Over the last three years, this role has given me the opportunity to explore a wide range of work, client types, and relationships. My main focus has always been research or design, but with such a small team initially, I grew to wear many hats as needed to get the work done. I have also spearheaded a number of internal initiatives for design research, training, and remote team cohesion.
Note: More details coming, but I am unable to publicly post all the work I've done for PK. Please reach out and I can walk you through more detailed information.
DSW needed to build out a new service line with an undisclosed partner to be made public in 2021 (pre-COVID). We were brought in as a trusted partner to not only design it, but also test it's viability with consumers and provide a full go-to-market strategy. I owned the research workstream, which consisted of on-site stakeholder vision and ideation sessions and 1:1 remote participatory design sessions with target audiences across the US. We had initially planned participatory design to be in-person focus groups, but had to quickly pivot within a few days as COVID restrictions were enacted. Our ability to still conduct 34 sessions using Zoom, Google Slides, and OptimalWorkshop so quickly impressed the client and worked to our favor. We were able to pinpoint what consumers were expecting from the partnership, what they wanted, and how much they were willing to pay for that access. Ultimately, the project has been put on hold in 2020, but we summed up our research and recommended focus areas for DSW when it starts up again.
Challenges
UPRR was looking for a re-design and update of an important internal dashboard much of the company used. Aside from the highly technical and specific data that would feed into it, it required views for everyone: high-level executives, managers leading multiple internal programs, engineers focused on a single tool, etc. With just a few days' notice, we flew to Omaha, NE to gather design and usage requirements before starting design. I led the user research process, where we worked with 10 stakeholders on different teams to separately map out current state, gaps, and opportunities. Not only did this help us quickly understand how the system and its dependencies, but it also brought about alignment between stakeholder groups on priority requirements for an updated design. Afterwards, I summed up our findings, created paper prototypes, and briefed the team for handoff to the full design phase.
During my time at PK, I have worked as the main (or one of the main) designers on five major Microsoft projects and supported countless others while working on other things.
CommonSpirit Health, ServiceNow, T-Mobile, Vans, PacifiCorp