My Core Skillset.

  • I believe that research is the most fundamental part of any design process. By fusing my natural curiosity with a diverse range of methodologies - both systematic and ethnographic - I am adept at distilling large amounts of data in intuitive and engaging ways.

    My research skills include:

    Quantitative and Qualitative Research Analysis, Ethnographies, Interviews, Focus Groups, Surveys, Observations, Participatory Action Research (PAR)

    I like to synthesize information using:

    Mind Maps, Affinity Maps, Personas, Empathy Maps, Journey Mapping, Data Visualizations and Dashboards, Point of View (POV), Video Storytelling

  • I am a holistic and adaptable strategist, with a deep understanding of today’s rapidly shifting business landscape. I am dedicated to using Triple Bottom Line by Design (+Culture) principles to help organizations make informed, data-driven, and future-thinking decisions to drive growth and increase competitiveness.

    I am proficient in:

    Project Management, SMART Goal Setting, Porter’s 5 Forces, Value Chain Analysis, Competitor Analysis, STEEPLED Analysis, SWOT Analysis, PEST Analysis, McKinsey 7S Model, TBLD+C, Jobs to Be Done, Ansoff Matrix

    I’ve developed strategies to guide:

    Product Development, Workplace and Organizational Culture (employee engagement, DEI, internal communications) , Public Education Campaigns, Digital Marketing, Fundraising

  • As a designer, I am driven by a desire to co-create innovative, accessible, and impactful solutions that inspire and empower others.

    My design kit includes:

    • Ideation methods (rapid brainstorming, starburst method, SCAMPER, affinity mapping, mind mapping, storyboarding)

    • Prototyping (low-fidelity prototypes, wireframes, storyboards, interactive high-fidelity prototypes)

    • User Testing (surveys, interviews, analytics)

    I am proficient in:

    • Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, XD, Acrobat and Photoshop

    • Figma

    • Miro

    • Data Visualization Tools (PowerBI, Tableau, Excel)

    I’ve designed:

    • Websites, app interfaces, conceptual products, services, business models, curriculum, workshops, workplace programs, frameworks, presentation materials, digital content.

Projects Overview.

A brief look into academic projects that represent aspects of my core skillset.

Pratt Institute 2020 - 2022

Dandelion

Designing a digital donor ecosystem to promote and engage the next generation of Arts and Culture philanthropists in NYC.

My Contributions:

Research lead and analyst, focus group design and facilitation, business model design, marketing plan and advertising strategy.

Methods and Tools Used:

  • Qualitative and Quantitative Secondary Research Analysis

  • Ethnographic Research

  • Focus Group Facilitation

  • Survey

  • Interviews

  • Mind Map

  • Affinity Diagram

  • User Journey Map

Strategic Frameworks Used:

  • STEEPLED

  • TBLD+C (Triple Bottom Line by Design + Culture)

  • 3C’s (Culture, Community, Commerce)

4D Design Process Overview.

    • Spent 6+ months developing SME on the sector and industry landscape.

    • Led co-creative/immersive discovery sessions to generate ideas, map research, and gather insights

    • Identified problem statement and proposed opportunity

    • Determined research methodology and data collection plan

    • Utilized ethnographic (focus groups, surveys, interviews) and secondary research (industry and sector data)

    • Engaged with key industry and community stakeholders

    • Developed hypothesis/thesis question as the basis for our design

    • Synthesized research and identified key insights

    • Utilized ideation methods to brainstorm potential solutions

    • Developed low-fidelity prototypes using the human-centered design process

    • Utilized additional user research and testing

    • Defined target audiences

    • Designed Business Model and Media Strategy

    • Delivered a high-fidelity prototype of a digital donation and engagement ecosystem, accompanying business strategy, and implementation timeline.

    • Used video storytelling to deliver a compelling narrative to our audiences.

Project Details.

  • This project is a culmination of a year-long capstone research thesis and strategic design proposal for my Master’s Degree in Strategic Innovation and Design Management. Our team’s mission was to work on behalf of Arts and Culture Advocacy groups to inspire, engage, and mobilize individual donors to increase sub-sector relevance and impact in and around New York City.

  • Through our initial discovery research, the overarching problem we identified was the decline in individual donor funding for arts and cultural non-profit organizations, particularly among younger generations of GenZ and Millennials. We sought to understand the disconnect between organizations and potential donors from these demographics— the same donors who are seeking ethical, relevant, and impactful organizations to support.

  • To answer this question, the design team utilized ethnographic and secondary research methods to uncover emerging trends and patterns associated with philanthropic donations by Millennial and GenZ demographics. We also sought to assess whether current fundraising practices of arts and cultural non-profit organizations effectively reach these audiences and align with identified demographic and psychographic trends. Thus, our research aimed to understand the habits, behaviors, and attitudes of GenZ and Millennials towards giving to non-profit organizations, their motivations and barriers for donating money, and their preferences for supporting causes and donating money.

  • The findings from our research indicated that individual donations to arts and cultural non-profit organizations have declined while funding to other causes has increased. The core issues faced by these organizations in accessing these demographics and cultivating donor relationships revolved around values misalignment and outdated methodologies for finding, converting, and engaging with donors. We also discovered that many of these organizations struggled to demonstrate their social and/or environmental impact, which was a major factor of continuous engagement among our target audiences.

    ____

    To address these issues, our team utilized the human-centered design process to ideate and prototype a digital donor ecosystem that aimed to help arts and cultural nonprofits communicate and display their purpose and impact, foster connections with and among new audiences, and to facilitate informed, user-friendly, and tech-savvy donation processes.

Video Summary.

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Enviroleap.

Delivering a strategic design brief to emerging food industry leaders on future prosperity in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) world.

Methods and Tools Used:

  • Quantitative and Qualitative Research Analysis

  • Affinity Map

  • STEEPLE Analysis

  • Competitor and Industry Analysis

  • Video Storytelling

Background.

The impacts of climate change and industrialization have brought significant disruption to the food and agricultural industry, leading to increased uncertainty and risk for all of its stakeholders.

The industry has long relied on practices that are not only damaging to the environment, but no longer resonate with the new wave of conscious and ethical consumers.

Finding regenerative solutions to these complex challenges requires shifting from "business-as-usual" towards whole systems thinking.

To establish the client as a pioneer of the food and agricultural industry, I researched and developed a detailed design brief on how systems thinking and regenerative design can turn a barrier into a new frontier and shape a more resilient future.

Process Overview.

  • Based on the insights gathered, developed a top-line strategic brief on how systems thinking and regenerative design can turn a barrier into a new frontier and shape a more sustainable and anti-fragile future. Identified and presented upon various frameworks to assist emerging leaders in the process.

  • Synthesized discovery research findings, and developed key insights on how the identified challenges could disrupt "business as usual" to help leaders define where and how best to pivot practice.

  • Conducted thorough research of current food and agricultural industry standards and practices with the goal of identifying mega challenges, risks, and opportunities for emerging food industry leaders.

  • Engaged with various sustainable food industry stakeholders to better understand and validate identified challenges, and gathered ideas and insights for potential solutions.

Video Summary.

 2.