I moved to Switzerland after earning my Master’s in Germany and worked at an agency as a Textile Designer. It was fun and exciting to create prints for sportswear, sift through beautiful fabrics, and jet off to Paris for fashion shows. It just took me a while to notice a quiet question tapping me on the shoulder:What problems are my designs solving, and for whom?
Creating beautiful things was fine. But I wanted my designs to have a purpose. So I found myself moving away from pure aesthetics and toward the humans behind the product. Empathy quickly became my guide and I found my place in UX design. Understanding users, honoring business needs, and uncovering the story of a product showed me what meaningful design looks like. If someone asks about the single most important skill in UX, I tell them this: curiosity driven by empathy.
I have worked at Apple as a Senior Product Designer and led design efforts for startups of various sizes. As a consultant, I focus on small businesses, startups and nonprofits. I offer free consultations to discuss your project needs, so let’s chat!
Where do I find my inspiration?
I follow some fantastic designers on Medium and love to read their case studies. So much inspiration comes from being out in the world, however, and looking at things through the UX Design lens. Any time I see people being confused at an ATM, a ticket vending machine, or even a door that won’t open, I take note. “Don’t Make Me Think,” by Steve Krug is my mantra.
What design principles do I follow?
The 10 Usability Heuristics by Jacob Nielsen are still my primary guide when designing digital interfaces. I make sure to always use human language in my UI, remove unnecessary clutter, and to prevent errors whenever possible. For visual design, a clear hierarchy and consistent use of design patterns are key.
Which tools do I use?
My absolute favorite tool of choice is Figma! It's by far the best tool to create quick mockups and prototypes, collaborate with the team, and flesh out design systems. I am also proficient in other common design tools such as Adobe CS, Sketch, Zeplin, InVision, Balsamiq, and others.
How do I charge for a project?
My rates depend on the type of project, the client’s preference, and the length of the contract. I have hourly rates, reduced day rates, and reduced weekly rates. I also offer discounts for non-profit organizations.
What other passions and interests do I have?
Next to UX design, animals have been my “other passion” for a long time. As a volunteer, marketing chair, and board member, I have been working with animal rescues and sanctuaries, both on-site and remote. I also love wildlife photography and am a volunteer photographer for several sanctuaries.The images below show a few things I enjoy: Celebrating a client's birthday, climbing a tree to clean an animal enclosure, wildlife photography, and outreach at a conference.
Recent Projects
Collaborative ClassroomAs the Principal Designer, owned all digital products.Administrator & Teacher Platform Case Study >Reports Case Study >
WildCat Ridge SanctuaryDesign and strategy for animal sanctuaryView Case Study >
Past WorkHotel TonightProduct design for a travel startup(acquired by Airbnb)
AppleProduct design for iTunes and App Store
Get SatisfactionCustomer community software platform(acquired by Sprinklr)
BeboSocial networking platform(acquired by Aol)
If you would like to chat
contact me on linkedin
I moved to Switzerland after earning my Master’s in Germany and worked at an agency as a Textile Designer. It was fun and exciting to create prints for sportswear, sift through beautiful fabrics, and jet off to Paris for fashion shows. It just took me a while to notice a quiet question tapping me on the shoulder:What problems are my designs solving, and for whom?
Creating beautiful things was fine. But I wanted my designs to have a purpose. So I found myself moving away from pure aesthetics and toward the humans behind the product. Empathy quickly became my guide and I found my place in UX design. Understanding users, honoring business needs, and uncovering the story of a product showed me what meaningful design looks like. If someone asks about the single most important skill in UX, I tell them this: curiosity driven by empathy.
I have worked at Apple as a Senior Product Designer and led design efforts for startups of various sizes. As a consultant, I focus on small businesses, startups and nonprofits. I offer free consultations to discuss your project needs, so let’s chat!
Where do I find my inspiration?
I follow some fantastic designers on Medium and love to read their case studies. So much inspiration comes from being out in the world, however, and looking at things through the UX Design lens. Any time I see people being confused at an ATM, a ticket vending machine, or even a door that won’t open, I take note. “Don’t Make Me Think,” by Steve Krug is my mantra.
What design principles do I follow?
The 10 Usability Heuristics by Jacob Nielsen are still my primary guide when designing digital interfaces. I make sure to always use human language in my UI, remove unnecessary clutter, and to prevent errors whenever possible. For visual design, a clear hierarchy and consistent use of design patterns are key.
