product design

I co-led numerous virtual design workshops guiding as many as 30 participants through brainstorming, service design and story-mapping sessions. In order to gather holistic solutions we aimed for cross-functional collaboration; so to each session, we invited representative members from 3 or 4 different departments.

After understanding our user needs and business goals, we developed a set of product values which our department could rally behind. Each one was tied directly to a user need and a relevant design pattern. Using this framework improved our team's efficiency in these ways:

• a clear association between "why" there is a user need and "how" we solve it

• consistency among categories of features and design system components

• balancing product values across the platform

• foundation for a design system driven by the company's product and brand

I spearheaded the development of our company's product design process by leading a series of workshops with representatives from our product & technology organization. From this diverse set of voices, each with varying needs, skillsets and limitations, we were able to build an inclusive process which belonged not only to the designer but to every department in our org. It received resounding buy-in and was used as a blueprint for projects of all sizes and complexities. 

Here's a highlight reel of my latest work. See my projects for a deeper insight into the journey, design process and product development.

During the early stages of a project, to optimize our agile process, I worked closely with the software and QA engineers on our workflow diagrams and wireframes. In design review sessions we nailed down the feasibility and expectations of any new features. This helped us to identify gaps early and have both macro and micro frames of reference if the scope of the project were to change. Through this approach we were able to build products that: more closely matched specifications, had a reduced number of QA cycles before launch and had fewer back and forth conversations once the sprint began.

In true startup fashion, I had to wear many hats. I had the opportunity to sharpen my skills in brand marketing, visual design, email campaigns and copywriting.