Sony — Global Web Transformation

Development Manager / Technical Architect

Joined Sony's Global Web Transformation initiative as Development Manager and Technical Architect, augmenting Sony's internal program team within an embedded agency model. Responsible for technical delivery leadership, agile facilitation, and platform integration across a large, globally distributed organization.

Program Context

•Sony established a Global Design & Delivery Center in San Francisco composed of Sony, Sapient, and contractor teams across Design, UX, Development, Ops, and Production.
•Mandate was to unify fragmented global Sony web properties—operated independently by subsidiaries and regions—into a single design system and shared CMS to address brand drift and inconsistent customer experiences.

Colleague Notes

•Maitrik Patel (Front End Dev): https://www.maitrikpatel.com/notes/sony
•Andrew J. Fitzpatrick (Design System, and Design Leadership): https://andrewjfitzpatrick.com/portfolio-sonygwt.html

Key Contributions

•Managed and led the core development team, providing technical oversight, delivery planning, and agile process facilitation.
•Served as technical architect for a modern web platform leveraging Node.js, Jade, JSON-based services, MongoDB, and Scala-based backend services.
•Partnered with Sony stakeholders to integrate the new platform and architecture into the broader Global Web Transformation roadmap.
•Coordinated delivery across globally distributed teams, including offshore QA in India, content entry and localization teams in Istanbul, Sony UK teams (pioneer reference implementation), and corporate stakeholders in Japan.
•Supported the rollout of a single global CMS and design system, enabling regional teams to migrate independently while maintaining global brand consistency.
•Oversaw a major global launch across 53 locales in January 2014, followed by continuous enhancement and phased regional rollouts.
•Acted as a bridge between global governance and local execution, balancing standardization with regional requirements.

Localization & Globalization Execution Highlights

•Implemented region-specific content and presentation rules to support culturally appropriate use of people and imagery, particularly in more socially conservative markets.
•Enabled localized promotional calendars, including region-specific holidays (e.g., Thailand's King's Birthday), within a globally governed platform.
•Implemented region-specific product and color merchandising logic, supporting more conservative palettes in some markets and bolder color treatments for the Brazilian market.
•Supported localized tone and messaging variations while adhering to global brand standards.
•Ensured frontend implementations supported regional compliance, localization accuracy, and governance approval workflows.
•Worked closely with localization, translation, and QA teams to validate CMS-driven regional variations without breaking design-system constraints.

Scope

•Development management and technical architecture
•Agile delivery across globally distributed teams
•Global CMS, design system, and platform integration
•Embedded agency leadership and cross-functional collaboration

Architecture Overview

The architecture had to solve a fundamental challenge: Sony was a massive enterprise with data scattered across dozens of legacy systems, first-party platforms, and regional business units. Different product lines operated as entirely separate entities—Sony TVs were one business unit, audio was another, and PlayStation was essentially its own subsidiary company. Querying all these systems in real-time to render a product page would have been prohibitively slow and complex.

Data Consolidation Layer

MongoDB served as our read-only cache, consolidating product and inventory data from across the enterprise into JSON documents optimized for frontend rendering. Between the legacy systems and MongoDB sat a fleet of transform engines—services that would pull data from disparate sources, normalize it, and write structured documents that our frontend could consume efficiently.

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     SONY ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS                        │
├─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬─────────────┬────────────┤
│  TV/Display │    Audio    │  Cameras    │ PlayStation │  Regional  │
│  Business   │  Business   │  Business   │ (Subsidiary)│  Inventory │
│   Unit      │    Unit     │    Unit     │             │  Systems   │
└──────┬──────┴──────┬──────┴──────┬──────┴──────┬──────┴─────┬──────┘
       │             │             │             │            │
       ▼             ▼             ▼             ▼            ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      TRANSFORM ENGINES                              │
│   Extract → Normalize → Structure → Write JSON Documents            │
└─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    MONGODB (Read-Only Cache)                        │
│              Consolidated JSON Product Documents                    │
└─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      NODE.JS / JADE FRONTEND                        │
│                    Global Web Platform (53+ locales)                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Dynamic Pricing & Regional Commerce

Pricing couldn't be cached—it had to be retrieved in real-time to apply the correct regional taxes and currency. But the complexity went deeper than just price display. Different regions had entirely different commerce models:

