About

Hi. Thanks for stopping by.

I’m a design professional with a unique mix of insatiable curiosity, persistence, and grit.

I have over two decades of experience combining actionable insights with imagination.

The majority of my career focused on visual design. I believe in empathy for the people who use the products I design. I am eager to learn about the user’s challenges and obstacles and find appropriate solutions to those issues. I believe in using user research to inform design. User research is the most critical skill in UX to create good experiences for the user. Without it, we are creating experiences based on our own biases or misinformation.

I leverage my persistence to discover the best ways to solve complex problems through design practice. I value team collaboration, thoughtful communication, and pragmatic approaches to research-driven design solutions.

My industry experience includes finance, insurance, automotive, healthcare, real estate, fashion, retail, and non-profit organizations.

 
 

I’ve recently completed training and earned certification with a few organizations, NN/g included. The courses I took at NN/g were incredibly informative and inspirational. I focused on UX management and interactive design during this last conference.

I’m interested in pivoting towards research aspects of the design process to complement the skills I already have with product design.

I have previous experience working with researchers and product designers while at 1904labs. We worked together to create data-driven/research-driven designs for enterprise software. We hosted user ideation sessions with stakeholders and users. I used that research to create a design system that would inform the engineers of the interface design. While working with those teams, I learned a lot about researching, collecting data, and designing based on that information. I’m interested in continuing a career path of helping others create systems, interfaces, or experiences to help the user.

 
 
 

Skills

  • UX and User-Centered Design

  • Digital Product Design

  • Interface Design

  • Prototyping

  • Design Thinking

  • Wireframing

  • Design Sprints

  • Journey Mapping

  • Design Systems

  • Art Direction

  • Motion Graphic/Video Design

  • Storyboarding

  • Agile & Waterfall Methodologies

TOOLS

  • Adobe Creative Suite

  • Figma

  • Sketch

  • Miro

  • HTML, CSS, and Javascript

EXPERIENCE

Senior Product Designer, Bayer
2022-current

Designer Senior, USAA Real Estate
2019-2022

Human-Centered Visual Designer, 1904labs
2019

Interactive Designer, Maritz Motivation Solutions
2014-2019

Freelance Design Consultant
2000-2017

Senior Graphic Design Specialist, Allsup
2009-2014

Project Manager, Network Solutions
2007-2009

Graphic Designer, Colliers Turley Martin Tucker
2005-2007

Graphic Designer, InDox Services
2005

Graphic Designer, Ameriwood Industries
2004-2005

Graphic Designer, Creative Printing
2003-2004

Graphic Design Internship, State Farm
2003

Designer, College of the Ozarks Print Shop
2000-2002

EDUCATION & Certifications

Nielson Norman Group UX Certification
2022

IBM Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner
2021

Google Foundations of UX Design Certificate
2021

College of the Ozarks
BA, Graphic Arts
2004

RECOGNITION

2017 – Standing Ovation Recognition
Maritz Motivations Solutions
Recognition for work with automotive client motion graphics and video production.

2013 – IABC Award of Excellence
Category: Electronic and Digital Communication
Project: The New MyAllsup
Role: UX/UI Design of MyAllsup’s interface

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Lifting The Lou
Board of Advisors
2019 – current

AIGA
Member since 2018

Creative Folks Workshops
Facilitator • 2011
Hosted creative skills workshops

Metropolis St. Louis
President • 2008 – 2009
Perception Chair • 2007 – 2008
Webmaster • 2007 – 2010

IABC St Louis Chapter
Webmaster • 2007-2008

PERSONAL INTERESTS

Volunteering and Community Involvement
Biking
Hiking
Roller Skating
Travel
Sewing & Textile Arts
Learning and Teaching New Skills