About Me

Beyond my work in user experience, I express creativity through drawing and painting. I am a lifelong martial arts practitioner with over 22 years of experience in Praying Mantis Kung Fu, along with training in judo, jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai. During the pandemic, I shifted my focus to bodybuilding to further develop strength and resilience. My background also includes competing in roller derby with Mass Maelstrom, earning a kettlebell coaching certification and working as a group fitness coach, and completing multiple endurance events, including two Spartan Races and a Tough Mudder.

SENIOR UX/UI DESIGNER

United Healthcare | Boston, MA
April 23, 2023 – December 29, 2025

Contract position

• Design Lead on a Fortune 5 Medicare and insurance company for a claims processing and billing application.

• Extensive user research facilitated the identification and implementation of UX solutions for internal users at AARP, involving direct collaboration with end-users to enhance software functionality.

• Helped define and explain evidence-based solutions to stakeholders while increasing UX value across teams.

SENIOR PRODUCT DESIGNER

Rectangle Health | Valhalla, NY
March 2022 – November 2022

Full-time position

• Enhanced SaaS UX and UI for point-of-sale and payment processing systems at a prominent healthcare payment firm, impacting over 50,000 healthcare providers and managing over $5 billion in transactions annually.

• Integrated user feedback via Pendo to refine design solutions.

• Validated design hypotheses through comprehensive user research and testing.

SENIOR UX/UI DESIGNER

Homesite Insurance | Boston, MA
February 2020 – March 2022

Contract position

• As Design Lead for Online Servicing, developed brand-agnostic customer experiences tailored for leading national insurance providers, including GEICO and Progressive.

• Leveraged user surveys, Google Analytics, and A/B testing in customer acquisition and retention strategies, gaining valuable insights that informed our final goals.

• Achieved significant success in transitioning renters to homeowners, retaining 7,560 customers and generating $4.3 million in premiums through strategic UX interventions.

• 360K calls are not going to cancel; and instead, they are re-quoting for better offers.

• Since the release, 6% of our customers have been retained, equaling 1.6M in premium.

SENIOR UX/UI DESIGNER

Evoke Mind+Matter | Boston, MA
April 2019 – December 2019

Project-based contract position

• Developed UX strategy for orphan and rare disease pharmaceutical products at a full-service agency.

• Delivered heuristic evaluations, portal designs, email campaigns, touchscreen UI, and client presentations.

UX DESIGNER

Pall Corporation, Life Sciences Division | Westborough, MA
October 2018 – March 2019

Project-based contract position

• Developed interactive Axure prototypes for complex antibody processing and filtration machines, refining touchscreen interfaces through user interviews and testing to enhance usability for scientists.

UI SPECIALIST

Harvard Medical School | Boston, MA
April 2008 – April 2018

Full-time position

• Collaborated with the CTO to design the user interface and experience for Profiles Catalyst, a leading research networking and web app mining tool.

• Enhanced user engagement by implementing social proofing and gamification strategies, significantly boosting cross-institutional participation.

• Achieved widespread adoption, making Profiles Catalyst one of Harvard's most visited websites with nearly 4 million impressions and 100,000 visits per month.

USABILITY SPECIALIST

Fidelity Investments | Boston, MA
March 2007 – February 2008

Contract position

• Usability Expert and Designer at a Fortune 500 financial services company in financial planning, wealth management, and stock plan services.

• Ensured comprehensive adherence to corporate style and usability guidelines, oversaw development stages and implemented insights from usability sessions.

• Led design reviews, serving as the authoritative decision-maker on final design adjustments.

UI DESIGNER

Dell EMC | Franklin, MA
August 2006 – December 2006

Project-based contract position

• Designed a comprehensive intranet site for company-wide affairs, including page templates and a detailed style guide and dev-handoff procedure and checklist.

WEB DESIGNER

Fidelity Investments | Boston, MA
February 2006 – July 2006

Contract position (maternity leave)

• While managing the intake and scheduling of design projects and providing management reporting as required, I maintained internal websites. Deliverables included logo creation, illustrations, graphics, and business collateral for both web and print.

WEB DESIGNER

Webs Are Us - Internet Solutions | Boston, MA
April 2002 – January 2006

Part-time position

• As the lead web and graphic designer for a global web development company, I spearheaded efforts to create digital experiences for over 30 clients.

• Website Design & Maintenance

• Search Engine Optimization: Implemented SEO strategies and conducted monthly submissions to boost search rankings and drive organic traffic.

• Interactive Media: Created dynamic Flash animations and banner ads

• Graphic Design: Designed advertisements, product packaging, logos, and marketing collateral to align with client branding.

• Email Campaigns & Newsletters: Designed and executed e-newsletter campaigns reaching over 800 clients monthly.

