I'm a UX strategist who turns complex healthcare information into clear, actionable experiences that help people make better decisions about their health. I work at CommunicateHealth. We like plain language and straightforward company names.

In 1998, I made a website for a college class I took. I was hooked right away. After that, I continued to grow as a web professional, eventually focusing exclusively on digital design and user experience in 2011.

I've created websites, mobile applications, and online services that have served millions of people. In 2016, while working for Vermont.gov I designed and developed an award-winning Drupal CMS and design system that powers over 100 official government websites.

In 2017, I joined the team at CommunicateHealth, where — after a few promotions — I'm now a UX strategist. As the name implies, that's a strategic role, but I still spend a good amount of time on design production tasks.

At CommunicateHealth I've been fortunate to lead UX design for many high-impact and award-winning products. We are mission driven and work to improve lives by designing health information that's easy to understand and use. Here are a few of the things I've worked on — and I'm especially proud of:

• Increased traffic to HealthyPeople 2030 by over 100%, and made the information that's presented much easier to find, understand, and interpret.
• Created interactive decision aids that make a real difference in the lives of people with ALS and their caregivers.
• Led UX design for a virtual reality app that allows people to experience what it's like to have eye diseases that affect vision.
• Worked with — and for — veterans on a website that helps them figure out if they might have PTSD and what their next steps might be.
• Helped thousands of people live healthier lives as they learn about physical activity, or dietary guidelines and how to easily translate that knowledge into healthier choices.

I believe strongly that good product design needs to be accessible, inclusive, and empathetic. If your product falls short, adoption and usage won't be where you need them to be — and that will ultimately impact the bottom line. Finding out you missed the target after launch is way too late. To avoid that, I follow an equity-centered design process, which is similar to human-centered design, but focuses even more on these three concepts. The best way to achieve this is by talking directly to the people we design for.

Human-centered and research-driven design always reveals interesting and complex needs. I love the challenge this poses and embrace the uncertainty it brings. The work is never done, and neither is the learning, but that’s exactly why I love this job.

As CommunicateHealth winds down, and this chapter in my career comes to a close, I hope to continue down this path. Digital design has a real impact, so I want my work and the impact I make to be a positive one. I'm excited to join a strong team of smart, driven people who share this mission.

If you want to learn more about me, or about the things I care about, I'd love to tell you more. And if you are working on similar challenges, or towards a similar goal, please get in touch. Find me on LinkedIn, and send me a message.

Let's figure it out together!