• Working on a researched-backed redesign of the company website with a focus on improving web accessibility to meet WCAG AA standards

• Providing research and competitive analysis, wireframes, updated web copy, and finalized public website redesign

Mizaru is a start-up that provides communicative and navigational support to users with visual and/or hearing impairments and helps organizations find and manage disability support workers.

Key Deliverables:

• Completed UI redesign of client-facing mobile app with a focus on accessibility and brand cohesion

• Enhanced User Experience based on provided research and feedback from prominent stakeholders

• Vastly improved design operations using atomic design principles, component library, and auto-layout

• In-depth collaboration with fellow design interns to create consistent design systems

Challenges:

With only four weeks, I had to manage the expectations of the organization and founders with what would be realistic to complete in that time. As well, because much of the design work has been done by previous intern teams the existing files and designs often had lacking design operations and organization, making it difficult to immediately get to work without some time for orientation and reorganization.

Big Wins:

During my time with Mizaru, I was able to identify and fix some major accessibility issues in the UI of the mobile app design. As well, the UX of the app was updated following the input of a key stakeholder in the deafblind community which lead to some massive improvements in the overall experience for a large portion of the user base. When the internship was over and it was time to hand over my design files, I made sure that the design operations were clean and organized and I included in-depth notes for future teams to easily step in and take over the designs with (hopefully) minimal orientation time.

Takeaways:

Being able to clearly communicate your design rationale is extremely important. I was working on a team with other designers and regularly checking in with the co-founders of the company who did not have a design background. Being able to effectively communicate what I did and why made the entire experience much easier.

Seattle, WA | April 2021 - Oct 2022

Community Roots Housing (CRH) is a Public Development Authority in Seattle, WA that provides affordable housing in central Seattle. On top of working to provide below-market-rate housing, CRH also works to maintain the community in the neighborhoods in which they operate by recognizing and prioritizing the existing populace and protecting the personality and culture of each area.

Key Deliverables:

• Designed more intuitive information architecture in company data systems which lead to increased team efficiency

• Streamlined and reorganized financial processes of the foundation resulting in shorter reconciliation time and fewer errors upon audit

• Led and improved the effectiveness of volunteer coordination at the largest fundraising event of the year

Challenges:

The organization is large and data storage was complex. I wanted to help increase the overall efficiency of our org by restructuring how we saved and located important files. When working to redesign our data system, I had to work with many departments and teams to ensure that the system was intuitive and easy for them to understand.

Big Wins:

I was able to help move forward several large projects through my efforts to increase efficiency and organization. Through reorganizing and updating procedures, I was able to pass on a more effective system that is still used by many teams across the organization.

Takeaways:

Change can come from within. When making one change that improves a process, it can result in cascading effects that improve customers' overall experience.

Issaquah, WA | Sep 2020 - Mar 2021

Outdoor Sport Academy was a start-up business created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to offer non-traditional adventure sports to youth in a team setting. It was a first-of-it's-kind program focused on youth development, team building, and outdoor education. I helped the founder to create and run the trail running program.

Key Deliverables:

• Created and maintained communication and marketing strategies focused on partnership creation, selective advertising, and building clientele loyalty - resulting in a 20% increase in the sign-up rate

• Designed an innovative athletic program for a non-traditional sport serving over 50 athletes of varying ages

• Built a partnership network of connections including parents, the local community, and partner organizations

Challenges:

Everything we were doing was new - we had no organizations to look at and work off of. On top of creating a novel program, we were attempting to do so at the height of the COVID pandemic and had to balance creating a gathering space and maintaining safety precautions.

Big Wins:

We had over 50 youth athletes participate in the trail running program which was about three times what we expected to have in our first season of operation.

Takeaways:

This was my first time taking on any kind of Director role and my first time working at a start-up. While I was accustomed to wearing many hats, this was a great experience in learning to build something from the ground up and see it from end-to-end.

Seattle, WA | Aug 2019 - July 2020

The GPRF is a non-profit organization that seeks to make rowing accessible to all youth. Erg Ed, the program which I led, is a national youth development program focused on bringing rowing into the classroom and expanding access to the sport while building teamwork and other skills in students.

Key Deliverables:

• Overhauled and redesigned the scheduling system that served over 20 schools in Seattle and Renton, resulting in improved user experience for teachers, students, and school district staff

• Led & acted as moderator for conversations between junior staff and the foundation board to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion practices of the organization, leading to ongoing efforts to improve these areas

• Increased readership of monthly newsletters to national audiences through thoughtful design and content creation

Challenges:

While my main focus was supporting and running the Seattle area Erg Ed programs, I also managed Erg Ed teams in 16 cities across the United States. I had to balance working with my local team and checking in with other national teams to ensure the quality of the program was roughly the same everywhere. On top of these responsibilities, I also lead maintenance endeavors, created communications strategies, and taught in the classrooms.

Big Wins:

I was able to design an updated scheduling system for the local Erg Ed program and equipment that made the process vastly easier on all involved and would decrease the amount of time and effort needed to make the schedule. Previously the schedule could take a week or two to organize but my system made it a task that could be finished within a day.

Takeaways:

This was my first opportunity to lead a team in a business setting. It was a crash course in how to wear many different hats and stay organized when in charge of a variety of tasks. A large portion of my efforts were spent designing and improving the experience for our clients (schools) and users (students).