I believe great design starts with asking the right questions. It’s not about rushing to solutions—it’s about understanding the problem, the people, and the possibilities. These stories show how curiosity asking better questions leads to uncovering what truly matters, solve real needs, and leave a lasting impact (and yes, it saves money too—because that’s always a win).
Case Studies
Good Design Starts with Great Questions.
Converse
A Better Way to Wait — Multi-team collaboration That Elevated Converse
LLaunch days at Converse are more than just sales—they’re moments to connect with their passionate community. By leveraging Queue-It, an external tool, and branding it with Converse’s bold identity, we transformed waiting from frustration into a trusted, engaging experience that fans could appreciate.
Approach: Faced with the challenge of customizing an external tool to align with Converse’s bold brand and high-pressure launches, I:
Designed for Engagement: Collaborated with Queue-It team to tailor the system’s look and feel, reflecting Converse’s brand identity while ensuring fans felt valued.
Aligned Through Collaboration: Partnered with internal teams and Queue-It’s developers to balance tight deadlines and maintain a seamless branded experience.
Enhanced Community Trust: Delivered a launch experience that prioritized fan connection, ensuring the system reinforced Converse’s commitment to its community.
Results: Queue-It reduced site crashes during high-demand sneaker launches, shortened wait times, and improved the overall fan experience, strengthening brand loyalty and elevating Converse’s reputation.
Lessons Learned: You don’t have to build everything in-house—leveraging external tools and collaborating with experts can elevate solutions to meet your brand’s standards, especially when resources are limited.
IDEO
Designing for People, Not Personas
Mobility is about opportunity and access, and I saw firsthand how underserved communities in Miami face barriers to both. I presented research back to the community and facilitated an OpenIDEO workshop to empower residents to share their ideas and shape the solutions they needed. Together, we selected one community-driven idea and developed it into a tangible, scalable solution—proving that the best designs happen when we work with people, not just for them.
Role: Sr. UX Researcher
Approach: Faced with the challenge of aligning diverse stakeholders while prioritizing community needs, I:
Uncovered Hidden Narratives: Conducted ethnographic research to capture meaningful stories, ensuring local perspectives shaped every solution.
Designed with Respect: Presented research insights back to the community, helping residents see their lived experiences reflected and validated.
Empowered Local Voices: Facilitated an OpenIDEO workshop, encouraging residents to share and refine ideas, with one concept selected to be developed further.
Results: The research and workshop empowered the Miami community to participate in meaningful design discussions, fostering trust and collaboration. A community-driven idea was chosen and further refined into a tangible solution.
Lessons Learned: Mobility is about access and opportunity. By presenting research to the community and hosting an OpenIDEO workshop, we empowered residents to share ideas, with one concept chosen and developed into a real solution.
Disney
A Multi-Themed Design System That Brings Teams Together While Maintaining Individuality
Disney’s CDTE teams, managing 72 products, needed a unified design system. As the sole designer, I created Magic Door to align teams, streamline workflows, and provide reusable templates that boosted creativity and efficiency.
Approach
Storytelling-Driven Design: Built a UI blending Disney’s branding with functionality.
Collaboration: Developed a multi-theme system to honor team individuality within a cohesive framework.
Practical Solutions: Delivered templates to simplify and speed up prototyping.
Results: Prototyping timelines dropped from 3 months to 2 weeks, and improving consistency across 72 products.
Lessons Learned: When teams feel supported and their individuality is celebrated, they can create something truly magical together.
Disney AI
Enhancing Workflows Through AI-Powered Solutions
Tasked with creating a scalable AI tool, I led the design and UX strategy for DisneyGPT, an internal platform piloted to optimize workflows and explore broader enterprise applications. This initiative was part of a larger effort to integrate cutting-edge technologies across teams.
Approach
User-Centered Design: Developed intuitive user flows and UI frameworks tailored for pilot testing within HR.
Strategic Use Case Development: Partnered with stakeholders to identify impactful workflows and craft case studies highlighting AI’s potential.
Scalable Vision: Built prototypes and narratives to demonstrate the platform’s value for future implementation.
Results
Optimized Processes: Piloted solutions that showcased measurable improvements in operational efficiency.
Executive Buy-In: Delivered case studies and prototypes that secured funding for expanded AI initiatives.
Cross-Team Collaboration: Laid the foundation for scaling AI-driven tools across multiple teams.
Lessons Learned: Balancing innovation with practicality is key to scaling new technologies—starting with focused use cases builds confidence for broader adoption.