biography I’m a San Francisco based consultant specializing in solving problems for my clients. I’m a ‘full service’ design consultant – which means I have experience working from defining the problem, to creating the solution.

bio

 I use my analytic and creative skills to solve problems and create beautiful products, services and user experiences. Accurate, critical analysis, holistic, design thinking and systems thinking, creative problem solving – the skills I’ve honed as a professional user experience design consultant – are now the skills I bring to the growing field of design consulting.
A longer biography is below if you’re interested in more about me.

I work as a design consultant utilizing a number of tools in my toolbox as a consultant:

consultant's toolbox

status

I am available for work primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area although I am open to consulting everywhere.

I’m particularly interested in companies in the social entrepreneurship/social good and sustainable design fields.

interests

 When not found creating great products and experiences for my clients, I’m engaged in something creative (art, crafts, gardening, origami, painting), traveling (many places, including Burning Man) or reading up on trends and issues in pop culture, design, politics and technology.
detailed biography

background: Rachel M. Murray is a designer – which means nothing delights her more than the intersection of business, design and technology where she’s always lived. Born and raised in her beautiful hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Rachel has brought her personal and professional experiences to her work as a user experience designer. Rachel grew up with technology at an early age – her first computer experiences in grade 5 in the early 80s was as a participant in the ‘CSILE’ new window (computer-supported intentional learning environments) study at the University of Toronto’s OISE (Ontario Studies in Education) program. Computers – and using technology – is literally second nature for her.

education: Rachel grew up not far from the University of Torontonew window, where she graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in 1999, with a major from the in Ethics Society and Law new window program at Trinity College, and minors in philosophy and psychoanalytic thought. The benefits of honing her critical thinking skills, and the knowledge that comes with a solid liberal arts education are ones she continues to reap every day and use professionally. Rachel has been online since the early 90s, creating various sites for personal and professional interests. Along the way, she has subsequently received two professional certificates – one from the University of Toronto (Faculty of Information Science’s Certificate in Information Design new window in 2005) and the other from Centennial College new window (Certificate in Web Development, 2002).

experience: Rachel has been professionally consulting since graduating from the U of T in a variety of disciplines related to user experience design. She’s expanded her skills to work mostly in the fields of information architecture and interaction design, doing analysis and design for a wide variety of clients – from startups to governments, from nonprofits to large corporations, and always with the same passion, expertise and enthusiasm for design solutions. Although primarily an user experience designer, she is also passionate about designing social media, strategy and sustainable design solutions – three of the key areas for the future of design and technology. Rachel relocated to the SF Bay Area in early 2005, where she continues to live, work, play and design.

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