Product Design Lead

CISCO

Jan. 2022-present

Senior UX Designer

UNGERBOECK SOFTWARE INTERNATIONAL

Nov. 2017 - Jan. 2022

After just three and a half years, I earned a promotion to Senior UX Designer. As my love for wireframing and prototyping grew, so did my desire to inspire the next new hires that stepped through our doors.

 

highlights

  • Leading design efforts for a large product line

  • Collaborating with the product line team, including Product Managers, Business Analysts, Developers, and Quality

  • Working with US and international customers to understand how they use the software and how I can help improve it

  • Mentoring and onboarding new team members

  • Championing the importance of accessibility compliance, authoring VPAT documents, and advising development and design on accessibility concerns

  • Designed an e-commerce platform

  • Designed a membership platform based on feedback from a customer advisory board

  • Became an IAAP certified Web Accessibility Specialist

UX Front-End Developer/Product Designer

UNGERBOECK SOFTWARE INTERNATIONAL

May 2014 - Nov. 2017

When I was first hired at Ungerboeck, I was the fourth person to join the team. Because of the team size, we were all expected to do HTML/CSS/JS work as well as design and conduct usability studies. During this time, I developed a solid understanding of our products, our level of complexity, and the constraints that naturally come with working in enterprise software. Initially I expected to be a career developer, but after spending several years doing both development and design, I fell in love with the craftsmanship of taking complex problems and finding an elegant way to solve them.

highlights

  • Updated a critical public application to be responsive and WCAG 2.0/Section 508 compliant. This was the company’s first accessible product.

  • Helped develop the foundation of two new, successful public applications

  • Conducted usability studies to justify design changes and get feedback on current processes. Various methods were used, including A/B testing, task-based studies using Morae to record and analyze data, paper prototypes, sorting, and more.

  • Co-presented a session on best practices and accessibility at the 2017 Ungerboeck Global Conference

  • 2017 Hackathon Grand Champion team member (design and front-end development)

  • Successfully changed career paths from higher education to UX, and was quickly recognized with a promotion to senior level

 


Boston University

M.S. Computer Information Systems

Emphasis in Web Application Development

Jan. 2013 - Sept. 2014

Accomplishments

  • Completed degree entirely online while working full-time

  • Collaborated remotely on team projects

Missouri University of Science and Technology

B.S. Management and Information Systems

Emphasis in Business Administration

May 2014 - Nov. 2017

Accomplishments

  • Graduated Summa Cum Laude

  • Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Iota Delta honor societies

 

travel

There is something revitalizing about going to somewhere you’ve never been. Being a stranger, trying new foods, seeing new sights. But the most moving part of travel is learning how other people live and work, soaking in their culture. I don’t design for the sake of design. I design for people. Everywhere I travel, I bring a little more perspective back with me.

The outdoors

I love to get outside and explore. To spend time away from a screen for a while. To disconnect. When you think about it, nature is made up of incredibly complex systems. But you look at it, it seems so simple and pure. I try to pull that same simplicity into my work as a designer.