Hi there
I’m Nikole, a UX designer and product strategist
Co-facilitating a 2 day in-person strategy workshop at a clients headquarters
I enjoy exploring experiences beyond digital interfaces to unravel complex challenges. I craft human-centered narratives to translate user and business needs into visionary product strategies to drive measurable impact.
A few current & past clients
I am research, strategy, and design leader with 10 years of experience collaborating with startups, agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.
Notes from colleagues
“Remarkable maturity of judgement in approaching complex topics, tying together UX strategy, business strategy, and legal compliance.”
— Kalev Peekna (One North, a TEKsystems company)
“A gifted manager, with exceptional abilities in innovating processes, organizing details, and working with stakeholders. As my manager, Nikole always made me feel valued as an employee and constantly championed my professional growth.”
— Laura Griffee (NOLS)
“She excels in project management, UX, creative vision and most importantly, balances business and user goals with stakeholder communications in a way that ensures project success.”
— Sandy Chio (NOLS)
I enjoy working with businesses from around the world to design websites, apps, brands, & experiences that simplify everyday life.
I use design thinking and the sprint process with in-house teams to solve problems. My goal is to help businesses ask the right questions to eliminate circular conversations that hinder progress. When we work together to define and solve for the customers problem(s) we can improve the interaction between customers and your business to meet goals.
— Featured Case Studies
Some of my projects over the last 2 years are under non-disclosure agreements and cannot be displayed. I’d be happy to walk you through the project strategy and process I used to complete these projects.
Redesign a blog to resonate as a source of truth in the outdoor industry
Help NOLS alumni engage with outdoor leadership content, so they can inspire others and find opportunities to grow outdoor and leadership skills.
My Role: Project Manager, Workshop Facilitator, Product Strategist, Lead UX Researcher & Designer
Take a look at the finished product: NOLS Blog.
Overhaul a navigation to help students find the environment and training they need to discover their full potential as a leader
Help new and returning customers access the important information they need to make an informed decision to apply for a course that fits their interests, budget and timeframe.
My Role: Project Manager, Product Strategist, Content Strategist, Lead UX Researcher & Designer
Article coming soon. In the meantime, take a look at the finished product: nols.edu.
Transform an advanced search tool to make finding and applying to courses easy
Help NOLS’ new and returning, B to C and B to B customers find and apply for wilderness leadership courses to match the education and experience they need.
My Role: Project Manager, Product Strategist, Content Strategist, Lead UX Researcher & Designer
Article coming soon. In the meantime, take a look at the finished product: nols.edu/en/courses.
“Nikole is a talented UX/UI designer. I was impressed by the number of UI options she created for us in a short timeframe. Her ability to translate the UI options into a roadmap let us understand what we should develop right away as our minimum viable product and where we could go with the design in the future. She works quickly and communicates effectively to meet both business and user needs. Nikole crushed it! I would highly recommend her.”
— Jerrod Ullah, CEO & Founder of Health Talk A.I.
“I've had the opportunity to work with Nikole as an employee, as part of the NOLS in-house creative and web team, and as a client. She excels in project management, UX, creative vision and most importantly, balances business and user goals with stakeholder communications in a way that ensures project success. I highly recommend Nikole for all size and scope of work, and cannot wait for our next engagement.”
— Sandy Chio, Chief Business Officer at Teton Science Schools
“Nikole is a gifted manager, with exceptional abilities in innovating processes, organizing details, and working with stakeholders. For the past two years, I’ve had the pleasure of working with her in the NOLS creative department, during which she oversaw my work as the head of the web team. Nikole has been the driving force behind refining our department’s project processes, and it’s thanks to her that our team is now using a combination of AJ&Smart’s Design Sprint 2.0 and plays from Atlassian’s Team Playbook to significantly increase our productivity. As my manager, Nikole always made me feel valued as an employee and constantly championed my professional growth. I’m so grateful for the work Nikole did as the Web Manager at NOLS, and I give her my full recommendation.”
— Laura Griffee, Front-End Developer for the Polaris Design System at Shopify
“Three years ago I changed the name of my safari and trekking business. Nikole was recommended to me for the branding materials and website, and seeking her service was a great decision! She listened to my needs and was able to translate my ideas into a creative and beautiful design for a website, logo and business cards. The process was very collaborative and as someone who rumbles ideas, Nikole was very patient and responsive to feedback. When she sent me her portfolio, I was amazed by all the crisp, simple but elegant designs she had created. I am setting up another business project and have approached Nikole for another creative adventure. Asante sana!”
— Will Bunten-Wamaru, Company Director at Africa Trekking Company
“As an accomplished jewelry designer and goldsmith, my website was out of date and needed a serious makeover. I began my journey with a website template builder only to discover I lacked the skills to achieve the high-quality look and feel I desired. I engaged Nikole for help and she did not disappoint. Nikole demonstrated a high level of professionalism at our first meeting and made a genuine effort to understand my business in order to determine how the site could best serve my goals. The process was completely collaborative and she was so easy to work with. Nikole created a workable timeline and budget, responded to all my questions, considered the customer experience and created a website for my business that I am incredibly pleased with. I will definitely be hiring Nikole again for future marketing projects.”
— Patricia Madeja, Owner of Patricia Madeja Studio Jewelry