Direct e-commerce regions: Full "Add to Cart" functionality with regional cart URLs and SKU mappings
Reseller regions: "Find a Retailer" or "Where to Buy" buttons linking to store finders
Hybrid regions: Some products direct, others reseller-only

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                         USER REQUEST                                │
│                    (Product Page + Region)                          │
└─────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                              │
              ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐
              ▼               ▼               ▼
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│  PRICING API    │ │  COMMERCE       │ │  STORE FINDER   │
│  (Real-time)    │ │  CONFIG         │ │  API            │
│                 │ │                 │ │                 │
│ • Regional tax  │ │ • Cart URL      │ │ • Reseller map  │
│ • Currency      │ │   patterns      │ │ • Retail        │
│ • Promotions    │ │ • SKU mapping   │ │   locations     │
└────────┬────────┘ └────────┬────────┘ └────────┬────────┘
         │                   │                   │
         └───────────────────┼───────────────────┘
                             ▼
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      RENDERED PRODUCT PAGE                         │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │   $1,299    │  │  [Add to Cart]  OR  [Find a Retailer]       │  │
│  │   + tax     │  │  (determined by region + product config)    │  │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The platform had to gracefully handle all these variations while maintaining a consistent user experience across 53 locales. Regions could configure their own cart URL patterns, and we had to ensure product IDs and SKUs mapped correctly so users would land in the right regional cart with the right products.

Technologies

Node.jsJade (templating)JSON-based ServicesMongoDBScala (backend services)Global CMS & Design SystemMulti-locale ArchitectureCross-functional Collaboration

Reflection

This was my first major project after returning from my expat assignment in London for the Marks & Spencer MCFP program, and it became one of the most professionally rewarding times in my career.

I was reunited with former Sapient colleagues—some who had joined Sony, others from the Santa Monica and San Diego offices. The vibe was entrepreneurial. We were essentially setting up our own design and development agency for the Sony global brand, building it from the ground up in San Francisco using borrowed office space. There was an energy to it that felt like starting something new, even though we were working within the structure of a massive global corporation.

During this time, I was commuting regularly from San Diego to San Francisco. Eventually, the Sony client requested that I relocate to save on travel expenses as well as spend more time onsite. This led to a big decision—moving my family from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay Area. We ended up settling in Walnut Creek, and that move shaped the next chapter of my career and life.

Insights & Learnings

Looking back, this project reinforced something I've come to believe deeply: reuniting with former colleagues and working in an entrepreneurial setting can make even the largest enterprise projects feel energizing and personal. The people you work with matter as much as the work itself.

I also learned that global platforms require a level of cultural awareness that goes far beyond translation. It's about understanding color preferences, holiday calendars, royal traditions, and local product expectations. What resonates in one market might fall flat—or even offend—in another. User research across regions isn't optional; it's essential.

And sometimes, career opportunities require personal decisions about relocation. Being open to moving—even when it's hard—can unlock significant growth, both professionally and personally. The move to the Bay Area was one of those pivotal moments for me.

Anecdotes

One of the most fascinating aspects of this project was learning about different cultures through the unexpected lens of merchandising Sony products globally.

I remember discovering that our design system needed to accommodate a bolder color palette specifically for Brazil. Market research and user testing showed that Brazilian audiences simply responded better to more vibrant colors than other markets. And it wasn't just the palette—the product selection in Brazil was completely unique. Sony sold products there that weren't available anywhere else, including these bright, loud PA systems that you could imagine being used at Mardi Gras or Carnival. It was a reminder that what works in one market doesn't necessarily translate to another.

Beyond product differences, we had to think about seasonal promotions in a completely new way. It wasn't just Christmas, Mother's Day, and Father's Day anymore. Different cultures around the world had their own significant dates that required special site treatments. In Thailand, for example, it was customary to have a full homepage takeover to wish the Regent a happy birthday—a cultural expectation that our platform needed to support gracefully. In Brazil, Carnival required its own special promotional treatment.

It was genuinely fun and eye-opening to learn about these different cultures through the context of e-commerce. The project became an unexpected education in global cultural awareness, and it's shaped how I think about building platforms for international audiences ever since.