About Sarah
Hello! I'm a UX Designer passionate about creating meaningful digital experiences that make people's lives better.
With 8+ years of experience in UX design, I've helped startups and Fortune 500 companies create products that users love. My background in cognitive psychology gives me unique insights into user behavior, decision-making, and motivation.
Experience
Principal UX Designer @ Microsoft
2022 - Present | Redmond, WA (Remote)
- Leading design for Microsoft Teams mobile experience (300M+ users)
- Driving accessibility initiatives across the organization
- Established design ops practices that reduced design-to-development time by 40%
- Mentoring 12 designers across 3 product teams
- Key achievement: Redesigned Teams mobile onboarding, increasing activation rate by 35%
Senior UX Designer @ Airbnb
2020 - 2022 | San Francisco, CA
- Designed host tools that increased listing quality scores by 28%
- Led design for Airbnb Experiences mobile app from concept to launch
- Conducted global user research in 8 countries
- Built and maintained design system used by 50+ designers
- Key achievement: Designed accessibility features adopted by 2M+ hosts
UX Designer @ Spotify
2018 - 2020 | New York, NY
- Designed podcast discovery features increasing engagement by 45%
- Created personalization algorithms UI for Discover Weekly
- Led design sprints for new feature exploration
- Collaborated with data scientists on recommendation systems
- Key achievement: Designed "Your Daily Podcasts" feature with 10M+ daily users
Product Designer @ Robinhood
2016 - 2018 | Menlo Park, CA
- Designed onboarding flow for first-time investors
- Created educational content integrated into trading experience
- Simplified complex financial concepts through intuitive UI
- A/B tested features that increased conversions by 60%
- Key achievement: Designed fractional shares feature enabling $1 investments
Skills & Expertise
Design Skills
- Strategy: Design thinking, Service design, Systems thinking
- Research: Qualitative & quantitative methods, Usability testing, Journey mapping
- Interaction: Prototyping, Motion design, Micro-interactions
- Visual: Typography, Color theory, Iconography, Illustration
- Leadership: Team management, Stakeholder communication, Design critique
Tools & Technologies
- Design: Figma, Framer, Principle, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite
- Prototyping: Framer, ProtoPie, Origami Studio, InVision
- Research: Maze, UserTesting, Lookback, Dovetail, Miro
- Development: HTML/CSS, React basics, Swift UI basics
- Analytics: Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude, Hotjar
Education & Certifications
M.S. Human-Computer Interaction
Carnegie Mellon University | 2014-2016
- Thesis: "Designing for Trust in Peer-to-Peer Marketplaces"
- GPA: 3.9/4.0
- Teaching Assistant for Interaction Design Studio
B.A. Cognitive Psychology
University of California, Berkeley | 2010-2014
- Minor: Computer Science
- Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
- Research: Visual perception in HCI lab
Certifications
- Google UX Design Certificate (2023)
- IDEO Design Thinking Practitioner (2022)
- Nielsen Norman Group UX Certification (2021)
- Certified Usability Analyst (CUA) (2020)
Speaking & Writing
Conference Talks
- Config 2023: "Designing at Scale: Systems Thinking for Product Teams"
- IXDA 2023: "The Future of Accessible Design"
- UX Week 2022: "Building Empathy Through Global User Research"
- Design + Research 2022: "Quantifying the Value of Design"
Publications
- "Inclusive Design Patterns" - A List Apart (2023)
- "The Psychology of User Trust" - UX Magazine (2022)
- "Design Systems That Scale" - Smashing Magazine (2022)
- "Remote Research Methods" - UX Collective (2021)
Awards & Recognition
- Fast Company Innovation by Design Award (2023)
- Webby Award for Best Mobile Experience - Microsoft Teams (2023)
- IXDA Interaction Award - Airbnb Experiences (2022)
- Design Excellence Award - Spotify Podcasts (2020)
Personal Projects
Mentor Match
Created a platform connecting aspiring designers with mentors
- 2,000+ successful mentor matches
- Featured in Designer News
Accessibility Toolkit
Open-source Figma plugin for accessibility testing
- 50k+ downloads
- Used by Google, Meta, and Amazon teams
Values & Philosophy
Design Principles
- Empathy First: Understanding users deeply before designing solutions
- Inclusive by Default: Designing for the margins brings better experiences for all
- Data-Informed, Not Data-Driven: Balancing quantitative insights with qualitative understanding
- Iterate Fearlessly: Embracing failure as a path to innovation
- Collaborate Openly: The best solutions come from diverse perspectives
What Drives Me
I believe design has the power to solve complex human problems and create more equitable experiences. Every pixel, every interaction, every decision should serve a purpose and respect the user's time, attention, and dignity.
Outside of Work
Hobbies & Interests
- Photography: Featured in National Geographic Your Shot
- Rock Climbing: Completed El Capitan in Yosemite
- Coffee: Certified Q Grader (coffee sommelier)
- Travel: Visited 47 countries, conducted design research in 15
- Volunteering: Teaching design at underserved high schools
Currently Learning
- Spanish (B2 level)
- SwiftUI for design prototyping
- Machine Learning fundamentals
- Ceramic pottery
Let's Connect!
I'm always excited to meet fellow designers, researchers, and anyone passionate about creating better user experiences. Whether you want to collaborate on a project, need design mentorship, or just want to chat about design over coffee, I'd love to hear from you.