Mc Kenna Sowers

As the sole UX Designer with Libum, my role is to develop a company-wide foundation for UX principles and draft achievable action steps. I am currently refining the corporate website to meet WCAG accessibility standards and streamline key user interactions. To establish a focused approach to creating human-centered products, I regularly collaborate with cross-functional teams and seek peer feedback. I am also responsible for outlining the company branding boards and CSS markdown guidelines.

I redesigned Leadr's educational module within its web app to improve the overall ease of use and enhance its user interface. Focus areas included utilizing Figma to prototype and wireframe, defining and streamlining key user actions, minimizing clicks, updating UI elements, and accomplishing WCAG compliant improvements. To support these initiatives, I led several cross-functional team ideation and design consistency sessions. I partnered with fellow teammates to ensure that the designs met the highest quality development, testing, accessibility, and branding standards.

I led the design process for a web application that connects students with donors to help close the educational funding gap (expected launch date Summer 2022). In July 2021, our team launched Choreista, a mobile application that matches teens with odd jobs in their communities. For each project I've relied heavily on Figma to build the wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes and implement team feedback. I have also conducted in-depth research to analyze and refine the information architecture for streamlined user interactions. Our diverse team of software developers have worked closely with stakeholders to ensure efficient, user-centered products.

Working part-time as a barista allowed me to wholeheartedly pursue a UX Design certification and recent project opportunities as I build towards my career. When not flexing my design skills, this role has taught me how to craft meaningful connections within my community, efficiently multitask, and practice professionalism under pressure.

As a Spanish tutor, my aim was to provide personalized support to students needing to sharpen their language skills. Ranging from beginning to advanced levels, I worked with students one-on-one or in small groups settings. Responsibilities included creating personalized lesson plans and short/long term study guides, providing skill checks, and helping with test preparation. It was incredibly rewarding to invest into my students' education and personal goals, while encouraging the value of language learning. The experience also challenged me to continually grow my knowledge and communication skills.

I had the unique privilege to partner with WindAid Institute as a Communications and Social Media Intern for six months. My role included social media management (researching analytics and drafting new social media strategies), writing articles and web content, creating email marketing campaigns, graphic design, and photography. I conducted several important design projects such as redesigning the WorldWind newsletter, creating fresh social media graphics, and illustrating event posters. I used the Adobe Creative Suite (InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop) on a regular basis to make these projects come to life. All efforts supported the organization's commitment to providing sustainable wind energy to local communities without access to traditional grid electricity.

As a Customer Service Representative, I learned the importance of friendly customer care and maintaining positive client relations. My principal duties involved answering phone calls, replying to emails, and overseeing office walk-ins in a timely fashion. As the main point of contact at the Kirkland satellite office, I managed client consultations for personalize project support. Additional responsibilities included social media management, writing exciting blog posts and website content, designing graphics, and drafting email marketing campaigns. This position introduced me to the Adobe Creative Suite and variety of fine art printing processes.

For four consecutive summers (8 weeks, June-August) I worked as an Assistant and Head Tennis Coach for the City of Kirkland's sports day camp. I worked with children from the ages of 7-15 years old. Responsibilities included creating daily lesson plans, assessing skill levels, and maintaining the safety of campers, team members, and equipment. Each summer I gained an active teaching experience while working in a team-centered environment.