CEO Whisperer Effeciency Expert Multidiciplanary Designer

Soup to Nuts / End to End / A to Z

With 13 years of experience, I help businesses like yours create intuitive, human-centered digital products that solve real-world problems and drive growth. Whether you’re navigating complex challenges or need a fresh perspective, I’ll transform dense information into clear, actionable solutions tailored to your needs. Let’s work together to deliver innovative results that make a real impact for your business.

Clients have included:

From Insights to Impact

CEO Whisperer: Strategic insights that drive leadership decisions.

  • The old CML: Every new search begins here.

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  • The old CML

    Search results page. Resuts were not ranked by relevance and the results returned were all entries related to search term or terms used.

  • Initial Assumption: Searching for records in CML is an iterative process

    Contemporary search behavior begins with a term or terms. If the the desired destination is not found then further approaches such as term modification or inclusion of boolean operators are employed. The process is repeated until the desired item is located.

  • Initial Assumption: Mobile users are the most underserved segment of users

    Making CML mobile was the catalyst for the redesign. Attorneys in the field were unable to access important client information during onsite sessions.

  • Initial Assumption: Searches begin and end with a single destination in mind.

    The truth is, CML use cases are vastly different from typical search engines. Searches are Multiple parameters are entered at once with the goal of finding tens or hundreds of records that fit the requirements es here

  • Breaking The First Assumption

    Backend engineers refined database architecture which boosted responsiveness and fetch times making a typeahead feature feasible for testing with a small cohort of attorneys. The old multi-field approach was exchanged for a consolidated omni-input

  • Breaking The First Assumption cont.

    The final version of the first release continued use of an omni-field search that could be invoked at any point in a search journey. User sentiment towards the revised search pattern was opposed to change, revisions were created and tested, after positive sentiment, planned changes were logged for the second version of the application. goes here

  • Breaking Assumption #2

    Access logs from the previous quarter were used to identify and categorize user groups. Lawyers were the smallest segment of all groups.

  • Refined Solutions: Breaking the Third Assumption

    CML users, as it turns out are power users who know how to find what they are looking for. To address their needs, multi-field search was returned to the search page

  • Big Picture: Powerful Search Tools Empower Power Users

    Robust refining and faceting tools were introduced to the search results page making it easy to cut down a million+ results down to a manageable sum of several hundred

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The Ask:
Ropes & Gray LLP’s leadership needed a seamless way to navigate trillions of stored documents across hundreds of attorneys globally—right from their cellphones. The goal? Streamline client access, boost efficiency, and maximize billable hours.

The Challenge:
This wasn’t just any tool—it was the backbone of a historic law firm. Client Matter Lookup (CML) captured every billable activity and served as the eyes, ears, and heart of the firm’s operations. Used by every employee, the system was overdue for a transformative overhaul to match modern demands.

What Sets Me Apart

I specialize in cutting through complexity to deliver clear, actionable results. For each project, I focus on the end goal, understanding the key stakeholders, and aligning the vision to ensure success. In this case, I worked directly with Ropes & Gray’s leadership to simplify a massive, global system into a mobile-first solution that drove efficiency and billable hours.

Why Hire Me?
When the stakes are high and the challenge feels overwhelming, I’m the one who makes sense of it all—ensuring that everyone, from executives to end-users, stays aligned on what matters. My process isn’t just about design; it’s about creating solutions that move the needle for your business, with a clear vision from the start and results you can measure.

Impact

  • By transforming complex data into clear insights, I improved financial reporting accuracy—leading to a 22% rise in partner hourly billing rates.

  • I redesigned critical internal tools to streamline decision-making, driving a 30% increase in firm-wide revenue over five years, with consistent 5% year-over-year growth.

  • My user-centered approach made CML Mobile an essential tool—boosting attorney engagement by 83% and significantly improving firm-wide efficiency.

  • By eliminating friction in the user experience, I reduced help desk tickets by 92%, cutting down costly troubleshooting and training time.

  • Working Teams

    • Applications Development

    • Client Intake Conflict Check

    • Desktop Engineering

    • Knowledge Management

    • Information Services

    Timeline

    • Mo. 0-3: Research, Infrastructure, Scope Refinement, Solution proposal & review

    • Mo. 3-6: Production, First Version Release

    • Mo. 6-18: Feedback Collection

    • Mo. 12-20: Research & Requirement Gathering, User Testing, Solution Proposal & Review,

    • Mo. 30: Second Release

    Deliverables: Research Insights, Review UI, Production UI, Developer Hand-off

    Inclusion: Global

    Use Context: Desktop & Mobile

    Technical Constraints

    • The application must function well on IE11

    • Data governance is a high priority. Data awareness is limited by AD group access.

    • Information security is a top priority. Systems and data must remain on premises. Open-source tools are outside of policy.

    • Desktop PCs use 19x19 square monitors. Content approved for mobile use is accessed using a secure third-party browser that uses 30% of available screen space.

    • All functions found in the desktop version of the application must also be present in the mobile web version.

    Challenges & Risks:

    • Competing platforms: users may prefer the other internally developed platforms or hesitate to switch to a new tool.

    • Skipping due diligence: the end product may be weighted to satisfy the needs of a small, but important segment of users while the needs of larger segments are not directly addressed.

    • Information security: some users knew how to bypass data compartmentalization or infer privileged information in the old system. Addressing known vulnerabilities is the top priority.

