I lead UX at Scentsy, designing the experiences that connect a fragrance brand with millions of customers and consultants worldwide. Research first, always.
Meridian, Idaho · UX Design Lead at Scentsy since 2018
I've spent my career at the intersection of research and design. I believe you can't design well without first understanding deeply, which is why usability testing and qualitative research sit at the center of everything I do, not at the end.
As UX Design Lead at Scentsy, I manage a team of designers and researchers responsible for end-to-end digital experiences across e-commerce, mobile, and internal consultant tools. I've helped move the organization from instinct-based to evidence-based design decision making.
Designed Scentsy's first smart-device control app, a ground-up product shipped alongside a new connected fragrance device. Pre-launch research ran under NDA with a hand-selected participant panel to protect the unannounced hardware, which shaped pairing, onboarding, and controls before a single unit was in a store. Post-launch, I led the platform's expansion from single-purpose controller to full ecosystem, adding over-the-air firmware updates, in-app fragrance reordering, device scheduling, and per-device scent and light settings.
A concept guiding people to a fragrance across 205 options, matched to their space, mood, and how strong they want it, instead of asking them to browse by scent family alone.
Combined Scentsy-specific usability research with Baymard's e-commerce guidelines to rebuild Scentsy's category taxonomy and navigation, solving a scalability problem in the old horizontal header while closing a real usability gap between mobile and desktop accessory navigation.
Designed Scentsy Club, Scentsy's subscription program for recurring shipments of everyday consumables, from the core user flow through a rewards-and-referrals points system that turned subscribers into a repeat acquisition channel.
I start with the problem, not the solution. User interviews, stakeholder alignment, competitive landscape, and hard success metrics, before any wireframes exist.
Divergent thinking across the full solution space, rapid low-fidelity prototypes, and early feedback loops with actual users before committing to direction.
Moderated usability testing with 5–8 participants per round, 2–3 rounds per project. Evidence-based iteration, not gut checks. Every decision is traceable to a finding.
Precise handoff documentation, close dev collaboration, and post-launch measurement tied to metrics set in discovery. The work isn't done when it ships. It's done when it performs.
If you're looking for a senior UX leader who runs on data, ships with conviction, and doesn't confuse activity with impact. Let's talk.
iamgaryengel@gmail.com →