UI & UX Designer

• Aug 2021 - Present

Work within the Human-Centered Design (HCD) team, collaborating with a myriad of government employees in order to reimagine the face and functionality of Medicare.gov. Work within the Human-Centered Design (HCD) team, collaborating with a myriad of government employees in order to reimagine the face and functionality of Medicare.gov.

Peer-to-Peer Program Leader

• Sep 2022 - Present

NAMI Peer-to-Peer is a free, eight-session educational program for adults with mental health conditions who are looking to better understand themselves and their recovery. Taught by trained leaders with lived experience, this program includes activities, discussions and informative videos.

Ending the Silence Young Adult Program Leader

• Nov 2018 - Present

Ending the Silence is a presentation that helps audience members learn about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if you or a loved one are showing symptoms of a mental illness.

In Our Own Voice Program Leader

• Mar 2018 - Present

Give lectures designed to destigmatize mental illness at medical schools and other educational institutions throughout Ohio. In Our Own Voice Program Leaders work to humanize the rampantly misunderstood topic of mental illness by showing that it's possible—and quite common—to thrive while living with a mental health condition. (I have also fundraised for NAMIwalks, and I donate to similar entities including Active Minds and MIT's MindHandHeart.)

Creative Scavenger

• Mar 2017 - Present

Design projects include a stationery design system for the MIT Juggling Club, graphic designs for a politician based in Massachusetts, logos for a competitive unicycling organization, and Soundcloud musician rebranding. Other creative exploits include spearheading strange scholarships, mentoring inventive people across a myriad of competitive disciplines, and giving hands-on lessons in all sorts of other endeavors such as political cartooning. Design projects include a stationery design system for the MIT Juggling Club, graphic designs for a politician based in Massachusetts, logos for a competitive unicycling organization, and Soundcloud musician rebranding. Other creative exploits include spearheading strange scholarships, mentoring inventive people across a myriad of competitive disciplines, and giving hands-on lessons in all sorts of other endeavors such as political cartooning.

Adjunct Professor

• Aug 2022 - Dec 2022

Taught Design Aesthetics 3: Computational Aesthetics to sophomores in DAAP's CODE program. This course introduces basic concepts and skills with regards to procedural thinking, parametric design, and generative design. Through a series of exercises, students develop an understanding of the coordinate system and objects for computational drawing, and extend those concepts to design generative and interactive visual systems. Students also engage with reading and discussion to critique emerging design aesthetics with computational and digital media technologies. Show less

Senior Designer (eComm, Creative, I.T.)

• Mar 2018 - Sep 2019

Creative Director (Pure Sale)

• Mar 2018 - Feb 2019

Led design efforts for various Pure Romance products, most notably the Pure Sale app with 18,000 highly opinionated users. Made these attractive products even more attractive in terms of form (UI) and function (UX). Duties frequently involved numerous design disciplines including interaction design, web design, print design, environmental design, and motion design.

User Experience Designer/Researcher

• Oct 2017 - Apr 2018

Helped make estimation software more functional and aesthetically appealing. Created processes for solving UX and product problems, often conducting user/stakeholder interviews. Worked with multiple teams including developers, client support, and customers. Workflow included wireframing, mockups, high-fidelity prototyping, and front-end development. Process often incorporated visual design, information architecture, interaction design, user research, and content strategy. Also generated employee engagement installations for the HR Team, script layout visuals for the Sales Team, branding aesthetic suggestions for the Marketing Team, and collaboration initiatives between the company and local universities. Was nominated for the Top of the STACK Award, and later won the Pendo Onboarding Award—for a color psychology-centric series of educational tooltips—at Pendomonium '18. Show less

Independent Design Contractor

• Oct 2017 - Oct 2017

Independent Branding Contractor

• Aug 2017 - Apr 2018

Helped brand the new Computing in Education Group. Continually pushed design and branding for the Active Learning Labs. Projects included branded stationery, wayfinding signage, and webpage redesign.

Visibility Intern

• Jun 2017 - Aug 2017

Rebranded the Active Learning Labs.

