projects
I have worked on a wide variety of digital products and services. Expertise includes user experience research and design, deep customer inights research and sensemaking, art direction, UI design and some front end development.
• Master’s level practice in innovative research methods, strategy development, business model innovation, leadership innovation and foresight techniques.
• Extensive creative leadership in UX and UI design, art direction, design thinking, digital strategy and digital content development
• Advanced professional knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite and web development technologies (HTML, CSS, Dreamweaver, Flash)
• Leadership experience, facilitator, mentor and manager of junior designers and freelancers.
design is
I have always loved to make things. Working with my hands is an essential part of what makes me whole. From web design, strategy and identity projects to textile work, knitting and upholstery, all of my projects work together to challenge me to think holistically, plan several steps ahead and keep focus.
Designers are passionate about design in a way that others may not be. Good Design thrills and inspires us, bad design or user experience sends us. We get irate over dead ends and poor kerning and are elated by a clever idea or well-executed project. It is what inspires me to keep challenging myself.
Before any project can begin the design phase, a lot of research, brainstorming, planning, and discussion has to take place. An effective design will have sound thinking and rationale behind it. Good Design is not arbitrary. There is a reason for doing everything.
UX work
Sun Life DCX
I had the opportunity to join Sun Life Financial’s Digital Customer Experience team under Global Digital Marketing for a 6 month contract. I was brought in to help define the user and customer experience for new offerings relating to health on digital properties. I provided insightful high-level UX thought leadership and consulted with various stakeholders and […]
TI Training – UX evolution
As UX and UI designer for Texas Instrument’s new training portal I had to work out how best to organise and display 1000’s of training videos available on TI.com. There were stand alone videos and training series. There were webcasts and classroom offerings that were all being shared in many different ways. After the first […]
Innovative research methods
In my practice I use many different ways to learn how best to serve the people I am designing for. Different kinds of research provide different kinds of truths (ethnographer Sam Ladner said this and I agree). And coming from a place of empathy and respect will always help gain the trust of your participants so […]
Canada’s Immigration System: redefined and redesigned
In spring 2016 I had the opportunity to participate in a design challenge as part of an OCADU Masters level course: Policy Design and Innovation. As part of a team we looked at the Canadian Immigration system, specifically, the family-class sponsorship process. We interviewed applicants, sponsors and successful citizens. We spoke with government employees and citizenship […]
Namastate
Strategic Foresight or Extreme UX: Experiential Time Machine One way to work with users to show possibilities and probabilities for how scenarios from the future might play out is by creating an immersive experience using experiential futures. Recently, a group from OCADU’s Foresight Studio looked at the futures of the Canadian Cultural Economy. We created […]
Service design: ionMeds
As part of my Master’s program at OCAD (in Strategic Foresight and Innovation) we completed a major project concurrently in our Business and Design Thinking and our Human Factors classes. With 3 other group members we set out to solve 2015’s Hult Prize challenge: Crowded Urban Spaces. The brief outlines the challenge thus: Participants will […]
Testimonials
Thank-you so much for all your work on the IR(Investor Relations) website project. I so appreciate all you did to make this such a successful project. Many thanks.
Kim SmithI worked with Kelly at Star Media Group on a variety of projects, including online and offline advertising, microsite design, and contests. Kelly is a true professional and always had great design insights and ideas. Kelly was a critical player in many of our marketing campaigns and contributed strategic ideas that were not only creative but very well-thought out. She was also a joy to work with and I would not hesitate to recommend her work.
Riza ChuiKelly and I worked together at eXcite Canada in 2001, where we developed micro sites, contests and online advertising campaigns for eXcite advertisers. She is always open, friendly and adds a bright positive energy to every collaboration. She is a talented designer who thrives in a fast paced busy atmosphere. But also a strategic creative thinker, making her a great asset in a team environment, in a brainstorming session, or as the creative lead when meeting with clients or other in-house departments. With her many years of experience she knows what works and why, and is adept at offering that knowledge with tact and conviction
Tim EmeryThanks again for all the work you put into the comps – and with no notice. It was a very good discussion and we’re headed in the right direction. You were super to work with on this.
Jeff KnowltonI had the pleasure to work with Kelly at Sympatico/MSN. She is dedicated to her work, quite talented and has the unique quality of coming to work with a smile. She loves challenges: when started to work for me, a nice “frog” from Quebec, she enlisted for French classes so we could communicate better. I miss her and recommend her highly.
Robert DuhamelKelly and I worked together at both Sympatico.ca and Star Media Group. In both instances, Kelly was the (senior) web designer on my team. Kelly is a talented designer with a fantastic marketing sense. She is able to expertly build and deploy most of the creative development marketers and publishers require in the online space, such as ad campaigns, web sites, marketing materials, and more. Additionally, Kelly is a delightful person who brings loyalty, energy, spice, optimism and fun to any team she works on. Kelly is an asset to any company that seeks to hire her.
Leslie Andrachuk