Creating products of connection and healing
My passion is designing products that connect, engage, tame complexity, and create impact and delight. This site shares my design work, writing and ideas about designing for people and joy.
I’ve managed multiple teams, launched successfully at clients like the City of New York, Tesla, and the VA, taught user research, presented on speculative design in research, been published online, spoken about how to get into civic tech, and mentored junior designers. I’m an evangelist for inclusive and trauma-informed design, neurodiversity, and human-centered systems of care, and I’m not afraid of wicked problems.
If it helps people experience joy, connection, and resilience, I want to know about it, help build it, experience it, and share it.
Highlights
I have many examples to share, but here are two case studies I’m most proud of. (You can view the full list in my portfolio)
ReferNYC
I led design and research for an Open Data Exchange for the City of New York while at Civic Hall Labs. I worked in Product Management Participatory Design and Leadership. Results include successful launch and procurement.
Emerging Tech Radar
I led design and code to build a social listening tool to identify emerging tech while at PwC. I worked in Product Management, business analysis and interaction designer and coder, resulting in successful launch.
Recommendations
I’ve been blessed to work with amazing people in my career, including:
“Rachel is the ultimate user advocate. She takes the necessary time to truly understand the target audience and their needs. Taking a deeply empathic approach to her work, she designs site architectures and wireframes that resonate with her target audience. Rachel’s creativity and willingness to explore alternative approaches enables her to go beyond the standard boxes and arrows. Working with Rachel was a joy and a pleasure”
– Jason Kondo, Director, Product Design at Zuora
“Rachel was an outstanding contributor on a number of projects, providing her deep knowledge of user experience, interaction design, and information architecture to our client engagements. Her insights were valued for being clear and actionable and she delivered her work on time and on budget. I would welcome the opportunity to work with Rachel again”
– Ted Shelton, Chief Operating Officer Inflection AI, Inc.
“I have had the pleasure of working closely with Rachel on a challenging and innovative project. Rachel is a highly skilled and dedicated product manager who consistently impressed me with her expertise and leadership. She is a true visionary when it comes to product strategy and development. She has an exceptional ability to translate complex ideas into clear, actionable plans. Under her guidance, we successfully launched the Product. What sets her apart is her talent for bringing cross-functional teams together. Her clear communication and collaborative spirit helped us navigate complex projects, resulting in a product that met and exceeded customer expectations. Her adaptability and problem-solving skills were especially valuable when we encountered unforeseen challenges. She is not only a strategic thinker but also an inspiring leader. She has a unique ability to motivate and guide the team, fostering a positive and productive work environment. Her dedication to our project was evident every day. I wholeheartedly recommend her to any organization in need of a dynamic and results-driven product manager. She is a valuable asset to any team, and I am confident that her future endeavors will be marked by the same level of success and excellence that I have witnessed firsthand. She comes with my highest recommendation”
– Biresh Patel, Data Quality & Engineering Expert, Thoughtworks
You can view the full list on my LinkedIn.