Better Design, Better Lives: Lucy's Journey

Living with constant fear is something that no 14-year-old should have to go through.

But for Lucy, it was just one part of the burden she had to bear.

Despite her cheerful personality, the pain from the tumor and the way people stared at her started to affect her.

In 2021, Lucy started experiencing severe tooth pain.

Eventually, the tooth fell out, but the pain didn't go away. Soon, a swelling appeared and turned into a tumor on her right cheek.

Without surgery, the tumor would keep growing until Lucy couldn't breathe anymore.

Living in Sierra Leone, Lucy and her family faced a difficult situation. They didn't have access to a hospital that could remove Lucy's tumor, leaving them without hope for her healing. However, their situation took a positive turn when they received news about an organization that used special hospital ships to help children in need.

Lucy and her mother were thrilled by this news and wasted no time in registering Lucy for surgery. On the day of the operation, they arrived at the ship early, filled with anticipation for the life-changing procedure. The surgery was quite extensive, lasting five hours and involving a team of four surgeons and scrub nurses.

But in the end, it was a success!

Lucy now confidently interacts with people, makes friends, and even helps others. With her newfound confidence, Lucy is embracing her future with open arms.

Lucy expressed how much the surgery has changed her life. She used to feel ashamed because of the tumor, but now she feels good and proud of herself.

It's important to note that Lucy's healing wouldn't have been possible without access to surgery through Mercy Ships. And her access was made possible in part by the impact my clients and I have through our work together.

So, while the focus is on better design, together with my clients, we are truly changing lives and shaping futures.

Do I share this to brag? Nope. It’s not about me. It’s about inspiring others to act on injustice, practice generosity, and improve people’s lives.

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My flexible pricing model

Working with traditional freelancer/agency pricing can get complicated. My pricing model is simpler.

Simply hire me by the month at a fixed cost starting at $3k.

Need to pause the work? That’s fine. Since there aren’t any long-term contracts, we can pick things up later when the time is right.

Schedule a consultation call to discuss my other rate tiers, go over any questions you have, and walk through the next steps.

A little about me

My Niche

As a Product Design Lead, I specialize in unraveling UX to provide an unmatched UI with hands-on design for companies around the globe.

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My purpose

Everything I do is centered around helping people live fuller lives — a driver for what gets me up each morning. That can take many shapes, such as pro-bono work for non-profits, mentoring other designers, or designing life-changing products.

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Life-altering moment:

In 2016, I suffered a life-altering traumatic brain injury and lost my ability to do much of anything. Without the ability to fully comprehend language, living with constant vertigo and depression, and the loss of my creative problem-solving skills — my life was turned upside down.

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Fast-forward to today. I consider myself one of the lucky few who fully recovered from something like that.

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My superpowers

Simplifying the complex, pinpointing a person's hidden pain, and breathing new life into outdated UIs.

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Some facts:

I live in Portland, Oregon, once had a 30-person design agency for over a decade, launched my own SaaS products, and am raising 3 boys (the latter being the hardest but most rewarding!).

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Next steps & process

Once a pricing tier has been selected, we’ll coordinate a start date. What I do next is dependent on your needs:

Create a product from the ground up

I’ll start with deep research into your industry, including investigating what competitors are doing well or not. 

After synthesizing those findings, I will create a flow diagram, mapping every step of the customer journey. 

From there, I focus on wireframing every core screen of the experience. 

After collaborating to refine the UX, I move into UI designs, where I visually bring the product to life.

Often, creating a Design System at this stage is essential. If needed, I also create interactive prototypes for user testing and feedback. 

Once we’re happy with the design direction, I’ll finish designing as many screens as we need for a successful developer hand-off.

Revitalize or iterate an existing product

I’ll start with deep research into your product, including investigating what competitors are doing well or not. 

After synthesizing those findings, I will create a flow diagram, mapping every step of the customer journey. 

From there, I focus on wireframing every core screen of the experience. 

After collaborating to refine the UX, I move into UI designs, where I visually bring the product to life.

Often, creating a Design System at this stage is essential. If needed, I also create interactive prototypes for user testing and feedback. 

Once we’re happy with the design direction, I’ll finish designing as many screens as we need for a successful developer hand-off.

Audit an existing product

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