Hey there, I’m Kim!

I’m obsessed with:

  • Crafting intentional experiences

  • Identifying simple solutions to complex problems

  • Incorporating accessible design practices

  • Collaborating with internal experts: Data scientists, Engineers and Developers, Sales Reps, etc.

Headshot of Kim Ellsworth, wearing tortoiseshell glasses and a plaid button up.

My experience is focused on in designing for experiences that surface actionable insights for data rich software, typically serving high-skilled users.

My portfolio is undergoing iterative updates, so please excuse the mess!

There may be some oddities depending on what day and time you happen to be lurking.

A little about me….

Industry Experience

I’ve wiggled pixels around in Cybersecurity, AI, Financial tools, Education, Non-Profits, Construction, E-Commerce

Things I do

User Research

I translate real user behavior into actionable insights through thoughtful research planning, interviews, and usability testing. In research, my goals are to bring clarity to complexity and ensure the user stays at the heart of every design decision by marrying their needs to business goals.

Ideation + Design

I design with a responsive mindset, in both screens and strategy. From rapid ideation to polished prototypes, I flex across fidelity levels to deliver experiences that adapt, scale, and delight (no breakpoints needed).

Design System Tuning

I build, contribute, and iterate om scalable, component-based design systems to bring structure, consistency, and trust to the customer. Bridging the gap between design and development helps teams can move fast without breaking things (or stylesheets).

Places I’ve Been

Merit America, Vectra AI, Ally, Perficient, Tailoru LLC, Wherewithal LLC, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor)

Logo for the business "Wherewithal"

Examples of my work

Vectra AI

Increased adoption of the Auto Lockdown feature by allowing users to easily configure multiple Active Directories.

SaaS | Desktop-First | Feature Impact Analysis | High-Fidelity Wireframes + Prototypes | Usability Testing

Screenshot of VECTRA software's Settings tab focusing on External Connectors, showing Active Directory integration status and options to add directories, with a list of three Active Directory entries indicating connection status and account details.

Case Study 90% complete

Perficient

Conducted a UX/UI Assessment to recommend and prioritize experience improvements.

E-commerce | Desktop| Heuristic Analysis | User Research | Mid-Fidelity Wireframes + Prototypes

Two mid-fidelity wireframes. One displays a sales page layout with products stacked vertically. The other is a dashboard displaying jobsite and equipment notifications, service requests, and dashboards.

Ally

Designed and released a net New feature for car dealerships to manage the lease return process.

SaaS |Desktop + Mobile | High-Fidelity Wireframes + Prototypes | Accessibility Annotations

Screenshot of an online vehicle insurance quote from Ally, showing a $9,000 dealer inventory price, dated 08/07/2022, with details about the vehicle, account, credits, mileage, return date, and quote date, along with options to purchase, resell to Lessee, lease return, and all options, and a checkbox confirming reading and agreement.

Case Study in Progress

Uncommon Good

Supported an early stage start up in defining market opportunities and feature prioritization.

SaaS | Competitive Research | Heuristics Analysis

Multiple presentation slides with topics related to sweepstakes, donations, and emerging themes. One slide titled 'Legitimacy of Sweepstakes' with color-coded notes, another with themes like 'Big donation' and 'Social seeding,' and a third with 'Enter to Win / Reward for Donating' and colored sticky notes.

Case Study in Progress

Kind words from colleagues