In my next role…

I see myself contributing to a variety of projects while collaborating with a cross-functional team. I would have the opportunity to coach others who are interested in better understanding the intersection of design, research, and strategy, while learning from mentors who can help me grow as a leader in innovation.

 

Experience

April 2021 - Present

Principal Consultant, HXD Practice Lead | Leapgen

  • Build out the Human Experience Design Practice, including defining annual goals and milestones, and supporting the team in achieving them

  • Define program approaches and leading client engagements

  • Create thought leadership (IP) for both internal and external audiences

  • Oversee the development of reusable templates and design assets

 

November 2014 - April 2021

Service & Interaction Designer | Fjord, Design and Innovation

  • Consult stakeholders in defining business goals and objectives through a human-centered lens

  • Develop generative and evaluative research and design approaches

  • Mentor teams through executing research and design methodologies, including field studies, workshops facilitation, the creation of design artifacts and frameworks, detailed design, and executive communications

  • Collaborate with cross-functional leads to develop strategies for realizing future solutions

 

June 2014 - September 2014

User Experience Consultant | ThreadMeUp

  • Support the launch of ThreadMeUp.com v 1.2, a consumer-facing custom t-shirt design and eCommerce platform 

  • Collaborate in an agile work environment

  • Uncover market trends, insights, and opportunities for growth

  • Plan and execute research, combining both primary and secondary research methods

  • Collaborate with the development team on UI/UX trends and best practices for both mobile and web implementation

 

April 2014 - June 2014

Service Designer | DESIGNATION*

I joined DESIGNATION as a program participant to learn how to translate my architecture skills to the digital space and further develop my portfolio. In doing so, I took on the bootcamp startup as a ‘live client’.

  • Uncover market opportunities for an introductory virtual classroom and own the conceptual design of the program

  • Conduct stakeholder interviews, contextual observations, social listening, passive observations, and market scans

  • Develop a strategic roadmap including a technology solution for realizing the proposed service enhancement

*Soon after the virtual program was launched, WeWork acquired DESIGNATION and merged it with Flatiron.

 

June 2013 - March 2014

Digital Design Consultant | Freelance

Worked with small business and municipalities to design, create, and launch digital experiences

  • Owned the UI/UX design for South Barrington, IL community website

  • Owned the content creation and management for the Lisa Wolfe Design eCommerce website

  • Owned the design and development for bruchicago.com, the website for a local Chicago cafe

Skills

 

Research Methods

  • In-depth interviews*

  • Mobile diary studies

  • Day-in-the-life / Shadowing

  • Surveys

  • Passive observations

  • Social listening

  • Market analysis

  • Focus groups*

  • Workshops / Co-Creation activities*

  • Usability testing*

*in-person and remote

Design Artifacts

  • Prototypes

  • Wireframes

  • Design systems

  • Site maps

  • Spatial modeling

  • Storyboards

  • Moodboards

  • Video montages

  • Visual Mock-ups

Strategic Frameworks

  • Journey maps

  • Service blueprints

  • User flows

  • Mindsets

  • Ecosystem mapping

  • User archetypes / Personas

  • Deployment plans

  • Strategic roadmaps

Volunteer

 

October 2017 - October 2018

Organizing Committee Member | MidwestUX

Helped to design, plan, and execute a three day conference in Chicago. MidwestUX is an intimate conference, gathering 600 members of our regional community to explore the ways in which design touches all aspects of our lives. In my role, I owned aspects of the Excursions and Social Events sub-committees, while supporting Presenters, Marketing, and Community Outreach.

This experience inspired my first Medium article, Experience Design to Overcome Misperceptions of a Community.

 

August 2017 - October 2017

Interior Design Volunteer | Special Spaces

Interior Design Lead for the bedroom of a twelve-year-old boy living with Loeys-Dietz Syndrome and his younger brother. Helped execute the remodel over the course of 10 hours with 25+ other volunteers, who helped to coordinate the remodels of this bedroom as well as 2 other bedrooms for the older brothers.

 

Education

 

September 2008 - April 2012

B.S. in Architecture and Urban Planning | The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

  • Ability to apply Design Thinking to problems of any scale

  • Understanding the relationship between people and the built environment

  • Design fundamentals and theory

January 2014 - April 2014

Web Design Course, 4.0 | Illinois Institute of Technology

  • Understanding the basics of web design and front end development, including HTML5 and CSS