Let’s build great user experiences together.

I’m a Qualitative User Researcher and Senior Product Designer working with teams to create products that help make the world a better place.

Work

  • Enhanced Survey Reporting

    Panorama Education
    User Research & Design Strategy

    view project

  • Recurring Check-Ins

    Panorama Education
    User Research & Design

    view project

  • Staff Well-being & Retention

    Panorama Education
    User Research & Design

    view project

  • Second Step Redesign

    Committee for Children
    User Research & Design

    View project

About

I'm a curious and empathic Qualitative User Researcher / Senior Product Designer with 7+ years of experience in EdTech. Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working for both nonprofit and for-profit organizations which has given me a well-rounded perspective on the educational landscape.

Professionally

I'm particularly proud of my time at Panorama Education, a 2023 CODiE Award winner for the Best Student Learning Capacity-Building Solution. In this role, I leveraged my user research and design skills to directly contribute to a survey reporting platform empowering educators to nurture student growth and potential for every 1 out of 4 students in the U.S. It was incredibly rewarding to be part of a team creating such impactful solutions within the EdTech space.

As a researcher, I thrive on connecting with users and understanding their needs and I’ve been told this is one of my biggest strengths. As a designer, problem-solving is in my DNA, and I love collaborating with cross-functional teams to take these user needs and bring innovative solutions to life. 

Personally

I hear bullets are easier to digest so here are some fun facts about me:

  • I’ve lived in three countries and four U.S. states. Two years ago, I traded the lush PNW rainforests for the fiery New Mexico sunsets

  • I love to learn and would be a professional student if it paid more

  • I’m an amateur weaver and have one finished project to prove it

  • I say I don’t like playing cards or board games because I’m super competitive and want everyone else to still have fun

  • I’m an avid reader and will finish a book I don’t like because you never know what will happen until you get to the very end

  • I have no problem hashtagging #catparent4life

Resume

User Researcher / Senior Product Designer
Panorama Education | November 2021 - May 2024

  • Conducted 30+ generative and evaluative research sessions with 12 school districts for a next-generation survey reporting pilot to validate pilot performance resulting in 86% of clients wanting to roll out the new reporting experience at their district or school
  • Implemented UX-Lite methodology to establish baseline task-level metrics, then measured pilot performance, increasing the System Usability Scale (SUS) score from 69.5 to 72, equating to a letter grade increase
  • Conducted 3 client site visits to learn about school district operations and observe pilot usage for real-world context
  • Held 20 generative user research interviews with internal stakeholders, clients, and non-clients to create 30% designs for a new staff well-being and retention module designed to save the company $1.3M in ARR
  • Developed user research templates to help democratize user research for a design team of 19
  • Created a process for tying customer insights to product features, enhancement requests, and bugs to inform product roadmapping
  • Tested and evaluated 5 AI-powered user research tools to help reduce time to insights for the product team

Product Designer II
Committee for Children | March 2018 - November 2021

  • Facilitated a content strategy workshop with 12 cross-functional partners to develop a content model for a new digital program combining both physical and digital product development
  • Developed two innovative lesson preparation prototypes and validated designs through A/B testing with 5 clients and 5 internal stakeholders
  • Produced and tested a new license and user management feature that reduced customer support ticket volume by 5%
  • Collaborated with a cross-functional team to conduct new qual + quant research to inform updated personas for 7 different user types

UX Design Instructional Associate
General Assembly | November 2017 - April 2018

  • Designed curriculum and conducted an intensive one-day, 6-hour UX Design workshop with 30+ students to introduce core UX concepts
  • Developed and delivered engaging instructional activities, ensuring students received consistent feedback within 24 hours