Hey there, it's Melissa! We may have met on the homepage.

Melissa is wearing a short sleeved black collared shirt. She is smiling at the camera.

I'm a user-focused product designer dedicated to building digital products that are scalable and inclusive. I achieve this through empathy, usability tests, user research, and atomic design systems that prioritize accessibility.

I'm currently a Senior Product Designer at Headway Product Studios. Our mission is to help enterprise and start-up clients get their digital products to market and stay there.

Headway is passionate sharing our design knowledge. That's exactly why we launched Shipwright Academy. (Don't miss my video on Accessibility in Your Design System! 😉)

In my own time, I love mentoring the next generation of designers to help them be the best they can be over on ADPList.

My Values

Constructive Feedback

When it comes to feedback, I strive to make it crystal-clear, specific, and constructive, providing actionable suggestions for improvement.

Collaboration

Collaborating and working together as a team propels us toward extraordinary outcomes. By harnessing diverse perspectives we can solve problems.

Inclusivity & Accessibility

Everyone, regardless of their background or limitations, should have the opportunity to immerse themselves in great design.

Continuous Learning

I prioritize learning by staying informed, attending conferences and workshops, and exploring different approaches in my design process.

Disagree and Commit

Having different opinions and perspectives is natural. The key is to listen, respectfully disagree, and commit with a shared understanding of goals.

Be Kind

It's easy to get caught up in deadlines and deliverables, but behind every project are people. Kindness creates an environment where everyone can do their best work.

Resources

UX Audit eBook

I'm excited to share that I made a valuable contribution to the UX Audit ebook!

Download eBook

Shipwright Course

Learn Design Systems basics. Be sure to catch my video on accessibility.

View the Course

Mentoring

Book a Session

Articles

In addition to my personal writing on Medium, I've made contributions to the Headway blog.

View Headway Blog

Kind Words

"It's been great working with Melissa on [client] this week. Even though it's been such a short timeframe, Melissa has been so helpful throughout the week with anything I might need or for her feedback and direction for alignment on the UX Audit and the build of the UI Kit (especially design patterns, UI). Melissa is great at communication and super supportive..."

"Melissa has consistently provided [client] with an exceptional customer experience. She's been very organized, inclusive of their unique needs, and has approached each step in our design process with care. Over the course of the engagement she's led meetings and workshops with both confidence & finesse..."

"Melissa has really provided an excellent experience for the team at [client]. Her audit is detailed and her recommendations are thoughtful. Great job!"