Experienced UX Leader | Driving Innovation Through Collaborative Design

Over the past two decades, I've had the privilege of guiding teams to create design solutions that truly resonate with users. From brainstorming early concepts to launching successful campaigns, I've seen firsthand the power of a well-designed experience. My passion lies in building digital experiences that not only meet but exceed expectations, and I'm always seeking new ways to push the boundaries of what's possible. 

As Vice President of UX Design at MSCI, I currently lead the design strategy for the Total Plan product, a cloud-based SaaS solution used by institutional investors managing over $1.7 trillion in assets. Total Plan was originally called Caissa prior to its acquisition by MSCI. At Caissa, I had the opportunity to build a User Experience stream ground up, define processes, shape product roadmap and introduce a user-centered, data-driven design approach. In a startup environment where product design was handled directly from paper napkin sketches to devs, I was able to introduce a LEAN UX design process co-creating highly usable design solutions for rather complex flows, closely working with product, engineering and leadership teams. 

A Diverse Background, Experienced Leader

My career spans a variety of design disciplines, including graphic design, advertising, package design, and digital design. This diverse experience equips me with a unique perspective that allows me to guide visually compelling and intuitive user interfaces.

With 16 years of experience in Marketing Communications at a global financial firm, I've honed my leadership skills and developed a passion for mentoring and coaching. I've taught UX and UI design principles to both seasoned professionals and aspiring designers, guiding projects, providing portfolio advice, and inspiring team members to reach their full potential.

Research Driven Product Design

As a UX leader, I prioritize deep user understanding as the cornerstone of successful product design. To achieve this, I employ a flexible research approach, leveraging a variety of methods including user interviews, surveys and usability testing.

I believe in adapting my research strategy to the resources available. When direct user access is limited, I may turn to internal teams like client servicing or relationship management for insights. Additionally, industry knowledge and expertise can provide valuable starting points. My unwavering goal is to comprehensively understand our users, and I'm always exploring new avenues to achieve this objective.

Continuous Validation for User-Centric Excellence

Once we have a solid understanding of our users, I employ a continuous validation process to ensure that our designs are effective, user-friendly, and aligned with business objectives.To validate the effectiveness of our designs, I employ a comprehensive suite of methodologies including usability testing, heatmaps, user interviews, focus groups, A/B testing, analytics, and user feedback. By analyzing these data points, I am able to ensure that our designs meet high usability standards, align with user expectations, and contribute to our business objectives. This validation process also serves as an opportunity to identify friction points, gaps, or areas for improvement, allowing us to refine our designs and continuously move closer to a truly user-centric product.