Hi, I’m Jess, a design scientist and systems-oriented UX and strategy leader with 20+ years of experience across enterprise software, civic tech, and AI-enabled digital systems.

My background in early online communities shaped a long-standing focus on trust, interpretation, and governance — concerns that now sit at the heart of AI strategy and responsible technology adoption. I work at the boundary between research, strategy, and emerging technology, helping organizations turn complexity into clarity and AI ambition into actionable, human-centered direction.

I’m the founder of Mindful Studio, where I apply design, ethics, and systems thinking to support better decision-making in organizations navigating rapid technological change.

UX & Systems Thinking

Check out my work

What I do

I help product teams and consultancies make sense of ambiguous, high-stakes systems—turning complexity into clear interaction models, research insight, and build-ready design.

I work as a freelance and fractional design partner for teams building complex software—especially where decisions, data, or automation shape user trust and behavior.

Services

UX & Product Discovery

Short, focused engagements to clarify problem spaces, align stakeholders, and define what to build.

  • Research planning and synthesis

  • Journey and workflow mapping

  • Opportunity framing and prioritization

  • Early concepts and prototypes

Best for: teams at the start of a project or stuck in ambiguity

Research & Sense-Making

Turning qualitative research into insight that teams can actually use.

  • Interviews, workshops, and scenario walkthroughs

  • Synthesis and pattern detection

  • Insight frameworks and decision support

  • Executive-ready findings

Best for: organizations overwhelmed with data but lacking clarity

Systems & Interaction Design

Designing how complex products actually work—across screens, states, edge cases, and constraints.

  • Information architecture and interaction models

  • Multi-step workflows and platform patterns

  • AI-adjacent UX (confidence, explanation, fallback states)

  • Design specs that engineers can build from

Best for: complex products, platforms, and enterprise tools

Fractional Design Leadership

Senior-level design thinking without a full-time hire.

  • Product and design direction

  • Cross-functional facilitation

  • Design quality and system coherence

  • Mentorship and team support

Best for: consultancies and product teams needing experienced judgment

Executive Advisory & Strategic Alignment

Supporting leaders navigating AI uncertainty, trade-offs, and organizational change.

  • Executive interviews and strategic reflection sessions

  • Decision framing and trade-off analysis

  • Facilitation of leadership alignment workshops

  • Narrative development for internal and external communication

  • Ongoing advisory support for critical moments

Best for: senior leaders accountable for AI outcomes without clear precedent or playbooks

Responsible & Ethical AI Design

Embedding responsibility, transparency, and governance into AI initiatives from the start.

  • Ethical risk identification and mitigation

  • Human-impact and stakeholder analysis

  • Governance and accountability framework design

  • Evaluation criteria beyond model performance

  • Alignment with regulatory and organizational values

Best for: organizations building AI systems that must be trustworthy, defensible, and aligned with public or stakeholder expectations

AI Strategy & Readiness

Aligning AI ambition with organizational reality, capability, and risk.

  • AI opportunity framing and prioritization

  • Organizational and data readiness assessment

  • Stakeholder interviews and capability mapping

  • Risk, governance, and feasibility analysis

  • Strategic recommendations and roadmap options

Best for: organizations exploring AI adoption but unsure where to start, what’s feasible, or what actually creates value

AI Adoption & Organizational Integration

Ensuring AI initiatives succeed beyond the model and into everyday operations.

  • Organizational readiness and change assessment

  • Workflow and process integration analysis

  • Incentive and capability alignment

  • Measurement and learning frameworks

  • Feedback loops for iteration and evolution

Best for: organizations where AI works in theory but struggles in practice

How I work

I’ve spent my career working across consulting, product teams, and independent practice. Much of that time has been in short-to-mid-term engagements, helping teams:

  • Enter complex problem spaces

  • Create structure without oversimplifying

  • Make decisions they can stand behind

  • Leave behind systems and thinking that scale

I’m comfortable stepping in quickly, collaborating closely with engineers and product leaders, and adapting to how teams actually work.

Let's work together!