After graduating in May 2025, I joined CAPTRS as a contract UX Designer, supporting a mix of digital and analog projects. CAPTRS creates game-based simulations to help organizations navigate real-world challenges like crisis response and strategic planning.

I was brought on to help unify their design language and improve how their brand and user experience translated across mediums.

I worked across web design, UI systems, board games, and marketing materials, ensuring a cohesive and scalable design approach.

• Designed in Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator

• Collaborated with a fully remote global team

• Maintained clear documentation, communication, and timelines

When I joined, design work was handled by a single designer, leading to:

• Repeated manual recreation of components

• Inconsistent layouts and styles

• No shared design system or reusable assets

This created inefficiencies and limited scalability as project demand increased.

I introduced structure and scalability by:

• Building a Figma component library for reusable design elements

• Expanding a flexible brand style guide across digital and print

• Applying enterprise-level design practices learned from Caterpillar Inc.

This established a foundation for consistent, efficient, and future-ready design work.

Working in a small, remote team meant owning end-to-end design:

1. Research first
    Understand goals, audience, and use cases before designing

2. System-driven design
    Use and expand the component library for consistency and speed

3. Iterate quickly
    Move from sketches → wireframes → high-fidelity mocks

4. Communicate constantly
    Share progress, decisions, and blockers across time zones

This approach ensured every design decision was intentional and scalable.

For website projects, I led research from start to finish:

• Conducted site audits (structure, content, analytics)

• Identified drop-off points and usability issues

• Ran stakeholder interviews to gather real feedback

Insights were compiled into a centralized research document that directly informed design decisions, ensuring solutions were based on user needs, not assumptions.

Focused on balancing clarity and engagement:

• Quick sketches and wireframes

• Exploration of layout, hierarchy, and flow

• Translating CAPTRS’s analytical + game-based identity into visual design

With a clear direction in place, I refined designs through focused feedback and rapid iteration:

• Shared work early to gather quick, actionable feedback from team members

• Adjusted layout, hierarchy, spacing, and navigation flows before high-fidelity

• Aligned designs with real use cases and stakeholder needs, not just visuals

• Leveraged the component library to iterate quickly while maintaining consistency

This stage ensured designs were validated, cohesive, and scalable before moving into final execution.

Using the component library, I created polished, scalable designs that:

• Modernized CAPTRS’s digital presence

• Improved navigation and usability

• Balanced credibility with creativity

The result was a cohesive visual system that works across both digital and analog experiences.

My work had both process and product impact:

• Built a 200+ component library, reducing repetitive work by ~10x

• Established a consistent, flexible design system

• Improved cross-team collaboration and efficiency

Most notably, this work contributed to the launch of the new CAPTRS website: captrs.org

Measured Results (monthly averages):

• +84% active users (536 → 984)

• +59% engagement time (49s → 1m 18s)

• 2x+ increase in events (4,328 → 9,124)

While not a perfect comparison, the data strongly indicates a more engaging and effective user experience.

Beyond deliverables, I helped position design as a strategic function within CAPTRS, supporting communication, organization, and storytelling.