Curriculum Development Consultant

• Oct 2017 - Dec 2017

Submitted proposals for revisions to various DMA curricula.

Graphic Design Instructor

• Jun 2017 - Sep 2017

I have taught weeklong Graphic Design courses at Southern Methodist University (Plano, TX) and Harvard University (Cambridge, MA). My most rewarding moment from these experiences was when a student in Plano told me that I was her favorite teacher of all time.

Communication Design Associate

• May 2017 - Dec 2017

Transitioned to temporary employee—after several months as an intern—working under the Mathematics & Computation research group. Designed educational materials for MIT App Inventor users ranging from novice to expert. Also helped rebrand MIT App Inventor, creating numerous pieces of promotional office 'swag' along the way.

User Interface Intern

• Dec 2016 - May 2017

App Inventor is a visual blocks language for building Android apps. Responsibilities included designing educational materials that acclimate users to the interface's possibilities, and working on a rebranding proposal. Had the privilege to pursue all of this while working within the beautifully bizarre Stata Center.

Graduate Assistant/Consultant for Tutorial Development

• Jun 2017 - Aug 2017

Worked with the Learning Design & Research Librarian on various tutorial design tasks in the Research & Writing Services unit of Gutman Library. Worked with the Learning Design & Research Librarian on various tutorial design tasks in the Research & Writing Services unit of Gutman Library.

Design Consultant

• Oct 2016 - May 2017

Contributed to various educational technology startups, including i-Lab VIP Program inductees. Worked on concept development and facilitated cyclical design/development iterations. One project entailed branding consultation for a mentoring organization known as EddyBangBang. Another project entailed consultant storyboarding and animation work that supplements a class project prompt for students in Professor Ruth Lingford's Animating Science course. This series of videos aims to eventually make 'edutainment'​ more accessible to schools in Botswana. Show less

Design Associate

• Sep 2016 - Dec 2016

Rebranded the Unhangout Project. Rebranded the Unhangout Project.

Pedagogy Design Intern

• Aug 2016 - Dec 2016

Designed support for the implementation of ScratchEd meetups, participatory professional development for teachers who use Scratch. Designed and distributed meetup kits for meetup organizers and subsequently analyzed the effectiveness of the kits through teacher interviews. Designed support for the implementation of ScratchEd meetups, participatory professional development for teachers who use Scratch. Designed and distributed meetup kits for meetup organizers and subsequently analyzed the effectiveness of the kits through teacher interviews.

Graduate Teaching Assistant

• Jan 2016 - May 2016

Helped teach Design Thinking & Problem Solving (DSGN1070) and Communication Design for Professional Practice (GRCD1030) with Professor Thomas Dunne. Graded assignments designed to measure student competencies involving analysis of key issues of visual communication problems, qualitative research, user empathy, ability to work productively in a team, and oral/visual presentations of research outcomes. Lectured on portfolio professionalism. Each class had about 100 students. Helped teach Design Thinking & Problem Solving (DSGN1070) and Communication Design for Professional Practice (GRCD1030) with Professor Thomas Dunne. Graded assignments designed to measure student competencies involving analysis of key issues of visual communication problems, qualitative research, user empathy, ability to work productively in a team, and oral/visual presentations of research outcomes. Lectured on portfolio professionalism. Each class had about 100 students.

Freelance Designer/Illustrator

• Jan 2010 - May 2016

Provided web design/development, graphic design, and illustration work for clients across the USA. Provided web design/development, graphic design, and illustration work for clients across the USA.

Design Research Associate

• Aug 2014 - Dec 2015

Final project entailed the conceptualization and implementation of a series of cartoon motion pieces designed to educate adolescent Leukemia patients on their condition. Helped ideate and propose a physical installation designed to promote and distribute these videos to engaged patients and caregivers. Worked with researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to develop a medical adherence device and accompanying mobile application. (I even narrated several lengthy YouTube videos about Live Well. A painstaking but fun and richly rewarding process!) Show less

