I’m a UX Researcher and design strategist in love with the moment when you connect the dots and discover something new. I’m driven to meet user needs while accomplishing business objectives and over the past 11 years, I’ve enjoyed exploring different domains with a diverse set of clients on B2C and B2B products. I have a proven track record of thought leadership, and am looking for the next opportunity to drive value and lead a team.
You can read more about me here or see my LinkedIn profile here.
Experience
Senior UX Researcher and Design Strategist SpareFoot, July 2016 - May 2018
Defined and executed research strategies to impact the organization’s vision and drive product innovation
Rapidly delivered high quality research that informed immediate product design decisions
Defined the key consumer audience for the organization
Developed personas and consumer journey maps that drove priorities on the product roadmap and helped the organization focus on the consumer
Created a benchmarking framework that established a baseline for the current experience, defined a vision, and identified gaps
Communicated findings in a compelling way to executive leadership and the broader organization to cultivate a more informed, empathetic organization
Led and prioritized the work of the research team
Collaborated with business intelligence, engineering, and product to impact product direction
Defined roadmap and budget for the research group
Managed research vendor relationships
Mentored designers and researchers
Senior UX Designer and Researcher Netspend, Jan. 2016–July 2016
Collaborated across business intelligence, customer experience, and marketing to apply consumer data to the design of products
Facilitated workshops to discover consumer needs
Developed user flows and designs to ensure the product met the user’s needs
Created narrative presentations to explore concepts and create empathy
Designed usability tests to inform product decisions
Managed research vendor relationships
Advisory Designer IBM Design, Aug. 2014–Dec. 2015
Developed and executed research strategy to design a product for businesses and consumers in an emerging technology space
Led a team of designers through the user-centered design process to iteratively create software for a location-based service
Aligned work with remote product managers and development teams to enable fast, effective delivery of compelling functionality
Senior User Experience Consultant Headspring, July 2013–Aug. 2014
Designed a system that allows multiple counties with diverse business processes to accomplish complex goals
Streamlined requirements gathering and design feedback from stakeholders and users to enable rapid development of the system
Communicated design of functionality to development team through succinct design documents and close collaboration
User Experience Architect Manifest Digital, Jan. 2012–June 2013
Designed responsive B2C site for Empire Today through user research, interface design, and user testing to encourage higher user engagement
Created wireframes and conducted user testing for Aptitude, software that allows hospitals to negotiate the price of medical supplies through distributors
Taught 8 3-hour courses at Abbott Laboratories providing participants with tools to integrate design best practices, user needs, and business objectives into their work
User Experience Designer Freelanced with Tanagram Partners and Transcend Innovation, May 2010–Jan. 2012
Prototyped a system for an unmanned aerial vehicle to deliver supplies in an emergency response situation for Tanagram Partners. Conducted in coordination with Raytheon and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Conducted user research, interaction design, and usability testing for a site that educates high school and college graduates about career options
Front-End Web Developer Texas Exes, Aug. 2009–May 2010
Built and distributed information through website, e-newsletters, and emails to inform 87,500 members and increase membership. In 2009, membership exceeded goal by 20,600 members
User Experience Designer McLane Advanced Technologies, June 2008–Aug. 2009
Created medical, forensic, and logistics software through the user-centered design process
Designer Freelance, May 2007-June 2008
Designed and built intuitive websites and e-learning courses
Education
M.S. Human-Computer Interaction at DePaul University
B.S. Radio-Television-Film University of Texas at Austin
Community Involvement
Austin Kung Fu Academy Women Empowered Group
Monthly volunteering and meet ups with the goal of mentoring young women
Women’s Jiu-Jitsu Self-Defense instructor
Teaching jiu-jitsu based self-defense twice a week
Women of SpareFoot
Coordinated 2 events and contributed to WoS blog