User Experience Designer:

Data Corporation of America (DCCA), Columbia, Md                                                                                                                                10/2021 to Present

          

• UX design for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMCS) to design and develop modules for a new internal CMCS internal application (MACFin)

• Planning and facilitating user research interviews and contextual inquiries; analyzing and highlighting data in Dovetail to determine findings upon completion of the interviews

• Preparing research artifacts and presenting to the team and stakeholders including recommendations, journey maps, personas, etc

• Brainstorming and conceptualizing flow and functionality using sketches and wireframes

• Creating functional prototypes in Figma using an established design library of components and patterns

• Continually advocating for the users, and adhering to agency policy

• Constantly collaborating with the team (UX teammates, stakeholders, business analysts, developers)

• Maintaining an understanding of Section 508 and design requirements to meet accessibility regulation

 

   Some Kudos
!

• Leading an on-going effort to expand the StoryBook component/pattern library into a robust Design System.

• Created a journey map of MACFin user’s current journey and how it can be improved using research data. The users loved the journey map as did the client. (Viewable in my Portfolio)

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User Experience Specialist:

Peraton (formerly Northrop Grumman), Baltimore, Md                                                                                                                       10/2015 to 10/2021

     

• Conceptualize and design applications using UX techniques to meet agency, stakeholder and user needs for Social Security Administration (SSA) applications

• Collaborate with stakeholders and users to elicit business processes, business goals/need, and needs

• Plan and conduct user research: contextual inquiries and interviews with users to determine needs, pain points and goals

• Implement other research and create artifacts as needed (journey mapping, card sorting, affinity diagramming)

• Brainstorm and prepare conceptual models and wireframes using user research

• Create interactive screen prototypes in Axure using a design library of approved patterns and branding

• Plan and conduct usability testing; prepare recommendations based on testing outcomes

• Maintaining an understanding of Section 508 and design requirements to meet accessibility regulation

 

   Some Kudos!

• Lead UX Designer for a project that received an Honors Award from the SSA Deputy Commissioner of Systems for recognition of outstanding teamwork in creating, streamlining and transforming the modernized summary and detailed earnings web screens for over 40,000 front line employees to support claims

• Volunteered to assist in a company-wide technology symposium where I contributed to designed of a customer/user journey map that portrayed a vision of a users future journey with SSA

• Volunteer and communications co-chair of the Baltimore Northrop Grumman Women's International Network

 

Web Designer & Business Analyst:

Fidelity & Guaranty Life, Baltimore, Md                                                                                                                                                           11/2005 to 10/2015

       

• Web Design/Front-End Developer Responsibilities

  • Built conceptual models, mock-ups, wireframes and prototypes from requirements

  • Design and aesthetics of web pages and applications using web and design knowledge

  • Responsible for website front-end development and updates using HTML, CSS, & JavaScript

• Business Analyst Responsibilities


  •   Collaborated with stakeholders and users to determine business goals, user needs, and requirements


  • Defined solutions using research, stakeholder discussions, needs analysis, personas, user stories and use cases

  • Created wireframes and mock-ups as needed using requirements 
 
 

 

          Some Kudos!

• Defined use cases for redesign of an agent portal homepage: created wireframes for multiple use cases; captured requirements; created guidelines for visual appearance and branding. The use cases identified functionality that developers may have missed, which would have caused delays in the project launch. 


• Collaborated with stakeholders to define requirements and content for an Investors microsite; transformed requirements into prototypes; worked with outside vendors and in-house developers to implement functionality in time for a site launch within 3-months.

                  

Web Designer/Creative Director/Co-Owner:

New Village Media, Columbia, Md                                                                                                                                                                       10/1996 to 11/2005

            

• Designer and team lead for small web design firm for mostly non-profit clients and organizations

• Worked with clients to determine needs, create information architecture, site flows, and design mock-ups


• Designed and developed websites in HTML/CSS, etc., from determined requirements and client needs

• Lead designer for Disaster News Network for Village Life, a sister nonprofit organization to NVM

• Produced and edited podcasts; designed print materials such as brochures and letterhead

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Production Manager & Graphic Designer:

Communications Office of The United Methodist Church (UMC)                                                                                                  05/1991 to 10/1996

           

• Layout and design of a bi-monthly, newspaper, a full-color magazine, brochures, and journals for the national "business"
  office of the UMC

• Served as interim editor for several months