Lift Up MKE
Lift Up MKE is a start-up that helps give women in the Milwaukee area access and support needed to thrive in the tech industry.
Role
UX Designer Intern responsible for the marketing of events, UX design/research, brand development, and working alongside stakeholders to gather and incorporate feedback that aligns with the business’ goals.
Accomplishments
Incorporate brand colors and styles to create a uniform and cohesive look/feel.
Utilized design principles to create effective, aesthetically pleasing, user centered designs
Increase social media interactions
Promote the company use SEO, targeted ads, and market research
Promote upcoming events
33%
Growth
Social Media and Branding
Starting
After meeting with the owners to discuss the feel and vision for their business brand, I was able to develop a style guide that not only compliments the company’s mission but also draws in their target users.
Design
2020 Hack-A-Thon Poster
Objective
During my internship, I was given the challenge to create a pitch deck that the company owners could use when presenting to potential sponsors.
Design Decisions
When designing the pitch deck for Lift Up MKE, I wanted to keep it consistent with their brand, so I made sure that colors and fonts followed their company style as well as choosing media that reflected their mission: To empower MKE Women in the Tech industry.
4X
Sponsor Increase
“Kayla did a fantastic job bringing forth her UX skills...She was able to apply best practices and produce wireframes that we will leverage on our site”
Discovery
Objectives
Ensure requirements set in the style guide are followed
Highlight and draw users’ eyes to key information
Incorporate an easy and efficient way to register for the event
Follow today’s design trends and best practices
Process
When starting the design of the poster, I first talked to the main stakeholders to get an idea of what they want to be presented and how it was presented. I found that they wanted to induce key elements such as
What the Hack-A-Thon was about
Who the target audience is
When and Where
An easy way to get more information about the event
With those ideas in mind, I developed a few mockups for stakeholders to provide feedback on. Within a couple iteration we were able to come to a final decision that proved to generate a response within their target audience.
Brand Development
Pitch Deck
Results
#1
Rated Hack-A-Thon in MKE
96%
Return Rate
Takeaways
This was my first internship experience and I have learned a lot, to say the least. Not just in my UX and professional skills, but also where I stand out personally. I learned that I am a great remote worker. I can hold myself accountable for work that needs to be completed. I also learned that I am a very self-sufficient worker. For example, I can figure out unexpected solutions to problems with relative ease.
“Some of her visuals were comparable to those I have seen professional visual designers at Google Produce”
Challenges
Challenges (AKA places to grow)
The biggest challenge I faced was being assigned projects that were not UX related. I struggled to find motivation and drive for these things since I did not see how it fit into my job descriptions. I also struggled with feeling confident that the work I was producing would not only meet but exceed the standards the company was hoping for.
It took a lot of work for me to overcome this challenge as well as multiple methods. I had to first adjust my mindset. I realized that all work I do in my job is important even if it not directly related to UX. This realization drove my motivation to put in my all even if I am not 100% confident.
Next, I had to work closely with the company founders in order to make myself feel confident in the work I was submitting. By talking and working closely with them, I felt like I had a deeper and better understanding of the issues they were facing and how they wanted them solved.