Crystal Ko

I graduated with a B.S. in Cognitive Science from University of California, Santa Cruz. Since then, I’ve had the privilege to work with clients on various design and research projects. I’ve had a variety of experiences and responsibilities with many different roles in the field of UX for over 5 years, from building my SaaS startup with a small team from the ground up as a UX Researcher (now a UX Designer) to designing an entire college portal from scratch.

I’m skilled in conducting user research, creating wireframes and prototypes, and conducting usability testing (moderated and unmoderated) to inform design decisions. I’m proficient in using industry-standard design tools such as Figma, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Since high school, I’ve been passionate about Psychology, so I’m really well-versed with the functions of the mind, including auditory and visual processing, attention and memory, face processing, and other cognitive processes. I’m able to effectively collect and analyze user research data and derive meaningful, actionable insights that could, then, be translated into user-friendly, innovative designs that meet the needs of diverse user groups.

Not only do I have strong UX research experience, but I also have strong general research experience as I’ve taken college research courses and was a research lab assistant in college. I’m willing to travel to occasionally to meet the team because I do enjoy working as a team in person.

During one of my most significant projects, I created an online college portal for Digital Worlds Institute from scratch, which required me to perform the following: think critically to evaluate user needs in a niche space, create designs based on those pain points and collaborate with stakeholders to highlight the key functionalities of the portal as well as its limitations. My experiences have matured and evolved my problem solving and organizational skills, empathy and creativity that make me well-equipped to design user-centric experiences that increase user satisfaction and drive business results at [Company]. Initially at my startup, I was responsible for researching the competitor landscape in the market of EHR softwares and conducting several usability tests. Now at my startup of 3 years, I am responsible for drafting low fidelity to high fidelity prototypes for both client and provider facing interfaces of the document storage feature. As an experienced UX Designer with a meticulous eye and a passion for creating engaging, seamless user experiences, I collaborated closely with cross-functional teams, built and maintained design systems and style guides/documentation, and made constant iterations based on feedback in order to streamline the design process in a fast-moving startup. My role as a UX Designer at my startup enables me to gain fruitful experiences working with engineers directly while also giving me an opportunity to advance my UI/UX designs that are suitable for both customer use and internal processes. 

I obtained a B.S. in Cognitive Science from University of California, Santa Cruz. After college and pivoting from my former career path, I pursued and completed a course in UX which provided 3 real company projects in the span of 6 months. I strongly attest that my secondary and post-secondary education equipped me with the necessary theoretical knowledge to pragmatically apply it in real world scenarios. For instance, a college course in research methods prepared me on how to particularly execute various qualitative research methods (eg. interviews, surveys, affinity mapping, usability
evaluations, etc.). I was also selectively nominated to be a peer notetaker for two courses: Cognitive Neuroscience, Face Recognition. With an educational background in Cognitive Science and a sturdy passion for UX, I am certain that I have the skills and qualifications necessary for successfully entering the workforce in the field of UX.