Lead UX Designer

Designing clarityacross complex systems

FOCUS
Whenworkflowssprawl,navigationtangles,andplatformsquietlycompetewiththemselves,somethingfeelsoff.That’swhereIstartpayingattention.
I’maUXdesignerandsystems-focusedthinkerwholistensclosely,studiespatterns,andhelpsteamsuntanglecomplexity.Myworkisaboutturningfrictionintoclarityandhelpingdigitalspacesfeelsimpler,steadier,andeasiertonavigate.

Where insight

Core Skills

User Research • Information Architecture • Interaction Design • UX Writing • Prototyping • Survey Design • Service Design

Methods

Design Thinking • Usability Testing • Card Sorting • Journey Mapping • Personas • Content Modeling

turns into action

TECHNOLOGY

Powered by

A curated set of research, design, prototyping, and collaboration tools that support evidence-driven decisions and scalable digital systems.

SELECTED TOOLS

a cross-functional tool stack

adobe
figma
drupal
github
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/Google_Antigravity_Logo.svg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/N8n-logo-new.svg
jira
loom
make
miro
notion
optimalworkshop
qualtrics
siteimprove
zendesk
NN/g UX Certification Badge
CERTIFICATION

Certified in UX research

through Nielsen Norman Group

I completed 30+ hours of advanced UX training, including a focused research specialty track and passing all associated exams. This coursework strengthened and formalized my research practice, expanding both methodological depth and strategic thinking.

The training emphasized connecting research rigor to real product decisions, reinforcing how analytics, qualitative insight, and operational structure work together to support scalable UX.

CASE Gold Circle of Excellence Award badge
RECOGNITION

Recognized for Excellence

by national award committees

Work I contributed to has earned national recognition. The UCSF Magazine website, where I led information architecture, conducted user interviews, and shaped user-tested navigation, was awarded the CASE Gold Circle of Excellence Award.

This award highlights the effectiveness of collaborative systems-thinking and a commitment to creating digital experiences that are both visually compelling and intuitively structured for complex audiences.

EXPERIENCE

Shaped through years

of research, design, and practice

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)December 2023 - Present

Lead UX Designer

San Francisco, CA (Remote)

  • Lead design system–level work for the enterprise Drupal platform, defining reusable patterns and standards across multiple sites.
  • Guide information architecture strategy through content audits, user needs analysis, and collaborative working sessions with clients.
  • Plan and run usability tests, card sorting studies, and user interviews that reveal patterns and inform design choices.
  • Design low and mid-fidelity wireframes and iterate based on qualitative and quantitative feedback.
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)October 2018 - December 2023

Service Designer

San Francisco, CA (Remote)

  • Supported digital and instructional teams by conducting user research to uncover needs of students and faculty.
  • Created wireframes, interface concepts, and visual design assets for web and instructional materials.
  • Help clarify user needs and pain points through interviews and observations, informing service improvements.
  • Provided user-centered evidence that shaped team conversations and strategic priorities.
IU Studios – University Communications and MarketingAugust 2017 - March 2018

Information Architect UX Intern

Bloomington, IN

  • Worked on information architecture for large university sites, shaping navigation and content structure.
  • Supported workshops, stakeholder sessions, and user research that informed project direction.
  • Built and refined site content using Cascade CMS, turning UX and IA decisions into production-ready pages.
SELECTED WORK

where the work

comes to life

01

This section holds both the work itself and the thinking behind it. Case studies, experiments, reflections, and the occasional strong opinion about how digital systems should behave.

Portrait of Anna

ABOUT

This is the part where I talk about myself.

I have always been drawn to the things most people never notice: the logic under the surface, the patterns that quietly guide you, the hidden decisions that make something feel “right” without announcing themselves. In another life, that meant memorizing art movement timelines and happily losing afternoons in dusty archives.

Now it means designing digital experiences that do not make you think twice. I care about the details a lot. The sort of lot you only notice when something feels unusually smooth. I like taking complex systems and giving them a shape people can actually move through. I like when a journey feels intuitive because every layer is in conversation with the next.

If something feels polished, it is because I fussed over it until it could stand on its own.

UX opinions I will defend, politely:

  • Clear is better than clever
  • “Learn more” is lazy
  • Content is design
  • Users hate scrolling = myth
  • It is not about how many clicks
  • UX is not graphic design

Things I enjoy:

  • A thoughtful Jira ritual
  • Digging in my garden
  • Well written documentation
  • Finding the perfect emoji
  • Categorizing things
  • Knitting, crocheting, and sewing
  • Hunting down thrift store gold

WHAT OTHERS SAY

Voices about my work

A few things collaborators and leaders have shared after working together on research, information architecture, and product decisions.

Thank you for getting the PAWS wireframes and requirements so clear. It removed so much confusion and helped the team be more strategically focused.

– UX/UI Developer

Enough about me

Let's talk about you.

© 2026 Made thoughtfully by Anna Kahrs. See, users do scroll.