UX & Design Leader
Rodney Parker
I build design teams that turn user insight into measurable business results. For the past decade I've led UX at Discover and Capital One, shaping the experience for millions of credit card customers.
30M+
monthly visitors across programs I led
2.47M+
new accounts driven through A/B testing
$1B+
customer lifetime value generated
24%+
year over year growth in
SEO card applications
About me
I've spent 20+ years in design, the last 10 leading UX teams in financial services. My work sits where research, design and business outcomes meet. I build testing programs, align teams around shared systems and partner closely with business leaders when the stakes are high. I'm looking for my next team to lead.
01 - A/B Testing Program
Discover
2.47M+ incremental accounts from a testing program built on real user data.
Challenge: We were making design decisions based on opinion, with no shared way to measure UX impact on applications.
My role: I helped build and led the program. A two member UX team, partnering with analytics, product, marketing, SEO and development.
Approach:
-
Helped build hypothesis with the team to test
-
Grounded every test in user research and behavioral data
-
Shared results across teams so wins became new design standards and losses became learning opportunities
Outcome:
-
2.47M+ incremental accounts
-
10-15 tests run per quarter
-
The successes of the team allowed me to build from a two to ten person team across 3 departments
10+
tests run per quarter
2.47M+
incremental accounts
02 - Universal Login
Discover
One consistent login experience across five lines of business.
Challenge: Customers moving between Discover products hit a broken experience. Each line of business used different names, visual styles and error handling for login. A customer with a card and a bank account could feel like they were using two different companies.
My role: I led UX within a cross-functional digital team tasked with finding experiences across Discover that needed rethinking. I identified the login problem, made the case to leadership and drove alignment across five lines of business.
Approach:
-
Audited login flows across all five lines of business to document every inconsistency
-
Unified naming, visual treatment and error states into one shared standard
-
Built in flexibility so each product could meet its own users' needs while staying consistent
-
Secured leadership approval with reviews and shared analytics results of success
Outcome:
-
32% fewer login errors
-
60% lower login call volume
-
One login standard adopted across five lines
of business
60%
lower login call volume
32%
fewer login errors
03 - D.com Redesign
Discover
+43% click-through and +13% book rate from a homepage I pitched and led end to end.
Challenge: Discover had a fresh brand, but it hadn't yet become real, working pages. The homepage was the highest-traffic place to prove the new brand could also perform.
My role: I pitched the redesign and led it from concept to launch with a team of 2 designers and 1 copywriter, partnering with brand, product, analytics, SEO and development.
Approach:
-
Used recent test results and user research to decide what the page needed to do
-
Created templated placements for every section
-
Set governance for typography, color and shape language so the brand stayed consistent as content changed
Outcome:
-
+43% click-through rate on box placements
-
+13% book rate lift for credit cards
Before
.png)
43%
click-through rate on box placements
13%
book rate lift for credit card
04 - Balance Transfer page
Discover
#1 search ranking for "balance transfer credit card" and a +12% book rate.
Challenge: Discover needed to win key non-branded search terms. People searching "balance transfer" wanted to learn first, but most product pages were built to sell. SEO also demands a lot of copy, which usually hurts design.
My role: I led creative for the launch. My team owned strategy, UX/UI and copy.
Approach:
-
Designed the page to educate first, then sale
the product -
Built new components for copy-heavy SEO pages that stayed easy to scan
-
Pushed what our AEM setup could do, creating patterns other SEO pages could reuse
Outcome:
-
#1 ranking for "balance transfer credit card"
-
+12% book rate lift
-
IHAF honorable mention
-
A reusable component system for future
SEO pages
#1
ranking for "balance transfer credit card"
+12%
book rate lift
05 - #EatItForward
Discover
A $5M commitment to Black-owned restaurants, built as a social-first campaign.
Challenge: COVID-19 devastated restaurants, and Black-owned businesses were hit hardest. Discover committed $5 million. The challenge was to make that money create awareness too, not just disappear into a grant process.
My role: I led the creative concept of centering individual restaurant owners. I also led the digital creative for launch: the landing page and the founding restaurant features. Team: 2 designers, partnering with brand, social and our AOR.
Approach:
-
Turned the grant into a public nomination campaign on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
-
People tagged and nominated their favorite Black-owned restaurants; thousands were submitted and 200 were selected to receive $25,000 each
-
Featured founding restaurants including Rodney Scott's BBQ, Post Office Pies and Back in the Day Bakery to put real owners at the center
Outcome:
-
$5M distributed to 200 restaurants
-
+2k restaurants nominated
$5M
distributed to 200 restaurants
+2k
restaurants nominated
Bio
I'm a UX leader with over 20 years of experience building teams and products around one core belief, that great ideas can come from anywhere. For the past decade I've led UX teams at Discover Financial Services and Capital One, where I've shaped the digital experience for millions of credit card applicants from first click to final submission.
My focus has always been on the intersection of research, design and business outcomes. I've built and led A/B testing programs grounded in real user data, aligned cross-functional teams around shared design systems and bridged the gap between design leadership and business stakeholders during high-stakes timelines. Whether I'm optimizing a landing page for conversion or leading a team through a major platform migration, I care about clarity, consumer ease and measurable impact.
Before moving into UX leadership, I spent years as a designer and art director building brand identities, campaigns and collateral for clients ranging from BMO to Ebony Magazine, work that taught me how to think like a creative and execute like a strategist.
I'm currently exploring new opportunities where I can bring that same blend of leadership, curiosity and craft to a team ready to grow.
Credentials
Education
Illinois State University
Bachelors of Science – Graphic Design
Certifications
Cornell University
Design Thinking
Awards
Effie Awards, Silver (2) — Finance & New Product Categories (Discover, 2025)
GDUSA Awards, 22× (2023–2025)
IHAF Gold (2017), IHAF Silver (2023, 2024)
Discover President's Plate (2022)
