Product Designer and Queso Connoisseur

Saint Louis-based Product Designer Leveraging an Agency Background and an Empathetic Nature for User-Centric Design

When I’m at Work..

I’m a multifaceted product designer with an agency background in web and graphic design. I enjoy building relationships through empathy and curiosity, both with the users I work with and with coworkers and project stakeholders. I love learning and am always looking for ways to expand my skills and knowledge. I know there’s always more to learn, and I’m constantly on the lookout for my next book purchase, conference to attend, or online learning opportunity.

And When I’m Not..

You might catch me zipping by on my bicycle on the way to the climbing gym, traveling the country to play bike polo, or sitting down at my sewing machine to create and alter clothing. My personal strengths include a carefully developed sense of empathy, rock-solid integrity, an optimistic sense of compassion, and an impeccable taste in queso.

Experience

at Vail Resorts

October 2023 - Present

Product Designer

  • Worked with development and design teams to facilitate the build-out of a whole new design system for all VRM products.

  • Worked with stakeholders, product owners, and dev partners to create user-focused design solutions. Delivered low/mid-fidelity wireframes, high-fidelity development-ready designs, and user testing prototypes, solving real user and business problems. Owned UX research, understanding market best practices and user needs to create scalable and creative solutions.

  • Balanced the complex needs of the business with the best digital experience for guests. Ideated, designed, and executed A/B test solutions to address friction points and help grow the business. Defined and helped evolve the design system of a complex, customizable website network across multiple brands.

  • Led design projects, presenting work to stakeholders and team members. Managed multiple projects with overlapping timelines in a dynamic environment. Saw design through the entire process, from ideation to final execution, performing desk checks to ensure the final product aligned with the intended design and function. Ensured all designs met Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.

at happyMedium

November 2020 - May 2023

Product Designer

Standout Project - Bring a Trailer

  • Identified user needs, business requirements, and market trends to improve designs. Ensured designs met accessibility standards and delivered positive experiences.

  • Collaborated with a diverse group of individuals and personalities, including client-side stakeholders, product owners, project managers, developers, account executives, and creatives, both at happyMedium (referred to as hM) and with hM's client base.

  • Kept an eye on emerging software trends to cultivate innovation with the team’s software skillset. Influenced and facilitated company-wide change from one set of tools (Sketch, Abstract.io, and Invision) to a new set of tools (Figma and FigJam).

  • Presented ideas for improving Bring a Trailer's (referred to as BaT, an hM client) mobile presence by implementing a new mobile application. Worked with both the BaT team and the hM team to execute the design and research phases of the project.

    • Advocated on behalf of BaT’s end users and supported recommendations with user analysis and general mobile application best practice research.

    • Developed a new method for communicating with BaT to improve trust and create clear and transparent meetings and design discussions. This approach accelerated meetings and feedback from clients, thereby speeding up the design process.

  • Successfully interpreted a complex product and developed a few key UX improvements for FloEnvy, an hM client. These improvements reduced redundancies and improved end-user understanding.

Skills

Personal

  • Stakeholder Facilitation

  • Strategic Problem Solving

  • Excellent Written and Verbal Communication 

  • Effective Collaboration

  • Growth Mindset

  • Adaptable

  • Detail Oriented

  • Results Driven

  • Deep Interpersonal Skills

Technical

  • User-Centered Design

  • Design System Creation and Management

  • Design Thinking

  • Mobile App Design

  • Wireframing

  • Prototyping

  • Persona Creation

  • Journey Mapping

  • Usability Testing

  • Agile Methodologies

  • Understanding of Development Technologies

Software

  • Figma and FigJam

  • Sketch

  • Invision

  • Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop

  • Adobe XD

  • Jira

  • Trello

  • Notion

What I’m Currently Reading..

For Growth

The Elemnets of Scrum

by Chris Sims & Hillary Louise Johnson

For Fun

Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art

Kindred

by Rebecca Wragg Sykes

Education

Design Systems Certificate

April 2024 - June 2024

  • Learned about creating and maintaining design systems. Covering everything from utilizing design tokens and semantic aliasing to advanced variable prototyping and documentation

Memorisely

UX Design and Research Certificate

January 2020 - July 2020

  • St. Louis-based UX Design and Research program teaching industry concepts, psychology, and strategies of UX.

  • Learned about and put into practice a variety of quantitative and qualitative research methods including, creating personas and user journey maps.

  • Created surveys and usability studies for a wide range of user types including both advanced and novice users.

Launch_Code

BFA in Graphic Design

August 2012 - December 2016

  • Served as treasurer and later president of the rock climbing club. Facilitated learning sessions and organized large group outings to nearby climbing areas.

  • Organized and led major trips to climbing areas across the country, ensuring that all club members felt comfortable and supported.

Southeast Missouri State

I’m always curious about new opportunities and teams.

Let’s chat about where I fit in.