing clinical, ops, and tech voices into shared planning sessions and shifting communication out of ad hoc channels into something more focused and trackable.

Co-designing the Sperity Score

Working closely with Sperity’s physicians, I helped define the logic behind the first Sperity Score and mapped out how it could evolve as more data became available. The score had to be meaningful for members, clinically sound, and adaptable over time. It became the anchor for the entire product experience.

Connecting care delivery to product requirements

I worked across the care advocate team and physician network to map real-world workflows - appointment scheduling, diagnostic handoffs, patient communication - and used those to shape product features and content. We paid special attention to how sensitive health results would be delivered and followed up on, to avoid confusion or harm.

Readying the team for launch

I supported early hiring, onboarding, and alignment efforts - referring Sperity’s first product designer, who brought in engineers that helped form the core team. I also collaborated with marketing and support to prep for launch, streamline documentation, and ensure member-facing content reflected real product flows.