Which tools do I use?
My absolute favorite tool of choice is Figma! It's by far the best tool to create quick mockups and prototypes, collaborate with the team, and flesh out design systems. I am also proficient in other common design tools such as Adobe CS, Sketch, Zeplin, InVision, Balsamiq, and others.
How do I charge for a project?
My rates depend on the type of project, the client’s preference, and the length of the contract. I have hourly rates, reduced day rates, and reduced weekly rates. I also offer discounts for non-profit organizations.
What other passions and interests do I have?
Next to UX design, animals have been my “other passion” for a long time. As a volunteer, marketing chair, and board member, I have been working with animal rescues and sanctuaries, both on-site and remote. I also love wildlife photography and am a volunteer photographer for several sanctuaries.The images below show a few things I enjoy: Celebrating a client's birthday, climbing a tree to clean an animal enclosure, wildlife photography, and outreach at a conference.
Recent Projects
Collaborative ClassroomAs the Principal Designer, owned all digital products.Administrator & Teacher Platform Case Study >Reports Case Study >
WildCat Ridge SanctuaryDesign and strategy for animal sanctuaryView Case Study >
Past WorkHotel TonightProduct design for a travel startup(acquired by Airbnb)
AppleProduct design for iTunes and App Store
Get SatisfactionCustomer community software platform(acquired by Sprinklr)
BeboSocial networking platform(acquired by Aol)
If you would like to chat
contact me on linkedin
I moved to Switzerland after earning my Master’s in Germany and worked at an agency as a Textile Designer. It was fun and exciting to create prints for sportswear, sift through beautiful fabrics, and jet off to Paris for fashion shows. It just took me a while to notice a quiet question tapping me on the shoulder:What problems are my designs solving, and for whom?
Creating beautiful things was fine. But I wanted my designs to have a purpose. So I found myself moving away from pure aesthetics and toward the humans behind the product. Empathy quickly became my guide and I found my place in UX design. Understanding users, honoring business needs, and uncovering the story of a product showed me what meaningful design looks like. If someone asks about the single most important skill in UX, I tell them this: curiosity driven by empathy.
I have worked at Apple as a Senior Product Designer and led design efforts for startups of various sizes. As a consultant, I focus on small businesses, startups and nonprofits. I offer free consultations to discuss your project needs, so let’s chat!
Where do I find my inspiration?
I follow some fantastic designers on Medium and love to read their case studies. So much inspiration comes from being out in the world, however, and looking at things through the UX Design lens. Any time I see people being confused at an ATM, a ticket vending machine, or even a door that won’t open, I take note. “Don’t Make Me Think,” by Steve Krug is my mantra.
What design principles do I follow?
The 10 Usability Heuristics by Jacob Nielsen are still my primary guide when designing digital interfaces. I make sure to always use human language in my UI, remove unnecessary clutter, and to prevent errors whenever possible. For visual design, a clear hierarchy and consistent use of design patterns are key.
Which tools do I use?
My absolute favorite tool of choice is Figma! It's by far the best tool to create quick mockups and prototypes, collaborate with the team, and flesh out design systems. I am also proficient in other common design tools such as Adobe CS, Sketch, Zeplin, InVision, Balsamiq, and others.
How do I charge for a project?
My rates depend on the type of project, the client’s preference, and the length of the contract. I have hourly rates, reduced day rates, and reduced weekly rates. I also offer discounts for non-profit organizations.
What other passions and interests do I have?
Next to UX design, animals have been my “other passion” for a long time. As a volunteer, marketing chair, and board member, I have been working with animal rescues and sanctuaries, both on-site and remote. I also love wildlife photography and am a volunteer photographer for several sanctuaries.The images below show a few things I enjoy: Celebrating a client's birthday, climbing a tree to clean an animal enclosure, wildlife photography, and outreach at a conference.
Recent Projects
Collaborative ClassroomAs the Principal Designer, owned all digital products.Administrator & Teacher Platform Case Study >Reports Case Study >
WildCat Ridge SanctuaryDesign and strategy for animal sanctuaryView Case Study >
Past WorkHotel TonightProduct design for a travel startup(acquired by Airbnb)
AppleProduct design for iTunes and App Store
Get SatisfactionCustomer community software platform(acquired by Sprinklr)
BeboSocial networking platform(acquired by Aol)
If you would like to chat
contact me on linkedin