Ensuring equitable access in Unemployment Insurance systems.
Ensuring Equity & Access
As part of the American Rescue Plan, the U.S. Department of Labor made up to $200 million available in grants to support states with improving Unemployment Compensation systems and processes. As part of a multi-disciplinary team of experts, my role was to ensure equity and access for all potential claimants by conducting community outreach and interviews with state employees in Wyoming, New York, Georgia, and Maine to assess key needs in their systems. In addition to my research role, I served as illustrator for the Department of Labor’s Equitable Access Toolkit.
Redeveloping the Stitch Fix strategy.
Meeting user needs
By connecting insights gathered from research with business goals, I have worked to develop new strategies for companies such as Stitch Fix, an online subscription based service that curates fashion selections for women. My team sought to give users the ability to make fashion choices based on more than just their personal style. Users are given the opportunity to express their values during their experience, and have the clothing they receive reflect those values as they relate to environmental, social, and business responsibility.
EXAMPLE: in&with: Redefining the Stitch Fix User Experience
Empathy kit developed for classrooms as part of a strategy to improve relationships between refugees and host states.
Long term strategy
Designing successfully and sustainably requires long term thinking. By increasing the scope of a project's timeline, new questions arise that must be answered regarding how design decisions will affect people, resources, and systems. In answering these questions, designs are made more resilient and resonant.
EXAMPLE: This Place: An Empathy Toolkit
Collaborating with Lowe's Inc. to plan for future markets.
Innovating for the future
I have had the opportunity to collaborate with innovative companies such as Lowe's to envision the future of DIY projects. We reached out to end users to discover the needs of future markets and designed strategies for creating experiences that would engage them. By working with Lowe's Upskill team, we were able to get people excited about doing DIY projects together.
EXAMPLE: Upskill: Powered by Lowe's
Facilitating a workshop with the McDonald's corporate team.
Building Relationships
In 2015, I was fortunate enough to be part of a team of designers working with McDonald's to improve their relationships with their equipment vendors. By engaging the various stakeholders in a workshop with one another, we were able to co-create design solutions with them in line with their individual business goals.
EXAMPLE: McDonald's Corporate Innovation