Hello! I’m Joanne. I'm a former graphic designer turned product designer based in Austin, TX, with 8+ years of experience in fintech, HR tech, and B2B SaaS. I specialize in making complex systems feel simple—for users, and for the teams building them. I thrive in messy, high-stakes environments, designing enterprise tools that can scale gracefully and evolve with growing product needs.
When I’m not designing, I’m usually chasing after my two toddlers, wrangling our dog and two cats, or dreaming about my next quilting project. Quilting is a creative outlet I inherited from my mom, and I design modern quilt patterns that I sell on Etsy at @protoquilt. These days, quilting time is scarce, but I still find space for inspiration—usually while watching soccer or listening to podcasts about economics, startups, or true crime.
If you're interested in working together, you can read more about how I work below, download my resume, or get in touch. Thanks for stopping by!
Here's How I work
Start with strategy
I believe good design starts before the first wireframe. I partner closely with product, sales, customer success, and users to understand the business goals and dive into the real problems worth solving. I conduct user research, dig into customer feedback, and help the team figure out not just how to build something—but what to build in the first place.
Make the complex understandable
Before we jump into solutions, I focus on simplifying the problem. I distill research insights, map out workflows, and create diagrams, flow charts, or journey maps to align the team. I always consider what's already been built and what’s on the roadmap. Seeing the big picture helps everyone make smarter decisions and move faster.
Navigate the messy middle
The exploration phase looks different depending on the problem. Sometimes it means heads-down work in Figma to prototype ideas. Other times, it's about running workshops and bringing stakeholders together to co-create. My visual and prototyping skills help bring shape to ambiguity—whether we're refining a direction or exploring multiple paths.
Iterate with intention
Once we land on a direction, I validate the design with real users to make sure we’re on the right track. I care a lot about the details—from interaction patterns to visual polish—because those final layers of refinement can make or break the user experience.
Bridge design and build
I stay closely involved during implementation: mapping edge cases, documenting interactions, sharing prototypes, and supporting QA. I want to make sure the final product meets the original intent, and that engineers have everything they need to bring it to life.
Grow through curiosity
After launch, I look back with the team: What worked? What didn’t? What can we measure and improve? Every project is an opportunity to get better—not just at designing products, but at designing how we work together.