Built With

Efficiency Expert: Streamlining Processes for Maximum Impact

  • The same page from every iteration of IPP shows the application's gradual evolution. Major issues were resolved in the first and second versions. Further refinements, including the RGB design system, were introduced with later releases

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The Ask:

Leadership at the firm needed a reliable way to gather, analyze, and act on critical financial data submitted by law partners. The Individual Partner Plan (IPP) tool was intended to diagnose the financial health of the firm and shape market strategy—but it had to become intuitive and efficient to reduce frustration, encourage timely submissions, and support strategic decision-making.

The Challenge

The IPP tool was critical for diagnosing the firm’s financial health and shaping strategy, but it was a nightmare to use. Partners spent up to 10 hours on submissions, leading to delays, unreliable data, and lost trust between leadership and users. A decade of redesigns only introduced new issues, overwhelmed the help desk, and required mandatory training sessions—all while failing to fix the core problems.

How I Solved the Problem

By analyzing historical data and uncovering insights others overlooked, I identified a critical, unconsidered user group and bridged misaligned priorities among stakeholders.

I worked directly with leadership to align goals and rescope the project, delivering a future-proof solution that streamlined workflows and transformed outcomes. The results? Faster submissions, clearer data, eliminated training burdens, and dramatically reduced support tickets. I don’t just think outside the box—I deliver results that move the needle for your business.

Impact

  • I solved usability issues at the architecture and interface levels to create a stable platform. As a result, annual training costs dropped to the lowest levels in IPP’s history.

  • I future-proofed the redesign by tackling core usability issues and aligning design goals with the firm’s business priorities. Within the first 4 weeks of launch, help desk tickets dropped to just 2% of the previous year’s total.

  • Making the tool intuitive, late submissions dropped from 50% to just 2%, ensuring leadership had accurate, timely financial data, and driving a 30% increase in firm-wide revenue over five years, with consistent 5% year-over-year growth.

  • I redesigned forms to prioritize clear, quantitative data over time-consuming qualitative input. The result? Faster submissions, more actionable insights, and more billable hours for partners.

  • Working Teams

    * Applications Development

    * Knowledge Management

    * Information Services

    * Steering Committee

    * Policy Committee

    * Practice Developmen

    Timeline

    * Year one: v1 UI design and hand off

    * Year two: v2 UI design and hand off

    * Year three: RGB design system implemented, v3 UI design and hand off

    * Year five: Dynamic form components introduced

    Deliverables: Review & Production UI, Developer Hand-off & specs, Discussion grade documentation

    Inclusion: Domestic

    Use Context: Desktop

    Technical Constraints

    * At minimum, the application must function well on IE11

    * Systems and data must remain on the premises. No Open-source tools to be included in stack.

    * The process must automatically halt or time out after 8 hours of inactivity.

    * Every legal assistant must be able to perform work on behalf of any partner by way of impersonation.

    Risks

    * Hesitant or slow adoption with a fresh redesign after a decade of unpleasant experiences with past versions which were often counterintuitive.

    * Nonexistent or limited exposure to the largest segment of users due to partner availability being tightly managed.

    * The process and application are easily swayed by changes in leadership or strategy which could make developing a stable, future proof version difficult Review & Production UI, Developer Hand-off & specs

Built With

No Code, No Team, No Problem

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  • The same page from every iteration of IPP shows the application's gradual evolution. Major issues were resolved in the first and second versions. Further refinements, including the RGB design system, were introduced with later releases

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The Ask

With legacy retailers struggling to compete in the digital age, Skava set out to bridge the gap between brick-and-mortar customer service and seamless online experiences. The goal was to create scalable, white-label tools that empowered retailers to leverage their brand recognition and customer base in an increasingly digital market.

The Challenge

Retailers were slow to invest in technology, and their digital infrastructure lagged behind competitors. SkavaSTUDIO—a no-code marketing campaign manager—was meant to help non-technical teams build and manage online experiences. However, years of feature creep had muddied its core vision, making it cumbersome and unintuitive for users.

My Approach

I led the transformation of SkavaSTUDIO, realigning it with the needs of non-technical users while maintaining flexibility for advanced users. By evaluating industry-standard site builders, implementing common design patterns, and using progressive disclosure, I streamlined the experience—making it intuitive, nimble, and scalable. The result? A powerful, easy-to-use tool that supported retailers in creating dynamic online experiences without needing a development team.

Multidisciplinary Designer: Creative solutions for diverse challenges.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • Urban Cycling Hazard: Theft

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • Urban Cycling Hazard; Unsafe Roads

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • Bluetooth Beacon

    It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

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Behind the Design

My career in design began when I studied furniture design and manufacturing at California College of the Arts. There, I learned to balance function, form, and human needs —designing for the body before transitioning to designing for minds. That foundation taught me to think in multiple directions—lateral, tangential, and divergent—often drawing insights from seemingly unrelated fields to uncover new solutions.

Furniture design and UX require iterative problem-solving, research, prototyping, and material exploration—but the most valuable skill I carried over is real-time problem-solving. Some challenges can’t be predicted until you’re deep in the process, and when they surface, I quickly assess: What does the problem need? What do I already know? What do I need to learn? Then, I act.

Another key throughline in my work is tool-making. I built custom tools in furniture to solve fabrication challenges; while in UX, I design digital tools for professionals. Improvised workarounds tell a hidden story, which is why they are one of the first things I look for when interviewing users. Long-time users often have the best grasp of what works and what doesn’t, and by uncovering their makeshift solutions, I’m afforded a richness of understanding that helps me design something that fits their needs seamlessly.