My Process
An experienced approach to design thinking
Approach
Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that no two design projects are alike. Each comes with its own mix of goals, stakeholders, constraints, and opportunities. Because of this, I don’t believe in a rigid, one-size-fits-all process. Instead, I lean on principles that have guided me since moving from graphic design into product design ten years ago: curiosity, adaptability, and a focus on people.
I often draw inspiration from the Double Diamond framework. The spirit of the model, diverging to explore and converging to focus, maps well to the way I like to work. It allows space for research, testing, and iteration, while still keeping projects grounded in measurable business outcomes. Over time, I’ve developed my own rhythm for approaching different types of design work, one that compliments the nuances of each project type.
Product & UX Design
When I take on a new product or UX challenge, I start by clarifying the problem space. For product-focused projects, business goals are often already defined, which means I spend less time on early discovery research and more time collaborating with cross-functional partners to shape solutions. In these cases, I prioritize usability testing, stakeholder feedback, and continuous iteration on live experiences.
For more traditional UX projects, I start from a working hypothesis about user needs, then invest more heavily in discovery research including interviews, demographic analysis, and understanding the broader ecosystem. Grounding design decisions in real-world context creates better user experiences and also gives stakeholders confidence in the design direction.
Throughout either process, I leverage my background in UX writing and research—contributing not just to wireframes and prototypes, but to the language that drives user flows and interactions.
Design Systems
Design systems have become the part of my work I’m most passionate about and where my experience in branding, art direction, and web design merges. Unlike single-product projects, they aren’t just about solving for one user journey, they’re about scaling solutions across an entire organization.
When approaching a design system, I begin with an audit. This means reviewing what’s already in use, how consistently patterns are applied, and where pain points exist for designers and engineers. I also study competitive systems to benchmark against common conventions and industry standards.
From there, my process varies depending on what the organization needs. Sometimes the goal is to evolve an existing system that has grown inconsistent or unwieldy. Other times it’s about creating a system from scratch, focusing on foundations like typography, color, spacing, and accessibility. In both cases, I prioritize usability for internal teams and consider collaborative adoption strategies as well as documentation.
My experience has taught me that systems should not just enforce consistency but also enable creativity. They should make design work faster and more reliable while still allowing for brand expression and flexibility. Striking that balance is one of the most rewarding parts of systems design.
Flexibility at the Core
Whether I’m working on a design system or a product feature, my process is rooted in adaptability. Growing up as a military brat, I learned early how to pivot, adapt, and thrive in changing environments. That same mindset serves me well in design—projects shift, priorities change, and technologies evolve.
For me, the process isn’t about following steps in a strict order. It’s about asking the right questions at the right time, staying curious about users, and collaborating across teams to create solutions that work. Sometimes that means digging deep into user research. Other times it means jumping straight into prototyping and iteration. And often, it means finding a balance between structure and flexibility.
At the end of the day, my process is about more than deliverables. It’s about creating thoughtful, scalable, and user-centered solutions that not only solve today’s problems but also prepare teams for what’s next.
My Process
An experienced approach to design thinking
Approach
Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that no two design projects are alike. Each comes with its own mix of goals, stakeholders, constraints, and opportunities. Because of this, I don’t believe in a rigid, one-size-fits-all process. Instead, I lean on principles that have guided me since moving from graphic design into product design ten years ago: curiosity, adaptability, and a focus on people.
I often draw inspiration from the Double Diamond framework. The spirit of the model, diverging to explore and converging to focus, maps well to the way I like to work. It allows space for research, testing, and iteration, while still keeping projects grounded in measurable business outcomes. Over time, I’ve developed my own rhythm for approaching different types of design work, one that compliments the nuances of each project type.
Product & UX Design
When I take on a new product or UX challenge, I start by clarifying the problem space. For product-focused projects, business goals are often already defined, which means I spend less time on early discovery research and more time collaborating with cross-functional partners to shape solutions. In these cases, I prioritize usability testing, stakeholder feedback, and continuous iteration on live experiences.
For more traditional UX projects, I start from a working hypothesis about user needs, then invest more heavily in discovery research including interviews, demographic analysis, and understanding the broader ecosystem. Grounding design decisions in real-world context creates better user experiences and also gives stakeholders confidence in the design direction.
Throughout either process, I leverage my background in UX writing and research—contributing not just to wireframes and prototypes, but to the language that drives user flows and interactions.
Design Systems
Design systems have become the part of my work I’m most passionate about and where my experience in branding, art direction, and web design merges. Unlike single-product projects, they aren’t just about solving for one user journey, they’re about scaling solutions across an entire organization.
