Kate D’Anna • UX & product design portfolio
Lead UX & product designer creating user-centered products through research, strategy, & system-driven design
“Over the past five years working together, I’ve seen firsthand how efficient, detail-oriented, and deeply thoughtful she is — consistently delivering high-quality work at impressive speed. Kate quickly becomes a foundational contributor to any team or project she joins.”
— Jen Dadagian, Director of User Experience at Tank Design
I lead UX and product design projects from concept to launch, combining user research, IA, content strategy, and testing with advanced Figma library creation and AI prototyping to unify the experience.
I have shipped intuitive, accessible digital products for B2B, B2C, e-commerce, SaaS, and enterprise clients, leveraging LLMs and scalable design systems, to deliver intuitive, accessible digital experiences that drive business impact.
Featured case studies
-
![]()
Cruise line — account redesign
INTERVIEWS • WIREFRAMES • LANDSCAPE • TAXONOMY • IA & TREE TESTING
Overhauled the account and settings interface for both web and mobile platforms, streamlining user flows and consolidating features to enhance guest confidence and loyalty. Directed UX strategy, information architecture development, and conducted tree testing to establish a scalable, intuitive system.
-
![]()
EdTech platform — interactive modules
UX IDEATION • STAKEHOLDER ALIGNMENT • WIREFRAMING • DESIGN SYSTEMS • TESTING
Partnered with stakeholders to design and enhance numerous interactive learning modules for professional certificate programs, boosting learner engagement and accessibility across various disciplines and languages.
-
![A small dog with rich brown eyes stares at the camera]()
Pet retailer — Pet symptom checker
STAKEHOLDER COLLABORATION • USER FLOWS • DESIGN SYSTEMS • WIREFRAMING
With a national pet supply retailer, I led the redesign of a pet health blog and creation of a new pet health symptom checker.
-
![]()
Hotel careers site — information architecture
INFORMATION ARCHTECTURE • TREE TESTING • WORKSHOPPING • UX STRATEGY
Served as the UX architect for a global initiative, developing and refining a multilingual information architecture for a hospitality careers site spanning 13 countries and 6 languages. Employed tree testing, workshops, and stakeholder collaboration to validate a navigation structure that enhanced content discoverability and usability for a diverse user base.
-
![]()
EdTech platform — subject matter expert and instructor
INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN • WRITING • UX EXPERTISE • VOICE OVER
Acted as the UX subject matter expert for an inaugural in-house UX Design Professional Certificate, enhancing course materials, refining content, and producing instructional videos to effectively guide learners through the complete UX process.
Medium.com case studies
-
![Example discovery research board with findings in sticky notes]()
From Chaos to Clarity: My Framework for Untangling Complex UX Problems
-
![Tree test results for an UX hypothesis]()
Scaling IA Across Languages: A Case Study in Multilingual Usability
Designing the systems that power great experiences
Throughout my UX career, I’ve focused on improving efficiency and standardization—not to cut time or costs, but to create space for deeper exploration and better user experiences. By establishing clear processes and reusable frameworks, I’ve helped teams strengthen their strategy, elevate deliverables, and work with greater clarity and consistency.
“[Kate] has taught me so much about what it actually looks like to balance user needs with business objectives, not just say it out loud. She is endlessly meticulous and will demonstrably prove each conclusion she comes to — all in an intuitive and easily understandable way.”
— Noah C., Director of Marketing Services, Tank Design
What I bring
Core skills
User research: Leading discovery, primary and secondary research, accessibility and qualitative testing, landscape and competitive analysis.
AI design innovation: Leveraging LLMs and AI-powered prototyping, including Figma AI, Make, and Stitch, to build high-fidelity mobile and desktop concepts and synthesize complex research data.
Information architecture: Site mapping, taxonomy design, and tree testing.
Experience design: Wireframing, advanced prototyping, and interaction strategy.
Content & product strategy: Site strategy, content hierarchy, and UX writing alignment.
Scalable design systems: Core system creation, Figma component library development, WCAG compliant interfaces, documentation, and design governance.
Collaboration & consulting: Cross-functional alignment, workshop and stakeholder facilitation, mentoring, design and dev consulting, and agile workflows.
Selected projects highlighting UX & product design expertise
Career site redesigns & rebrands: Led end-to-end UX for multiple corporate sites, including research, IA, wireframing, testing, accessibility, and design system implementation.
AI-infused research synthesis: Utilized AI-powered analytical tools to accelerate the synthesis of complex qualitative and quantitative research data for global brands.
Ecommerce & travel redesigns: Directed large-scale redesigns, improving usability, conversions, and responsive experiences.
Enterprise site strategy & architecture: Developed site strategies, workflows, and scalable design systems aligned with user needs and business goals.
EdTech course design & instruction: Created instructional content and prototypes for a major learning platform, ensuring usability and accessibility.
Education
Certification: AI for UX design: DesignLab (LLMs, image models, research, UI).
Certification: Advanced Figma: DesignLab (design systems, components, variables, variants, styles).
Certification: Content strategy & information architecture: UC Berkeley Extension School
B.S.: Electronic Media, Arts & Communication: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Brands I’ve worked with
