Embracing the Squiggle: Non-Linear Careers at Docusign

In our always-on, hyper-connected world, we’re often told that career growth is a ladder: look up, climb the next rung, repeat. But the careers that truly challenge us - and last - rarely follow a straight line. They move sideways, loop back and sometimes take a leap into the unknown: a career squiggle.

At Docusign, we’ve found that when people have the freedom to follow their curiosity across teams and dig into problem spaces they encounter, you get happier employees who contribute to a more resilient, innovative organization. Some of our most impactful experts have squiggled their way to success when business needs allow for it — moving laterally, exploring new domains, and gaining a 360‑degree view of how we help the world agree.

One such leader is Marie Schneider opens in a new tab, Lead UX Researcher at Docusign, who spent nearly two years helping establish research support for Customer First Go-to-Market (GTM) experiences. Marie’s journey from User Experience Researcher to a newly created role helping teams during their beta (or early access) program, is a powerful example of what it looks like to embrace new opportunities here.

Defining Your Own Direction

Growth doesn’t always mean a new title; often, it’s about the depth of impact. For Marie, the catalyst to her squiggle came when she realised that Docusign wasn’t simply a place to do great research – it was a place to build entirely new ways of listening to customers. Marie started out in Product Design as a User Experience Researcher. But, instead of aiming for the next role in the same lane, she noticed a growing need: a single research point of contact for our beta and early access programs across products.

There was no playbook for that work and no existing role to slot into. Rather than wait for one, Marie raised her hand, educated on the need, and ultimately helped to shape the Lead Researcher role supporting Customer First GTM experiences. It meant stepping into ambiguity and trusting that a less linear path could still lead to meaningful growth.

It wasn’t a seamless transition. Marie recalls a healthy dose of skepticism – not just from others, but from herself, too. “I really wanted to show that my managers were right to give me this opportunity to explore a new role, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to create impact or leave a positive mark on these complex programs that so many people across different teams make possible.” To manage the nerves that come with designing something that hasn’t existed before, she treated her new responsibilities like a beta - starting small; carving out focused time with beta operations, product and engineering partners; and layering the new work on top of her existing research responsibilities rather than abandoning them overnight. By staying disciplined about her “business as usual” commitments, Marie made space to shape the new role while still delivering for customers and her team, connecting multiple dots and turning previously scattered feedback into a cohesive, long‑term listening engine for Docusign.

“By staying curious and offering up new ideas to tackle problems, you end up building relationships with a broader range of people,” Marie explains. “That’s when the squiggle feels worth it: you build trust with each other over time, and people start asking for your perspective because you’ve developed a more rounded view of how we serve customers.”

Skill Stacking

Over her tenure at Docusign, her squiggle has meant that Marie has become adept at “skill‑stacking.” She blends deep qualitative research, go-to-market‑program strategy, and long‑term relationships with product, engineering, and onboarding teams. Docusign also gave her the freedom to keep doing hands‑on research while defining the parameters of that expanded scope and seeing how it directly translated into a better experience for customers. It wasn’t about leaving old skills behind, but stacking new ones on top.

In practice, that has meant leaning into mentorship, internal mobility, and stretch assignments that push Marie outside her comfort zone – and accepting that growth isn’t instant. “It takes effort to put yourself out there and accept that you might fail, but showing up to the conversation and not holding back is how you can continuously expand your influence and impact, and that’s incredibly rewarding,” she states. 

Closing the Loop

Marie’s journey shows that the most sustainable way to build a career is through intentional evolution. As she puts it, career growth – especially as you advance – often requires more than just skill: "it means finding a real business need you can meet, and not hesitating to pursue opportunities that both interest you and positively impact the organisation." Sometimes that even means helping to create or shape the role you want, rather than waiting for it to appear.

So if you feel like the ladder you’re climbing is leaning against the wrong wall, remember: you don’t have to wait for the next rung. The best move isn’t always up. Sometimes, the most powerful move is a squiggle toward the next opportunity that genuinely excites you.