CV
With experience in health care, finance, and media, I've developed a research-based, iterative design practice informed by lean startup methodologies.
UNDRR
Design Lead | April 2021 to present
Supports the digitization of disaster risk reduction programs, with a focus on process improvements to support the UNDRR's strategic framework and the UN data strategy
Research and Design
- Collaborate with diverse teams to plan and execute research-based design processes
- Lead teams in pinpointing their success criteria, target user groups, and key use cases for new projects
- Conduct stakeholder interviews and usability testing to deliver effective experiences for end-users
- Create and present designs, from initial information architecture to final high fidelity mockups
- Wrote detailed documentation for developers, including content matrices and design system guidelines
- Thoroughly bug tested new releases, working with developers to bring the final product up to the design specs
- Designed the new websites for Making Cities Resilient 2030, the MCR2030 dashboard, ARISE, and the new GRAF NRIH Esri portal (in progress)
- Worked with a team to design and implement components that stream live data from the MCR2030 Dashboard to the public website, reducing the MCR team's workload in keeping the website updated
Management
- Evolved the team's approach to contracts and project plans by focusing on solving real problems for end users, and incorporating usability testing and trackable metrics
- Leading efforts toward greater interoperability by building integrations into each new project, spearheading the OpenMCR initiative by providing open-source widgets and an API to the public
- Manage consultants, vendors, and internal clients across time zones, working through challenges to deliver projects on time
- Built feedback loop for continual improvement with surveys for bug reporting, user feedback, stakeholder feedback on the design process, and developer feedback with a goal of enhancing both user outcomes and the organization's design maturity as a whole
- Streamlined design process and delivery by building a repository of templates to be used in the design process, and centralizing design work in a developer-friendly archive
- Improved stakeholder engagement in the design process by standardizing the copy gathering process, introducing design workshops, and boosting transparency with more regular updates
- Increased the number of developer checkpoints in the process to streamline product builds, gathering more feedback from developers earlier
- Built a bug reporting template to speed the QA process, and oversaw the QA process for new websites
- Oversaw the design and development of the new International Recovery Platform and Global Platform 2022 websites, as well as the Scorecard
Capco
Senior User Experience Consultant | June 2018 to December 2021
Collaborates with diverse teams at incumbent institutions on experiences that can compete with challenger banks and insurers
Research
- Organize research processes in the inception phase of new projects
- Implemented KPIs and measuring to track product releases
- Plug internal user data and competitor research into design processes
- Lead design workshops and progress meetings with stakeholders, aligning the whole team to user needs
- Embedded research in every phase of development and release in agile product cycles
- Through competitive analysis and UX research, identify the intersection of business needs, customer needs, and technical opportunities
Design
- Design and iterated agile processes to foster innovation and shorter, more frequent releases
- Create strategies and develop product roadmaps to reach different target markets
- Work with a diverse set of stakeholders to design flexible, scalable web and mobile experiences that deliver on KPIs while reducing build times
- Develop compelling design artifacts (wireframes, conceptual diagrams, flows, interactive prototypes) that propose ideal and minimum viable solutions to foster strategic alignment
- Mentor junior designers and oversee delivery of design assets
- Develop and implemented rubrics for UI testing that reduced QA and BA workload
The Globe and Mail
User Experience Designer | January 2017 to June 2018
Lead designer on News Photo Archive
Research
- Built new knowledge sharing processes across the organization, breaking down silos and allowing teams to learn from each other's wins
- Integrated data science, including AI tools, into other teams to automate processes and improve the user experience
- Expanded discovery phase in product lifecycle, conducting a year-long research project on the needs and habits of millennial readers
- Deployed rapid prototyping techniques to A/B test new ideas generated during discovery, usability testing, to drive KPIs
- Tracked progress of new designs in Omniture and internal analytics tools, trained team on tools
- Managed weekly reader interview sessions for problem discovery and usability testing
Design
- Designed and launched News Photo Archive, a subscribers-only showcase of more than 10,000 archived photos, photo backs, and captions; surpassed page view per visitor and engagement goals
- Collaborated with an interdisciplinary team of designers on end-to-end implementation of qualitative and quantitative user research
- Developed and tested two new product lines, working with stakeholders from across the organization
- Helped spearhead personalization initiative, working closely with data science team
- Redesigned My Watchlist and My Portfolio features, north star and MVP versions
- Won internal innovation competition twice
User research for photo archive collections
User journey draft for photo archive
Photo archive timeline feature
Crowdbabble
Senior User Experience Designer | September 2015 to January 2017
Lead designer, responsible for user experience across products
Research
- Implemented new analytics tools, studied funnel, and used findings to double conversion rate from anonymous visitor to trial sign up; created regular research process to pinpoint user stumbling blocks and clear them with the whole team
- After studying user interests, created new Crowdbabble content strategy; increased blog traffic from 12,209 in 2013-14 to 188,365 (Medium) and 43,984 (blog) in 2015-16; 19x increase >
- Tested and learned from copy changes to boost conversion using Optimizely
- Refined SEO and marketing strategy, ranking on first page of Google for critical keywords like "trump clinton social media"