User Experience Design Intern

• May 2015 - Aug 2015

Conceptualized mobile applications using captology principles, specifically heeding BJ Fogg's Persuasive Design Behavior Model. Rewrote modal overlay copy using vernacular language and redesigned text with added hierarchy. Created storyboards to visually convey user scenario contexts. Developed, implemented, and taught original storyboarding technique with modular assets. Used data visualization software to visually convey insightful use case relationships. Redesigned pitch presentations for various products. Assisted in the facilitation of user testing. Mainly worked alongside IDEO alumni. Had the privilege to experience all of this while living in the delightfully eclectic neighborhood known as The Tenderloin. Show less

Graduate Teaching Assistant

• Jan 2015 - May 2015

Assisted in a freshman digital media course called Communication for Professional Practice. Graded assignments related to web design and development—including proper use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript—and provided feedback on design principles and efficient web development. Assisted in a freshman digital media course called Communication for Professional Practice. Graded assignments related to web design and development—including proper use of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript—and provided feedback on design principles and efficient web development.

Student Graphic Designer

• May 2014 - Aug 2014

Conceptualized, designed, and redesigned print and digital marketing materials for the university. Also captured and edited photographs to be used as stock imagery. Conceptualized, designed, and redesigned print and digital marketing materials for the university. Also captured and edited photographs to be used as stock imagery.

Designer

• Jul 2009 - Jul 2014

Daily duties largely entailed funny and/or sentimental Photoshopping of customers and their loved ones. Also stretched canvas and created custom prints, aided in portrait photography sessions, and displayed my own fine art pieces for sale in the storefront. Daily duties largely entailed funny and/or sentimental Photoshopping of customers and their loved ones. Also stretched canvas and created custom prints, aided in portrait photography sessions, and displayed my own fine art pieces for sale in the storefront.

Interaction Design Intern

• Jan 2014 - Apr 2014

Lived in an ice cream parlor turned motel turned rental hall. Lived in an ice cream parlor turned motel turned rental hall.

User Experience Design Intern

• May 2013 - Aug 2013

Digital Design Intern (II)

• Sep 2012 - Dec 2012

Digital Design Intern (I)

• Mar 2012 - Jun 2012

Partner

• Jun 2009 - Jun 2012

Achieved Partner status back when doing so was quite difficult. Series has been praised for its outlandish originality and has been featured on The Adult Swim UK Blog, iCrazyB****TV, The Bosco & Sodi Pop Show, and various other entities, and has garnered numerous YouTube ranking awards. Achieved Partner status back when doing so was quite difficult. Series has been praised for its outlandish originality and has been featured on The Adult Swim UK Blog, iCrazyB****TV, The Bosco & Sodi Pop Show, and various other entities, and has garnered numerous YouTube ranking awards.

Apprentice Artist

• Jun 2011 - Sep 2011

Helped paint the Newport History Mural, Van Gogh Van, and Warholian Marilyn Monroe Car. Helped paint the Newport History Mural, Van Gogh Van, and Warholian Marilyn Monroe Car.

Dishwasher

• May 2009 - Mar 2011

Earned a raise for experimenting with novel dish drying methods. Earned a raise for experimenting with novel dish drying methods.

Design & Photo Associate

• Sep 2009 - Sep 2009

Was offered a job after a few minutes of art- and design-centric conversation with the owners. Was offered a job after a few minutes of art- and design-centric conversation with the owners.

Food Service Worker

• Sep 2008 - Oct 2008

Learned various intricate skills in a fast-paced environment while learning to withstand the scorching weather while learning an accent which we were instructed to use at all times. Learned various intricate skills in a fast-paced environment while learning to withstand the scorching weather while learning an accent which we were instructed to use at all times.

Sandwich Maker

• Feb 2008 - May 2008

Honed my small talk skills, rapidly transitioning from introvert to ambivert in the process. Developed a lifelong passion for hearing and listening at the same time. Honed my small talk skills, rapidly transitioning from introvert to ambivert in the process. Developed a lifelong passion for hearing and listening at the same time.

Bagger

• Jul 2007 - Sep 2007

Bagged groceries, corralled carts, swept floors, and made customers smile whenever possible. Bagged groceries, corralled carts, swept floors, and made customers smile whenever possible.