Work Experience
2024 - Present
Founder & Product Owner, Define Design Podcast
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Product Vision & Strategy: Established the core vision for the Define Design brand, managing a multi-channel content roadmap that balances educational podcasting with deep-dive articles on deceptive design and UX ethics.
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Backlog Grooming: Orchestrated a production backlog of research topics and interview segments, prioritizing high-impact themes—such as agentic AI and semantic content—based on audience growth metrics and SEO trends.
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Iterative Production: Utilized a sprint-based approach to launch episodes across global platforms, consistently inspecting performance data to adapt content strategy and improve listener retention.
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Stakeholder Engagement: Managed external relations with domain experts and distribution platforms, ensuring all promotional assets and technical documentation met a high Definition of Done for brand consistency.
2021 - 2024
Content Designer II, Microsoft
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Product Backlog & Prioritization: Collaborated with Product Owners to refine the product backlog, ensuring user stories were clearly defined with actionable content requirements and measurable acceptance criteria.
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Sprint Execution: Delivered high-fidelity wireframes and annotated mockups within two-week sprints, facilitating rapid prototyping and iterative design improvements based on continuous feedback loops.
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Stakeholder Alignment: Facilitated cross-functional ceremonies to align engineering, design, and product goals, ensuring a unified vision for UI content strategy across mobile and desktop platforms.
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User-Centric Design: Applied empirical Scrum values—transparency, inspection, and adaptation—to refine information architecture and reduce user friction based on data-driven research.
2022 - 2023
Tutor, UX Writing Hub
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Agile Mentorship: Guided students through the iterative principles of UX writing, providing continuous feedback loops to refine content design, microcopy, and conversational flows.
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Definition of Done: Empowered students to meet high-quality standards by establishing clear criteria for UI content, ensuring their work was polished and ready for portfolio shipment.
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Collaborative Tooling: Facilitated hands-on sessions using Figma, Miro, and Notion to simulate cross-functional collaboration, helping students navigate complex design problems through an Agile lens.
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Incremental Growth: Focused on the iterative development of student skills, translating abstract user communication concepts into actionable, high-impact design improvements.
2015-2020
Blogger/Copywriter, Freelance
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Backlog Management: Independently managed a continuous product backlog of content deliverables, prioritizing high-value SEO topics to maximize audience engagement and reach.
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Time-Boxed Iterations: Executed content production in time-boxed cycles, ensuring consistent delivery of research, drafting, and optimization phases to meet strict client deadlines.
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Incremental Delivery: Employed an iterative approach to copywriting, delivering minimum viable content for initial review and incorporating stakeholder feedback to refine final publications.
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Continuous Improvement: Utilized performance data and social media analytics to conduct personal retrospectives, adapting SEO and distribution strategies to enhance brand visibility.
2016-2017
Production Assistant, The Manual Makers
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Stakeholder Collaboration: Partnered with cross-functional stakeholders to define content requirements for critical crisis communication, ensuring all deliverables met the Definition of Done for clarity and accuracy.
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Incremental Content Updates: Managed and uploaded complex information into the CMS through an iterative process, simplifying diverse datasets for end-user accessibility.
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Agile Adaptability: Maintained high-velocity updates in time-sensitive situations, adapting content strategy based on real-time feedback and shifting organizational priorities.
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User-Friendly Documentation: Streamlined technical formats into digestible documentation, ensuring transparency and ease of use for diverse audiences.
Education
2026
Certified Scrum Product Owner® (CSPO)®, Scrum Alliance
This certification validates my expertise in managing product backlogs, prioritizing customer needs, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver high-value digital products through Agile methodologies.
2021
UX Design Certification, Georgia Tech
Earning a UX design certification from GA Tech lays a strong foundation in user-centered design principles essential for impactful digital experiences.
2020, 2024
UX Writing Fundamentals Certifications, UX Writers Collective
A UX writing certification from the UX Writers Collective focuses on crafting clear content that users effectively. Together, these certifications equip me to create seamless and enjoyable user experiences in the evolving field of UX.
2017
Arizona State University
I earned Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Mass Communications and Media Studies. This program equipped me with essential skills and knowledge, preparing me for a dynamic career in the ever-evolving field of journalism and media.
Skills & Expertise
Agile & Product Leadership
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Backlog Management & Prioritization: Expertly navigating Azure DevOps and Jira to maintain a refined, high-priority backlog.
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User Story Mapping: Defining clear, actionable requirements for engineering and design.
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Cross-functional Collaboration: Leading ceremonies (Sprints, Retrospectives) to align product goals.
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Stakeholder Management: Navigating complex organizational needs to deliver consistent user experiences.
Core UX & Content Strategy
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Information Architecture & Taxonomy: Expertise in structuring complex data for clarity.
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Semantic Content Design: Crafting content that carries meaning across platforms and AI systems.
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User Research & Usability Testing: Leveraging data-driven insights to refine product language.
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Wireframing & Prototyping: Translating concepts into high-fidelity designs using Figma and Adobe XD.
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Systems Thinking: Designing scalable content frameworks rather than isolated pages.
Emerging Tech & Technical Skills
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Deceptive Design Auditing: Identifying and correcting unethical user interface anti-patterns.
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AI Search Strategy: Optimizing content for agentic AI and semantic search discovery.
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Python Development: Building foundational technical literacy to better collaborate with engineers.
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Documentation & Project Management: Azure DevOps, Jira, Madcap Flare, Contentful, and Canva.