- Designed new brand identity based on user demographics and interests uncovered through research, including verbal design overhaul
Design
- Redesigned main Crowdbabble web app based on in-depth user research, built HTML and CSS >
- Designed UX, UI, and did front end development for hashtag analytics web app, working closely with team of developers >
- Designed UX, UI, and did front end development for Hootsuite app for Instagram analytics, collaborating with team of developers throughout >
- Developed style guide and new brand identity for planned overhaul of Crowdbabble front end, all channels
- Launched new onboarding flow and messaging using Intercom to improve customer retention, emphasizing triggers to conversion discovered in research
- Created new user research and competitive analysis processes to serve design work, implementing new analytics tools on the site
Redesigned onboarding
Measuring the success of the redesigned onboarding
Hootsuite app
Working on Crowdbabble redesign
Crowdbabble redesign
OCAD
User Experience Designer, Student, and Researcher | September 2013 to 2015
User experience designer on professor-lead research projects and thesis, which centres on how digital natives read novels
Research
- Won Best Written Thesis for program
- Awarded Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant for study on how digital natives read the novel, driven by narrative inquiry and grounded theory methodologies
- Wrote research-based essays in demanding digital theory and human-computer interaction classes
Design
- Studied lean startup, strategic foresighting, and rapid prototyping techniques, implementing them in product development projects (sample working prototype, HUSH, shown in carousel below)
- Designed UX and UI of website for professor-lead research project on Indigenous new media
- Designed and developed working prototype of social annotation web app based on study of digital natives
- In classes and Canadian Film Centre summer program, worked with peers to create user personas, journeys, and prototypes
This is the user journey desigened as part of an OCAD prototype created with Laura Wright. HUSH solves the problem of noisy coworking and study spaces.
HUSH measures noise levels, and then displays that volume in three different ways. First, it tweets the average volume levels from @VolumeBot2013, so that the volume can be checked remotely.
Second, HUSH displays the current volume levels in the chosen space.
The projection data visualization is live, and we coded it using Processing.
Finally, HUSH displays historic volume trends online, so users can understand historic volume trends and choose a working space accordingly. HUSH connects two different spaces: the chosen space, and wherever the user is. In this case, the Digital Futures Initiative lab was chosen as a test space. A student can check how loud the space is before travelling from home to work there.
Bell Media
Online Content Associate | September 2012 to July 2013
Designed layouts for overhaul of sympatico.ca, transition to loop.ca
Writing
- Studied search trends and content analytics to inform assignments
- Introduced new tools and platforms to content team, like Storify >
- Developed (and wrote content for) new themes that incorporated all Bell Media channels
- Wrote evergreen Living pieces and galleries
Design
- Designed layouts for Living, Travel, and Showbiz sections that integrated multiple products>
- Incorporated feedback submission process for users
- Worked with a team to launch the site under tight deadlines and technical constraints
Sunnybrook Health and Sciences Centre
Web Communications Specialist | May 2011 to May 2012
Responsible for maintaining, updating Sunnybrook Research Institute website and contributing to social media strategy
Research
- Collected business requirements from internal stakeholders and learnings from public relations team; wrote content for Sunnybrook social media channels
- After researching previous initiatives, designed content strategy and social media campaigns for fundraising events, like Raise a Flag
Design
- Brought offline data online for patients, including breast cancer resources
- Interviewed patients, doctors, and reviewed analytics to design better user journeys on the site; focused on wayfinding and navigation through deluge of resources
- Built and launched Sunnybrook International site with CRM, basic CSS >
Sunnybrook Health and Sciences Centre
Ward Clerk | Part Time June 2005 to May 2011
To support overabundance of unpaid internships, worked as a secretary on hectic palliative and intensive care units
Responsibilities
- Nursing payroll and scheduling
- Transportation for patient appointments and events
- All patient charts and files
- Patient admissions, discharges, and transfers
Design
- Interest in organizational efficiency and elegant system design ignited
Random House NY, Sullivan Entertainment, Beetlebox Media
Intern | Summers 2005 to 2011
Developed experience in filmmaking and project development
Research
- Completed background research for feature documentary, Mozart Decoded
- Analyzed audience trends and past sales to assess slush pile
Project Development
- Analyzed social media trends and industry data to build cases for projects
- Helped manage workflow for early stages of film projects, including grant applications and sourcing raw material
The Saint, The Daily Californian
Reporter and Editor | 2006 to 2010
News reporter, arts reporter, and section editor
Research and Reporting
- Arts reporting: First person accredited to major film festival for both papers, covering Cannes, Sundance, and London Film Festivals >
- News reporter: 26 front page stories on a variety of beats (crime, the recession, and the election) >
- Won Story of the Week for linking defunding of UC research labs to Obama's plans to reduce nuclear arsenal >
- Stories picked up on Huffington Post and Politico >
- Increased traffic to YouTube channel 4x
Design
- Started as a production assistant on student newspaper, editing and finalizing layout
- As section editor, redesigned layouts and style guide to modernize print edition
- Managed production workflow, assigning and editing stories, then designing layouts for print and online
- Managed stable of writers, organized training program, sent 6 to international film festivals
- Launched blog for The Saint when the paper did not have a website >
