I am Esko Lehtme

Education

Background

My approach to design leadership has evolved through a multidisciplinary background.

• MBA from Estonian Business School (2024) with focus on leadership, digital transformation, and data-driven decision-making
• Bachelor’s in Advertising and Publicity from Tallinn University (2007)
• Specialization in Cognitive Psychology

This combination helps me connect user needs, business objectives, and technological possibilities in digital product development.

Career

SEB Baltic (2017-Present)

• Currently, as Product Owner of UX, I align UX strategy with business goals, optimize design processes, and measure the value of UX initiatives
• As Head of UX, restructured the team and integrated UX practices into earlier stages of product development
• As a UX Designer, introduced user research practices that transformed product collaboration

Previous experience

• UX designer at CGI (2011-2017): Evolved UX approach from visual design to comprehensive strategy, building and leading a team of four designers
• Design roles (2005-2011): Developed expertise in user-centric design through various advertising and consulting positions
• Front-End developer (1997-2001): Built foundation in web technologies and interface implementation

Design leadership approach

I lead the integration of UX practices into our product development lifecycle by:

• Aligning design with business goals: Ensuring our work supports both user needs and business objectives
• Driving practical value: Implementing processes that reduce time-to-market and increase customer satisfaction
• Fostering collaboration: Working across departments to embed user-centered thinking throughout development
• Measuring outcomes: Connecting design decisions to business metrics for continuous improvement

Impact

Team development

• Restructured UX leadership at SEB Baltic, optimizing for both team development and organizational design maturity
• Grew the UX team while enhancing skill levels and creating specialized career paths

Process improvement

• Embedded UX earlier in product development, shifting from visual design to comprehensive user research
• Optimized UX team workflows to increase efficiency and value delivery
• Implemented stakeholder interview processes that improved alignment across departments

Measurement

• Developed methods to demonstrate the business impact of UX work
• Created frameworks for evaluating design effectiveness across user experience and business outcomes

Organizational change

• Developed service design training programs that influenced organizational culture at SEB
• Raised awareness about usability in Estonian governmental institutions during my tenure at CGI

Key insights

Articles that reflect my approach to design leadership:

• UX Maturity Evaluation - Using structured assessment for decision-making
• Design Team Skill Matrix - A framework for team development
• UX Maturity Catalysts - Key areas that drive organizational change
• Process Modeling - Streamlining UX workflows
• Trinity of Metrics - Connecting design to business impact

Speaking

I speak at industry events including Baltic e-Commerce forum, Refresh Conference, Tallinna Ettevõtluspäev, and Impact Day, sharing practical insights from my work at SEB Baltic.

My journey from a farm boy to a design lead has shaped how I approach design and leadership, teaching me to find connections between seemingly unrelated concepts and create human-centered digital experiences.

tsoon

Tsoon – ‘zone’ in Estonian – has been my digital home since the early 2000s. My wife reminded me that the choice of the name was inspired by the mysterious ‘zone’ in Strugatsky’s “Roadside Picnic”¹, where stalkers looked for valuable artifacts. Later, tsoon came to represent the elusive ‘flow state’² chased by creatives.

Over time, this space has been my digital playground, where I’ve tinkered with various web technologies and projects.

This space has evolved from a personal playground for web experiments to a professional platform where I share thoughts on design, technology, and business strategy.