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Hi, I'm Laura or "LC"
I am a
Let's go for a quick walk together.
CHerry
Papaya
oranges
sprouts
coffee
tangerine
My Career Journey
I'm a UX Research and Design leader with 15 years of experience, including 8 years mentoring/managing, and I specialize in new product development and service design.
Post-Grad School
Washington, DC
Improving people’s lives by providing them the information they need to make life changing decisions is why I am passionate about design. My roots in journalism and visual storytelling are what make me a powerful communicator and community builder.
🔹 Helped millions of people make democratic decisions by sharing my stories on washingtonpost.com.
🔹 Started to use data to understand when stories were helping people make decisions
Career Transition
Washington, DC
My desire to learn drives my ability to get up to speed quickly on complex domains or learn new skills.
This made it possible for me to transition to a design strategist role early in my career.
🔹 Trained by IDEO on human-centered design
🔹 Four years conducting ethnographic interviews with news consumers
🔹 Designed first mobile app
🔹 Launched personal consulting business ElleSee Futures
Refining My Style
New York, New York
I started to integrate Alan Cooper's goal-directed design approach with the IDEO methods I was using.
🔹 Started coaching teams as a design people leader
🔹 Designed and scaled my first new product, from discovery to launch, as a player/coach on an agile team
Back to My Roots
New York, New York
During my two year tour of service with the United States Digital Service, I used human-centered design to improve critical services for immigrants, travelers and veterans.
🔹 Started to focus on service design
Startup Life
New York, New York
Next, I focused on my craft as a strategist and UX Researcher in a fast-paced startup environment.
🔹 Led discovery and design research to create two service experiences for the interior designer and sales teams.
🔹 Decreased the time it took for the team to furnish a new office building by 50%
Designing Teams
New York, New York
After 10 years of refining my design philosophy and leadership style, it was time to share my learnings with others.
🔹 Built a 0-to-1 team of service designers, product designers and UX researchers
🔹 Established my leadership principles
🔹 Designed a world-class onboarding experience
Let's Gooo!
New York, New York
I am currently partnering with organizations as a solopreneur focused on the empathy, define and ideation stages of the design process.
Let's make something together!
Let's Work Together
Testimonials
Former clients, cross-functional partners, peers and directs share their experience working with me
Laura empowered us to self-manage but stepped in to support us across disciplines as needed. She is very intentional and hands-on with coaching and was crucial to shaping us into a well-rounded group of UX professionals.
Brandon Mosley
UX Design Manager
She has a vision for building impactful teams and prioritizing initiatives that add value to the customer experience. On top of that, she has empowered her team to communicate the impact of their work across the organization, which has shaped the way we approach things from UX to marketing strategy. She brings tremendous value to any organization, and is someone I truly enjoy working with.
Dan Cappello
Creative Director
Laura did our entire website including design, content, interactivity, provider interface and updates. Her body of work on our behalf has been exceptional & world class. Without her the Foundation would not have had the success it has enjoyed. We recommend her unconditionally.
Jess Wilber
Technologist, Managing Partner
Laura is an unmatched leader in her ability to put people first in both research and on her team. She has created an environment where it is easy to grow and deliver impactful work. She has built a culture of empathy and true understanding of the value of research and design at multiple stages of product development.
Michelle Ammirati
UX Researcher, Innovation Lead
Laura's talent for design, knowledge of the digital space, overall energy and passion for understanding the consumer first is why she's been so successful and will continue to have a great career moving forward.
Reggie Murphy
Research and Insights Leader