š Hi, Iām Sarah, a passionate problem-solving designer with overĀ 10 years of digital design experience, living in Christchurch, New Zealand. I amĀ aĀ Senior Product Designer for Basis, a Kiwi start-up leading the clean green energy revolution with its Smart Panel and two mobile apps for homeowners and electricians.Ā
In my previous role as Lead Product Designer, I had the privilege of leading a talented team of four for two and a half years at FarmIQ (FIQ). During this time, we enhanced our SaaS farm management products, and I genuinely enjoyed mentoring my team and helping them grow.
Key roles and responsibilities:
š Empathic Design Leadership
āØ Mentoring my fellow designers
š Owning qualitative and quantitativeĀ customer research
ā”ļø Refining and/or creating processes
š PrioritiseĀ and delegateĀ my teams' workload
šāāļø Reporting to stakeholders
š Cross-team collaboration
šØ Adept in creating and following brand guidelines
š§± Creating and maintaining shared design libraries
āæ Accessibility from a holistic point of view (including WCAG govt standards)
š¬Ā FacilitationĀ of 5-Day SprintĀ workshops
š Empathic Design Leadership
āØ Mentoring my fellow designers
š Owning qualitative and quantitativeĀ customer research
ā”ļø Refining and/or creating processes
š PrioritiseĀ and delegateĀ my teams' workload
šāāļø Reporting to stakeholders
š Cross-team collaboration
šØ Adept in creating and following brand guidelines
š§± Creating and maintaining shared design libraries
āæ Accessibility from a holistic point of view (including WCAG govt standards)
š¬Ā FacilitationĀ of 5-Day SprintĀ workshops
One of my favourite activities at FIQ wasĀ leading our weekly design team jams, where we brainstormed solutions to current projects and discussed any challenges we faced. If I sensed that the team neededĀ more guidance or support, I set up additional breakouts to address their needs.Ā In addition, I enjoyed identifying new opportunities through research, streamlining processes to improve outcomes and efficiency, and representing the design team in our company. My goal wasĀ to always keep our farmers' needs in mind and translate them into user-focused and easy-to-use solutions for our mobile and website applications.
Throughout my career, I have worked across a variety of platforms and sectors, including products, agencies, and the public sector. I have worked with a range of clients, from small businesses, start-ups, and not-for-profits to large organisations.
I love designing, and I have always been a creative person. My favourite design is information-driven, and for causes that make the world a better place. šš When Iām not working my full-time job Iām usually outsideĀ tramping, riding my bicycles, hanging out with animals, making pottery things, and gardening. š„¾š“āāļøš¦§š¦š³ššš¦ā°ļø
Technical Skills
ā¢ Figma & FigJam
ā¢ Dovetail
ā¢ Miro
ā¢ Adobe: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop
ā¢ Sketch
ā¢ Axure
ā¢ InVision
Other Skills
ā¢ Collaborative by default.
ā¢ Co-building Design Systems.
ā¢ Deep understanding of user personas and mindsets.
ā¢ Confident in utilising the jobs-to-be-done framework.
ā¢ Pass WCAG governmentĀ accessibility guidelines.
ā¢ Presenting to stakeholders and copy-wide events.
ā¢ Championing scrum agile.
ā¢ Sharp eye for detail in both type, layout, and brand identity.
ā¢ Strong illustration skills.
ā¢ Very self-motivated, but I also love teamwork.
