Better by design Proven by impact

We are a small team building a software product and trying to grow. That takes both sharp execution and real strategic thinking, and I bring both. AI takes on more of the production, so the strategy gets the focus it deserves.

Every project runs the same loop. I start with reference materials, ask questions and dig into the analysis, build a framework and refine it, then design around it, whether that is a wireframe or a finished deliverable. I check the work for gaps, share it with the team, and iterate. I collaborate with AI at every step, and the calls that matter stay with me.

We were shipping less often than we wanted, sometimes going weeks without a release, and the work that did ship never felt recognized. Every release made a real change with real impact, and we kept rushing past the chance to celebrate it together as a remote team.

To encourage the team to release regularly with enthusiasm and confidence, introduced a team motto with crest, "start small, make it real, then make it better," as well as a release-song ritual: every release got a song, always a surprise, always tied to the work. We also brought QA onto the team. The ritual grew into spinning disco balls and, to celebrate, created Dance Roulette: a wheel of 24 dance moves timed to Pharrell's "Happy" so everyone could dance together. I built it overnight with AI, moving between Claude Cowork and Copilot.

EnergyInsite, our energy planning product, was built without UX input, so there was no baseline and no way to measure progress. Nobody really knew whether it was working for the people using it.

I established a System Usability Score (SUS) benchmark from day one, then ran structured check-ins at six-month intervals. I paired it with regular software release documentation so stakeholders could see exactly what changed and why scores moved.

I joined as the division's first UX practitioner with no mandate or network, so I had to build credibility and influence from scratch, with teams that had never worked with a designer before.

I built relationships intentionally at every level, from functional experts to the President, prioritizing depth over breadth. I turned 13% of those connections into ongoing, recurring relationships grounded in trust, context, and continuity.

Leadership wanted EnergyInsite to meet ICF's corporate brand standards, but I had no UI designer, no creative director, and no budget to bring one on.

I built a working partnership with ICF's Creative Director and established a reusable design system grounded in corporate brand guidelines. A weekly 30-minute review cadence kept new designs aligned, and it continues today.

As the sole dedicated UX resource, I had no reliable way to scope and bring in outside talent when there was more work than I could handle alone, which slowed things down and made resourcing unpredictable.

I designed a repeatable task order template that clearly defined scope, skills, deliverables, and approval steps. The standardized process gave stakeholders confidence and gave new resources everything they needed to hit the ground running.

My startup needed to build brand awareness and keep potential customers engaged, but I had no data on reader interests to guide content, and sustaining engagement over time needed a more deliberate approach.

I set up a reader survey feedback loop to gather engagement data directly from subscribers, then used what I learned to iterate on format, prioritizing short, relevant, scannable content that readers consistently responded to.

Concentric Sky built great products, but we were missing two things clients increasingly wanted: accessible design and UX content strategy. Without them, we were leaving contract value on the table.

I identified both gaps independently, drafted job descriptions and scoped billable services for each role, then built the case to leadership over several months. Both specialists elevated product and proposal quality, giving the organization capabilities it actively marketed to win larger engagements.

A product team had stalled right before a key milestone, buried in competing feature requests and stuck on unresolved technical dependencies. They needed fresh eyes and a clear path forward.

I assessed the full feature backlog to map dependencies and identify high-impact, low-risk work the team could move on immediately. I delivered a prioritized roadmap within two weeks that the client signed off on, giving the team shared direction and renewed momentum.