Link to Detailed Case Study

About

Role: Lead UX Designer
‍Impact: Launched HMH Ed’s first homepage; strengthened the onboarding experience

Approach

Strategic facilitation: Partnered with senior leadership to co-define problems and reframe business goals into user-centric “How Might We” statements.
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Inclusive design process: Co-created journey maps, early wireframes , and exploratory artifacts with product managers to foster shared ownership and cross-functional alignment.

‍Evidence-driven decisions: Oversaw 5+ moderated user studies and multiple usability tests; surfaced user insights early to inform design decisions throughout.

Reflection

This project reinforced the importance of early alignment and continuous engagement. One critical learning was how to manage extensive documentation to keep 20+ stakeholders informed in about complex programs.

Final Product

As part of a company-wide push to become an integrated learning solution, I led the design strategy for a Global Navigation overhaul. Starting from our executive vision, I worked top-down to align our goals with real user and technical needs. I led a cross-functional group of 5 designers to audit our current IA, synthesize research, and shape the problem. We created north-star concepts to drive buy-in and are now collaborating with product and engineering to translate that vision into near-term, shippable outcomes.

Product vision is critical—but so is team health. I’ve facilitated retrospectives across both our UX org and cross-functional delivery teams, helping surface friction points, align on shared goals, and identify small, meaningful changes. I approach retros not just as ceremonies, but as moments for culture shaping and long-term alignment.

Through a professional development project, I developed and tested a lightweight design strategy framework. I started by building a data wall, mapping stakeholder influence, and identifying key tensions in our org. The central problem I uncovered: a fragmented vision leads to feature prioritization over holistic UX.
‍From this, I proposed two guiding principles:
1. Center JTBD when designing experiences—use experience-led roadmaps and prototypes to drive alignment
2. Turn our data advantage into an experience advantage—by integrating data storytelling throughout the UXI’m now piloting these principles in small ways with teams before proposing broader adoption.

At NWEA, I coordinated and co-facilitated Inclusive Practice, a grassroots, cross-functional group of 60+ employees working to create space for reflection and change around systemic exclusion in education and tech.
Each Thursday, we met to talk about identity, belonging, and the structures that shape our work. I maintained the Miro board, documented our sessions, and facilitated community-based agenda setting to decentralize ownership and avoid burnout. When the group’s creator (one of the only Black men in our org) began carrying too much of the burden, I stepped in to help shift power and build sustainable infrastructure.
This work has deeply shaped how I think about inclusion—not as a project or metric, but as a design principle that touches every decision.

Approach

Human-first, insight-driven: I lead or co-lead discovery efforts—ranging from guerrilla testing to co-creation sessions—with the goal of learning, not just validating. I partner closely with UXRs or independently run moderated and unmoderated studies to surface needs, pain points, and emotional context. I treat qualitative research as both an empathy tool and a strategic guide.

Listen... and then listen more

Inclusion starts with listening. I seek out voices not typically at the table and resist designing in isolation. Every edge case is someone else’s everyday.

Always learning, always unlearning

From Deque trainings to books like Mismatch, I'm proud to take on the responsibility of challenging my old assumptions and learning new things. "True" inclusion is a moving target.

Start from the edge

Accessibility is never an afterthought, I bake it in from lo-fi sketches to development handoffs. Designing with edge cases in mind surfaces otherwise overlooked opportunities early.

Cautious optimism

AI has transformative potential but it also demands thoughtfulness. I approach it with curiosity, tempered by ethics and context.

Ethics matter

When using AI, I ask: Whose labor am I benefiting from? Am I solving a real problem or adding noise? What are the environmental costs? Critical thinking is non-negotiable and a skill I strive to develop - even when it means taking a more difficult route.

Just one tool in the toolbox

AI isn’t a shortcut to better work, it’s an amplifier. Being trained off existing information means it isn't able to innovate or create original content in the same way humans can - but it does elevate my workflow.

Co-creation

Great strategy is built with—not for—others. I bring teams along through collaborative frameworks, not handoffs.

Rooted in research

My strategic recommendations are rooted in user research, behavioral data, and patterns that emerge over time—not just intuition.

Experimentation

I bring a product mindset to design: ship something small, learn fast, and evolve the vision over time. Prototypes and feedback loops > polished decks (though who doesn't love a good deck).