• Marketing Materials: Developed and implemented targeted email campaigns to support client marketing goals and increase conversions.

• Client Management: Maintained strong client relationships through personalized back-end administration, project support, and ongoing communication.

INTERACTIVE DESIGNER

Digital Learning Interactive| Medford, MA
January 2000 – August 2000

Full-time position

• Led a 5-person creative team to design and deliver high-quality digital assets.

• Created UI screens, graphic assets library, and interactive Flash animations for educational tools.

• Designed visuals for Dis Donc!, a French language learning CD-ROM integrating text, audio, and video.

• Collaborated with instructional designers, and French speakers to enhance digital learning experiences.

• Focused on user-friendly, interactive designs to improve student engagement.

CONCEPTUAL ARTIST

Intermetrics | Burlington, MA
December 1998 - March 1999

Contract position

• Created conceptual sketches and design elements for Mini Racers, a Nintendo 64 game, shaping the visual identity of race tracks and contributing to the overall look and feel of the game.

2D ARTIST

Looking Glass Technologies | Cambridge, MA
September 1996 – November 1997

Full-time position

• Created texture map libraries and designed user interfaces for Flight Unlimited II, enhancing realism and usability in a leading flight simulation game.

• Help illustrate animated cut-scenes and develop conceptual art for Thief: The Dark Project, shaping its iconic atmospheric storytelling.

• Collaborated with developers to blend technical precision and creative vision, delivering immersive player experiences.

FREELANCE ILLUSTRATION

As a freelance illustrator, I specialized in creating visually captivating artwork with a focus on game art, book illustrations, and magazine visuals.

• Chron X | Boston, MA 1997–1999
  Created 12 illustrations for Chron X, the first online collectible card game, enhancing its cyberpunk aesthetic and narrative gameplay.

• Activision | Santa Monica, CA 1996
  Designed 30 detailed illustrations for Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands (CD-ROM RPG), contributing to immersive, atmospheric environments.

• Henry Holt & Company | New York, NY 1996
  Illustrated the book jacket for Life Magic by Melrose Cooper, visually conveying themes of family, self-discovery, and resilience.

• Low Magazine | Los Angeles, CA 1995
  Painted full-page illustration for Low Magazine, reflecting the raw, alternative ethos of 1990s youth culture in Los Angeles.

User Research & Testing, UX Strategy, Design Thinking, Lean UX, Accessibility, Information Architecture, Mockup and Prototyping, User Interface Design, Interaction Design, Product Design, Mobile/Web/App Design, Microcopy, Design Systems, Style Guide, Executive Client Presentation, AI-Assisted UX Practice

UI APPS
Figma, Sketch, InVision, Adobe Creative Cloud (XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, Capture) Axure RP

USABILITY/TESTING
Hotjar, Dovetail, Maze, Pendo, UserTesting.com

ACCESSIBILITY
Wave

VISUALIZATION
Miro, Lucid, Lucidspark, UXPressia

CODE
Basic HMTL & CSS

AI
ChatGPT, Claude AI, Otter.AI, Dovetail Perplexity AI, NotebookLM, Willow Voice, Highlight

EDITING
Grammarly, Hemingway Editor

MANAGEMENT
Jira, Rally, Trello, Confluence

OTHER TOOLS
Traditional Media

Design Thinking, Double Diamond, Mobile First, Lean UX

Material UI, Bootstrap

ART CENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN

Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration | 1992 – 1995
Pasadena, CA

VENTURA COLLEGE

Associate of Arts in Commercial Arts | 1989 – 1991
Ventura, CA

Google UX Design Certificate
Coursera - 2023

Public Speaking Foundations, LinkedIn - 2020

Note-Taking for Business Professionals, LinkedIn - 2020

Customer Experience: Journey Mapping, LinkedIn - 2020

UX Research: Lean Experimentation, LinkedIn - 2020

Design Thinking: Implementing the Process, LinkedIn - 2020

Certificate in CSS - The Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Cambridge MA - 2006

Aligning with Stakeholders in UX with Jared Spool
Week-long Online Workshop - 2021

Improve Your Testing, UserTesting.com
Online Course Series - 2021

Reddit User Research Evolution with Dr. Kristen L. Guth Ph.D
3-hour Online Discussion - 2021

User Story Mapping with Jeff Patton
1.5-hour Online Discussion - 2020

Journey Mapping Workshop, General Assembly
3-hour Class, Boston, MA - 2020

Panera CX Seminar at Bentley University
3-hour Workshop, Waltham, MA - 2018

Dive Deeper into Web 2.0 with Barry Livert at Babson College
2.5-hour Discussion, Boston, MA - 2009

Usability Day Workshop at Bentley University
1 Day Workshop, Waltham, MA - 2007