Make digital experiences echo in Human minds

*with proper Human Interface Design

Mary, do you remember me?

No I don’t. My name’s not Mary, it’s Lea. I’m a designer from Munich.

I make products that have an impact in the medical field, technology, and science. My favorite challenge is finding the right balance between pragmatism and innovation. I designed for companies like Carl Zeiss, Google, Interhyp and Cognostics, collaborated with agencies like UX&I and Ettrics, and also worked on moonshots and digital grounds related to arts and culture. Despite loving and being proud of my work, I dread the idea of fancy portfolios.

Why are you looking for Mary?


Work Sample: Experimental Knowledge Navigation
Experimental Knowledge Navigation

So, your second name is Mary?

Oh no. But you’re almost right, it’s the German name Marie. I lost this part of my name sometime in the nineties. I would have kept Mary, though. It was Shakespeare’s mother’s first name.

Now you have to choose one of the following:

Work

Counting Social

An app project that made me think about how social networks work. I learned a lot about the psychology of digitalised social interactions. Gamification was a cornerstone of the concept, so I started reading on the matter and soon discovered the works of Yu-kai Chou on Gamification and Behavioral Design. I was excited to apply this knowledge to create an app that users would become obsessed with.

Read on my social friend

I’m getting confused

Very good. Confusion can help make things more interesting and attention-drawing. It plays out nicely for creative purposes, and when you can assume that users come to a place to explore and discover information for the first time. Like a random designers portfolio. …

In other situations though, and especially when users are trying to get some very important task done, a confusing user experience can be neck-breaking for a could-have-been-successful product idea. My goal is to create frictionless and enjoyable experiences. A goal that starts with understanding who will use the product, under which circumstances and with what intentions.

You must make another decision now:

  • A) Click to read more about my design process
  • B) Download my sufficiently current PDF Portfolio
  • C) Stay here and scroll for Design Sprints & Design Systems

Mary likes Design Systems

So do I! I don’t know Mary, but I’m starting to like her as well.

I have worked with different sized Design Systems and learned that, no matter the size, it’s crucial to maintain focus. Design Systems are indispensable if you want to achieve a high level of consistency and product quality. But when they reach a specific size, they can develop some scary momentum and start growing like a savaged garden. Then system designers face a real challenge – they have to decide when to start pruning branches and do some weeding without hindering the natural development. A design system has to evolve and adapt to ever-changing requirements and feature scopes. It can be challenging to keep things consistent while supporting each new user journey with the best possible design solutions.

So if you need that, read more about:

A) what I do when working in design systems
B) AI-powered thoughts on complexity in general

Here’s a Mary. Are you happy now?

If not, let’s talk somewhere else. I’m running out of ideas here. These are your final options:

(^_−)☆

I play…

Minecraft, the piano, tennis, with polymer clay and Lego. One of those is a lie. Can you guess which?

(・∀・)ノ

I am a four (4w3)

Referring to the Enneagram, a system of personality typing that describes patterns in how people see the world. 

(╬ Ò﹏Ó)

I do not like…

Superficial, dishonest, close-minded, unempathetic, arrogant, chronically late people. And various sounds.

/(・ × ・)\

I have a life

A husband and two kids, no pets, and a strong need for quiet time. So better leave me alone. For real.