A highly collaborative and deeply curious designer with experience in Fintech, SaaS, B2B, and B2C. User-centric while aligning with business goals. Skilled in solving complex problems and strong in holistic systems thinking. Up-to-date on user-centered design trends, generative AI, and large language models (LLMs).
KEY SKILLS & COMPETENCIES
Design & Strategic Systems Thinking • Art Direction • UI/UX Design • Typography • Prototyping • Figma • Service Design • User Research Methods • Workshop Moderation • Fluent in Spanish
Work Experience:
Oh hi, hello, Atlanta, GA
UX Research Lead and Art Director - JPMorgan Chase
January 2025 - Present
Lead research and art direction for a new solution launching in Q4 2026 to help retirees convert 401(k) savings into retirement income funds, offering predictable, lifelong income.
Established the UX research function from the ground up, audited research tools, conducted competitive analysis, and implemented an 8-month research strategy aligned with product milestones.
Conducted 100+ hours of discovery interviews and usability research, integrating insights into the product lifecycle; 91% of participants described the experience as 'easy to understand' and 'a plan I can trust.'"
Collaborate daily with product designers and a copywriter, offering strategic feedback and art direction to ensure a cohesive, user-centered experience across the product..
UX Design Lead - JPMorgan Chase
June 2024 - January 2025
Led design and research for Sales Assist, an AI-powered voice-to-text app integrated with Salesforce, and Materials Library, a search-based app for compliance-approved Asset Management Marketing materials.
Redesigned the Sales Assist Call Report interface, ensuring more accurate data transfer to Salesforce, reducing completion time by 5 minutes, and achieving a 95% user satisfaction rate with increased adoption.
Introduced agile practices and continuous user engagement, retrospectives, launched a feedback survey with 110+ responses (76% completion rate), and helped refocus development on core pain points.
Presented designs and shared research insights regularly to ensure product decisions aligned with user needs, driving adoption and strengthening cross-functional trust.
Merit, Atlanta, GA
Mentor
August 2023 - Present
Coach professionals who are starting, advancing, or transitioning into UX design and technology, offering guidance on resume building, career development, portfolio building, and design best practices.
Calendly, Atlanta, GA
Senior UX/UI Designer
March 2020 - August 2023
Pioneered design for native integrations and API team for Calendly scheduling software. Integrations included Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Analytics. Spearheaded the inception and ongoing user experience of the self-service Developer Portal.
Led the end-to-end design process, driving concepting, prototyping, and refinement; partnered with stakeholders, product, and the design systems team to align vision and ensure user-centered outcomes.
Conducted user research and synthesized insights to inform product direction; used visual storytelling to align stakeholders and secure buy-in for design concepts while staying user-centered.
Designed high-impact features, including the Integrations homepage and Salesforce integration, contributing to a 2x YoY MAU increase, 27.3% growth in 1st-party integrations, and a 42.9% lift in Salesforce usage; also drove a 10% increase in API adoption via the Developer Portal.
Mentored and coached junior and aspiring UX designers, enabling smooth transitions into the field.
Brenda Lara Studios, Atlanta, GA
Owner, Designer, and Photographer
September 2017 – March 2020
Leveraged entrepreneurial skills to acquire and serve clients. Focused on design and photography services for small businesses and sole proprietors.
Salesforce, Atlanta, GA
Senior UX Designer
February 2015 – September 2017
Led design for Salesforce Engage which helps Sales and Marketing teams work better together.
Crafted impactful experiences using wireframes, designs, and interactive prototyping, collaborating with product and engineering peers.
Informed prioritization list of enhancements based on customer feedback.
Created visuals and interactive mobile prototypes for marketing presentations at Dreamforce.
Contributed to increased adoption of Salesforce Engage for Sales-focused customers.
Collaborated on Salesforce Lightning Design System by designing deliverables that adhered to standards.
Moderated cross-functional design sessions using journey mapping, empathy maps, and whiteboarding.
Participated in client interviews, UAT sessions, and A/B testing.
WebMD, Atlanta, GA
Senior Designer of Strategic Initiatives
September 2011 – February 2015
Expertly designed front-end and back-end experiences using wireframes and designs for web, mobile, and tablet. These included registration/personalization products, consumer email marketing, and various content initiatives. Conducted research and applied best practices.
User flows directly led to reduced abandonment within the registration and personalization funnels.
Crafted a redesign of the recipe finder tool that increased engagement and daily use.
Designs directly led to the improvement of open and conversion rates for WebMD marketing emails.
Provided mentorship and coaching around graphic design principles to junior team members.
Cox Enterprises, Inc, Atlanta, GA
Senior Designer - Cox Media Group Digital
December 2009 – September 2011
Led design for Newspaper, Radio, and TV products across digital platforms. Drove prototyping and usability testing. Guided design for content management interfaces and participated in all stages of the product development process
Created wireframes, visual designs, and logos for all properties across web and mobile.
Interface designs increased workflow efficiency for various newsrooms, radio, and TV stations.
Authored style guides, usability best practices, and accessibility standards for the entire portfolio.
Provided art direction, coaching, and mentorship for junior and contract designers.
Web Designer - COXNet
August 2005 – December 2009
Spearheaded design for 12+ community newspaper websites and special digital projects for 4 metro newspapers. Crafted tool interfaces for content management system to enable 500+ editors and content producers to maintain each media outlet’s digital presence. Designed logos, branding, and interactive graphics including 3D modeling.
Led tool interface design for all properties to migrate to a new content management system (CMS).
Key contributor to Webby Honoree Award (2006) for the redesign of Stateman.com and Austin360.com.
Interactive designs increased the audience for US Elections, the Olympics, and other news coverage.
Shot and edited photographs/videos for web delivery.
Additional Relevant Experience:
amUX, Atlanta, GA
Co-organizer of a monthly meetup for Atlanta’s UX community while working at Salesforce.
Austin American-Statesman, Austin, TX
Art directed the visual identity branding and photography for the Statesman's Spanish weekly ¡Ahora Sí!.
Worked as a Digital Imaging Specialist scanning and manipulating pre-press images for newspaper editions.
Education and Professional Development:
IDEO U, Online
Human-Centered Service Design Certification (2024)
Human-Centered Systems Thinking Certification (2023)
University of Texas, Austin, TX
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Design
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Photography
Organizations:
Montessori in Town - Volunteer during book fair, photo day and chaperone during class field trips (2022-2024).
Calendly Latine - Fosters relationships, empowering Latine people to make their voices heard (2022-2023).
Concrete Jungle - Food delivery driver during the pandemic for communities in need (2020).
Starlight Children’s Foundation - Volunteer and photographer at events (2009-2013).