hello, I'm Sierra
I design what happens after hello: the first tap, the next step, the reason you come back. Four years across startups and agencies taught me the same habits in both: work fast, ideate and prototype in quick rounds, keep stakeholders close, and build what I design with AI-assisted code.
I collaborate well and I am just as good alone. That is the duality of agency and startup work: trust me to deliver on my own, or with a team.
Nearly a decade of caregiving taught me to notice what a system misses long before I ever opened a design tool. That instinct is still the center of how I work: I start with the person and the problem, and let them shape the design.
hello, I'm Sierra
I design what happens after hello: the first tap, the next step, the reason you come back. Four years across startups and agencies taught me the same habits in both: work fast, ideate and prototype in quick rounds, keep stakeholders close, and build what I design with AI-assisted code.
I collaborate well and I am just as good alone. That is the duality of agency and startup work: trust me to deliver on my own, or with a team.
Nearly a decade of caregiving taught me to notice what a system misses long before I ever opened a design tool. That instinct is still the center of how I work: I start with the person and the problem, and let them shape the design.
Writing
Thought pieces.
Three pieces, published with IDEO, on designing for caregivers and the people they care for.
- 5 principles for easing the burden on caregiversFive principles for products and services that support the 63 million informal caregivers in the US.IDEO JournalFebruary 2026(opens in a new tab)
- Prototyping a personalized care plan for children with autismBiosensors, voice AI and affinity therapy to restore calm and self-control.IDEO EdgesJuly 2025(opens in a new tab)
- Opportunities in the hidden costs of caregivingFour pain points, from burnout to billing, where design can take weight off caregivers.IDEO JournalMay 2025(opens in a new tab)
Workshops, speaking and mentoring
Beyond the product.
I run workshops for clients and stakeholders, speak about design and care, and mentor designers at the start of their careers.
KeynoteRepEd Gala keynote
WorkshopHuman-Centered Design Biotech Workshop
Want a workshop, a talk or a mentor for your team?
Bring me inSkills
What I bring.
- Design
- Interaction designUX/UI designInformation architectureHuman-AI interactionPrototypingUsability testingAccessibilityService designWorkshop facilitationDesign strategyStakeholder managementUser researchDesign systems
- AI tools and practices
- LLMs (GPT, Claude)MidjourneyElevenLabsVeoAI-assisted development (Lovable, Cursor, Figma Make, Claude Code)
- Design tools
- FigmaFramerAdobe Creative SuiteNotionFigJam
- Methodologies
- Human-centered designSystems thinkingDesign thinkingService blueprintParticipatory research
Experience
Where I've worked.
Consulting and early-stage startups. At IDEO I bring clients and stakeholders to a decision in weeks. At a startup I own the product end to end with engineers, with no one to hand it to.
Promoted from fellow to senior in 16 months. I design zero-to-one AI products for global clients: an agentic AI device family unveiled at CES 2026, a human and AI member support platform for a Fortune 500 insurer, a first-time patient experience that decides when AI guides and when a clinician steps in, and a clinical trial app redesigned in a two-month sprint.
SkillsInteraction design, Prototyping, User research, Workshop facilitation
Siteideo.com
Founding designer at a pre-seed startup building Parkinson's care. I partnered with engineering to ship the company's website and the design system beneath it, 196 tokens and 11 components that meet WCAG AA. Now I'm designing onboarding, shared profiles and the clinician tools, and the pitch decks the founders use with investors.
SkillsDesign systems, Accessibility, Copywriting, AI-assisted development
Sitecoralum.ai
Sole designer for a two-sided marketplace connecting high school students with college mentors, leading web and mobile design from research through build with engineering. I redesigned the landing page from drop-off data, stakeholder interviews and conversations with mentors, cutting the bounce rate from 72% to 30% and helping recruit 48 mentors in the first year. I ran usability testing with students and mentors each round.
SkillsUX/UI design, User research, Usability testing, Stakeholder management
Sitenxstep.co
Building something and need a designer who ships?
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