UX Visionary, Problem Solver, Team Builder
Hey there! I'm Lara, a UX design leader with a knack for turning complex challenges into user-friendly solutions. With 15+ years in the game, I've worn many hats - from owning a UX consulting firm to leading teams at major brands. My playground? Everything from academic to automotive, finance to healthcare. And I'm all about cross-platform solutions - iOS, Android, mobile web, desktop, you name it.
The Heart of My Design Philosophy
I'm all about creating experiences that actually mean something to people. It's about blending creativity with data, intuition with research. As Aristotle said, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." That's UX in a nutshell, and it's my guiding principle. My approach is holistic - I believe in communication and collaboration with everyone from customers to developers. But I'm also pragmatic. I know that vision can pivot on a dime with product constraints, timelines, or cost. These experiences have taught me to influence change management while staying focused on what matters most: the user experience.
My Design Differentiators
Unwavering Customer Advocacy: I champion user needs relentlessly, balancing business goals with customer-centric solutions. Even when revenue pressures mount, I ensure the user experience remains the North Star of our design decisions.
Holistic Thinking: I see the big picture while sweating the small stuff.
Balancing Design with Business Outcomes: I'm as comfortable with creative sketches as I am with KPIs and data analysis.
Leadership: I hire great people (wicked smart and nice people) and give them room to shine.
Data-Driven Creativity: I blend quantitative analysis with qualitative insights to inform innovative design solutions.
Futuristic Vision: Drawing from a wealth of successes and failures, I have a knack for anticipating future trends and designing solutions that stand the test of time. This "futuristic" strength allows me to create user experiences that aren't just relevant today, but pave the way for tomorrow's innovations.
service
Contributing to the community is in my nature and below are a few examples:
IAI Board of Directors
Established in 2005, the Information Architecture Institute was a community generated resource helping to shape how the world practices, teaches and learns information architecture. I served as the IAI Communications Director from 2015 – 2018. I was responsible to communicate the mission and value of the IAI, promote the field of IA and help spread the word about our events and valuable library resources.
UX-radio
I am the founder and host of the UX-radio podcast about Information Architecture, User Experience and Design where we talk with industry experts. This was created out of my own passion for learning and sharing inspiring conversations with an amazing network. The purpose of this show is to educate, inspire and provide valuable information architecture, user experience and design resources.
World Information Architecture Day
I had the unique opportunity to help shape the future of the global 2015 World Information Architecture Day (WIAD) and to add a positive impact on the field of Information Architecture as a whole.
I served as both the Los Angeles city leader in 2014 with ~250 attendees and the Global Executive Producer for World IA Day 2015 overseeing 24 countries in 36 cities with ~4,000 attendees.
ArtCenter College of Design – Interaction Design
I teach Interaction Design at ArtCenter College of Design, nurturing the next generation of UX professionals in creating person-first interactive environments across multiple technologies.
New York Film Academy Game Design - User Research
I served as an adjunct faculty member at NYFA from February 2014 – March 2015 for three cohorts. Usability testing enables game developers to systematically identify and resolve issues that detract from the player experience. Students learn and practice formal usability testing using real test subjects. Students learn best practices for how to get valid, unbiased data and how to communicate findings to executives and development teams effectively.
TOOLS
Adobe CS, Figma, Mural, Miro, Sketch, Proto.io, Axure, InVision, Origami, Omnigraffle, Dreamweaver, Bootstrap, CSS, Visio, Usertesting.com, Treejack, and OptimalSort.
SPEAKING & PRESENTATIONS
Integrated Mobility Futures; ArtCenter College of Design – October 2024
Ford Design Leader Fireside Chat – September 2023
MLIS Guest Lecturer – UCLA, November 2018
Product for Good – Philosophie, October 2018
USC Riptide, Intersecting Creativity & Tech – AIGA, September 2018
MLIS Guest Lecturer – UCLA, June 2018
IA Summit – IA Slam, March, 2018
Driving Growth Through Customer Experiences – StitchLabs, Feb 2018
EuroIA – IA Slam, September 2017
Tech Ladies – Agile Heuristics, March 2017
Evenings at the Loft VLVT – Empathy & Design: Tools and the Design Process: Video Series, Dec 2016
Ladies that UX – Salary Gender Gaps; IAI Salary Survey and US Census Bureau, Nov 2016
Palisades High School Web Design Class – What is IA & UX? Oct 2016
Philosophie – Design Quality & Quickly, May 2016
Architecting Happiness – World IA Day Tampa, Feb 2015
AIGA UCLAx – UX for Dummies, Sept 2013
SoCal UX Camp – Mobile IA Workshop, Aug 2013
MERGE! Conference – Merging Passion and Profession, Jan 2013
Santa Barbara IA Slam – Santa Barbara UX Meetup, June 2012