When approaching a design system, I begin with an audit. This means reviewing what’s already in use, how consistently patterns are applied, and where pain points exist for designers and engineers. I also study competitive systems to benchmark against common conventions and industry standards.
From there, my process varies depending on what the organization needs. Sometimes the goal is to evolve an existing system that has grown inconsistent or unwieldy. Other times it’s about creating a system from scratch, focusing on foundations like typography, color, spacing, and accessibility. In both cases, I prioritize usability for internal teams and consider collaborative adoption strategies as well as documentation.
My experience has taught me that systems should not just enforce consistency but also enable creativity. They should make design work faster and more reliable while still allowing for brand expression and flexibility. Striking that balance is one of the most rewarding parts of systems design.
Flexibility at the Core
Whether I’m working on a design system or a product feature, my process is rooted in adaptability. Growing up as a military brat, I learned early how to pivot, adapt, and thrive in changing environments. That same mindset serves me well in design—projects shift, priorities change, and technologies evolve.
For me, the process isn’t about following steps in a strict order. It’s about asking the right questions at the right time, staying curious about users, and collaborating across teams to create solutions that work. Sometimes that means digging deep into user research. Other times it means jumping straight into prototyping and iteration. And often, it means finding a balance between structure and flexibility.
At the end of the day, my process is about more than deliverables. It’s about creating thoughtful, scalable, and user-centered solutions that not only solve today’s problems but also prepare teams for what’s next.
My Process
An experienced approach to design thinking
Approach
Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that no two design projects are alike. Each comes with its own mix of goals, stakeholders, constraints, and opportunities. Because of this, I don’t believe in a rigid, one-size-fits-all process. Instead, I lean on principles that have guided me since moving from graphic design into product design ten years ago: curiosity, adaptability, and a focus on people.
I often draw inspiration from the Double Diamond framework. The spirit of the model, diverging to explore and converging to focus, maps well to the way I like to work. It allows space for research, testing, and iteration, while still keeping projects grounded in measurable business outcomes. Over time, I’ve developed my own rhythm for approaching different types of design work, one that compliments the nuances of each project type.
Product & UX Design
When I take on a new product or UX challenge, I start by clarifying the problem space. For product-focused projects, business goals are often already defined, which means I spend less time on early discovery research and more time collaborating with cross-functional partners to shape solutions. In these cases, I prioritize usability testing, stakeholder feedback, and continuous iteration on live experiences.
For more traditional UX projects, I start from a working hypothesis about user needs, then invest more heavily in discovery research including interviews, demographic analysis, and understanding the broader ecosystem. Grounding design decisions in real-world context creates better user experiences and also gives stakeholders confidence in the design direction.
Throughout either process, I leverage my background in UX writing and research—contributing not just to wireframes and prototypes, but to the language that drives user flows and interactions.
Design Systems
Design systems have become the part of my work I’m most passionate about and where my experience in branding, art direction, and web design merges. Unlike single-product projects, they aren’t just about solving for one user journey, they’re about scaling solutions across an entire organization.
When approaching a design system, I begin with an audit. This means reviewing what’s already in use, how consistently patterns are applied, and where pain points exist for designers and engineers. I also study competitive systems to benchmark against common conventions and industry standards.
From there, my process varies depending on what the organization needs. Sometimes the goal is to evolve an existing system that has grown inconsistent or unwieldy. Other times it’s about creating a system from scratch, focusing on foundations like typography, color, spacing, and accessibility. In both cases, I prioritize usability for internal teams and consider collaborative adoption strategies as well as documentation.
My experience has taught me that systems should not just enforce consistency but also enable creativity. They should make design work faster and more reliable while still allowing for brand expression and flexibility. Striking that balance is one of the most rewarding parts of systems design.
Flexibility at the Core
Whether I’m working on a design system or a product feature, my process is rooted in adaptability. Growing up as a military brat, I learned early how to pivot, adapt, and thrive in changing environments. That same mindset serves me well in design—projects shift, priorities change, and technologies evolve.
For me, the process isn’t about following steps in a strict order. It’s about asking the right questions at the right time, staying curious about users, and collaborating across teams to create solutions that work. Sometimes that means digging deep into user research. Other times it means jumping straight into prototyping and iteration. And often, it means finding a balance between structure and flexibility.
At the end of the day, my process is about more than deliverables. It’s about creating thoughtful, scalable, and user-centered solutions that not only solve today’s problems but also prepare teams for what’s next.