Resume

Work

18F

Senior User Experience Designer // June 2020 – Present

• UX Design, research, and strategy on cross-functional teams across eleven projects for nine federal agency partners
• Designed workflows and wrote usability tests for IRS Direct File, which helped 140,000 taxpayers file for free in 2024
• Led UX strategy, research, and front-end prototyping to improve the experience of applying for U.S. Forest Service Special Use Permits
• Interviewed over 100 judges, clerks, and technical staff at the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, ultimately recommending an agile path forward on their internal docketing system
• Co-led the TTS Research Guild for 18 months, facilitating a collaborative and educational space for colleagues to learn about new methods and develop their skills

NASA Ames

User Experience Designer // June 2015 – May 2020

• Led design and research on DEx, a tool for SLS engineers, saving them 15 days per review
• Led an effort between design and development to create a new design system
• Led an effort to improve the accessibility of NASA’s Mission Assurance System
• User research, usability testing, information architecture, and interface design supporting human spaceflight missions

Underwriters Laboratories

User Experience Designer // May 2014 – May 2015

• Research, usability testing, and interaction design for product safety tracking tools
• Led the creation of a new user experience design practice at a 100+ year old corporation

Fino Consulting

User Experience Designer // August 2013 – May 2014

• Design and research for mobile applications in energy pricing and education
• Championed user-centered design methods at a small, engineering-focused consultancy

Education

Carnegie Mellon University

Master of Human-Computer Interaction // August 2013

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Bachelor of Arts in Sociology // May 2012

Awards

• Innovation of the Year for IRS Direct File, FedScoop 50, 2024
• CX Award, IRS Direct File, GSA, 2024

Speaking

BayCHI

How Data Drives Design at NASA // November 2018

There's a lot of paperwork to go to space! Building tools to help the folks "behind the scenes" at NASA takes a deep understanding of their complex worlds. I joined two of my colleagues, Kristle McCracken and Liz Wagstaff, to discuss how we used qualitative data to support NASA's Space Launch System program and how we introduced a new set of stakeholders to user-centered design.

I also delivered versions of this talk at Code for America Summit in San Jose, and at a UX meetup at Justinmind.

Skills