I'm a UX designer with nonprofit experience, and a background in art and psychology.
I understand the core elements and principals of visual design. I have a solid foundation on user research, identifying what's truly valuable to users. These two skills, combined with my experience in nonprofit management, have sharpened my ability to work effectively with people at all levels to solve problems.
UX DESIGNUser Experience (UX) design is a process that I apply to help your team to design products that people want to use.
Why? Because happy users are essential to your business. It's what will distinguish your product from the gazillion other products (apps and sites) coming out everyday. The approach involves learning, building, and testing (over and over, again) to refine the user experience. |
CONTENT STRATEGYUnderstanding what information is relevant to your users is key to creating an app or site that will be useful.
How do you communicate that content in a clear and engaging way? What tone of voice and type of language will resonate with your users, and inspire them to act? It goes even further in how information is organized (information architecture) and laid out (UI - visual design). |
UI - VISUAL DESIGNI use color, type, imagery, and layout to produce designs that make a strong visual impact and engage users.
These designs communicate a consistent look and feel of a brand or product across all platforms—print (e.g. business cards, brochures, banners) and digital (e.g. mobile, tablets, laptops, desktop). My visual design skills are influenced by my art and graphic design background. |
An exciting aspect of being a UX Designer is the opportunity to work on different projects with clients from various fields. Each project comes with its unique goals and challenges, but the UX design process is always the same.
So what is the UX design process?
A lot of people think of it as UI and visual design only, but UX design is so much more. Below is a basic breakdown of the UX design process. The emphasis I place on step each shifts, from project to project, depending on the project's scope, budget, and timeline.
So what is the UX design process?
A lot of people think of it as UI and visual design only, but UX design is so much more. Below is a basic breakdown of the UX design process. The emphasis I place on step each shifts, from project to project, depending on the project's scope, budget, and timeline.
RESEARCH
Market Research
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Concept Mapping
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Surveys
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User & Stakeholder Interviews
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ANALYSIS
Information Architecture
Site Map |
User Personas
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Scenarios
User Flows |
ITERATIVE - DESIGN & TESTING
Sketches
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Wireframes
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Tools
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Kudos
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"Sue, Brittany and Joey did a terrific job on the AirBNB project. Their end result was beautiful, but more importantly they used the UX process to gain a deep understanding of users pain points and formulate an effective solution, all while demonstrating exceptional teamwork and collaboration.”
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"Sue's a fantastic listener AND communicator—a rare combo. Whether it's clarifying decisions between colleagues or elucidating complex design concepts, she's always on point. Plus, she's got a razor-sharp eye for consistency. In short, Sue is the kind of colleague you want to work with.”
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"Sue is an outstanding teammate—patient and focused. She was empathetic to our user’s needs. Sue gave great constructive criticism when it was warranted, and she kept a calm and collected head under pressure. Our team was able to complete an amazing project on time.”
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"Her background in visual design coupled with her ability to maximize the user's experience give her an invaluable skill-set.
Sue is very detail-oriented and pays close attention to user feedback. These attributes allow her to produce products and results that go beyond expectations, such as in this case with Eden's website. It has truly been my pleasure to work with Sue."
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"Sue and her UX design team did a great job helping our team understand what was important to our users.
From the wire frame prototype to the high fidelity final product they really exceeded our expectations. We finally have a product we are proud to share with our community."
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"Sue was a true professional in all of the jobs she did at LA Children's Chorus.
From doing graphic design to creating social media messages to writing and organizing the monthly e-newsletter to managing the photo shoot for the annual chorister photos, Sue was always organized and dependable. She has many talents and skills that are beneficial to any organization she works with as well as being a great colleague."
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