BACKGROUND

Design for Social Systems is about creating change by redesigning how people and structures interact — not just building products, but shaping the conditions that make growth possible. At Samsara, I applied this approach to close a mentorship gap within the design organization. The result was a scalable model that connected senior designers with emerging talent outside the company — strengthening the team’s culture, confidence, and recruiting pipeline in the process.

OBJECTIVE
Design a sustainable mentorship model that strengthened Samsara’s design culture and pipeline while helping emerging designers build real-world confidence, connections, and career readiness.

PROBLEM
Samsara’s design team had few opportunities for structured mentorship, and early-career designers lacked access to credible guidance from working professionals. Without a system for connection, valuable experience and talent on both sides went untapped.

HYPOTHESIS
A structured mentorship model pairing Samsara’s senior ICs with emerging designers — supported by funding, leadership visibility, and practical learning tools — would strengthen the design team’s culture while expanding access to product design careers.

USERS

• Emerging Designers: Students seeking mentorship, portfolio feedback, and guidance entering the industry.

• Samsara Mentors: Senior ICs looking for career-building mentorship experience and leadership growth.

• Stakeholders: ERG co-leads and XFN partners invested in talent, recruiting, and community impact.

APPROACH

• Built alignment with ERG co-leads, Marketing, Legal, People Ops, Product Design, and PR.

• Defined goals and success metrics: participant satisfaction (CSAT 85+), senior IC engagement (90%), and mentee recruitment targets.

• Designed a five-week program with 1:1 mentorship, AMAs with design leadership, and shared resources for portfolio and interview prep.

• Managed manual outreach, database creation, and applicant tracking for the pilot cohort.

• Facilitated post-program surveys and retros to measure impact and gather feedback from mentors and mentees.

SOLUTIONS

• Launched the BBIPOC Design Fund, awarding $2,000 stipends to selected design students for mentorship participation.

• Created a shared resource library with templates, career tips, and interview guides.

• Facilitated 1:1 mentorships and group AMAs connecting mentees with senior ICs and design leadership.

• Developed an operational framework for future cohorts with DEI and People Ops support.

RESULTS

• CSAT: 87% satisfaction across mentees, mentors, and collaborators.

• Participation: 92% engagement among senior ICs.

• Recruiting impact: Established relationships with new universities and diverse talent pools.

• Cultural impact: Increased team visibility, confidence, and mentorship fluency across design.

LEARNINGS

• Small, well-scoped pilots can drive large cultural outcomes when paired with cross-functional support.

• Mentorship built confidence not just for students, but for senior ICs developing leadership skills.

• Manual operations created clarity for future automation and scale.

• Meaningful access work happens when design is used to redesign systems — not just products.