hi, I’m Nicole. I ask
ok, but why?
enough to drive everyone mad, myself included. but i’ve found the most interesting questions are always a few layers deeper than what’s on the brief.
it started with?
a degree in Industrial Design, minor in International Affairs. design thinking set me up well to dig into problems; four years of structured observation, user immersion, and figuring out how systems work before proposing how to change them.
the International Affairs minor hinted at something that would later become apparent; that I’ve always been more interested in the people, cultures, and systems than just the objects around us…
I graduated and promptly joined a sports tech startup in the UK, which is either a logical next step or a completely random one, depending on your perspective. me and my shelves would never have believed it.
learning the ropes in product/ux/ui design
I was on the tools (Adobe, Sketch, Figma) learning fast; I was attempting to code. my mentors were patient.
at Indeed, I got to operate at real scale: designing for millions of job seekers across global markets, collaborating with product, engineering, behavioral science, and data science.
at a consulting firm in the UK, I was working across product and experience design for clients in healthcare, retail, financial services, media. but often on projects, the briefs provided didn’t give me the full picture, and I craved a deeper understanding of why I was being asked to change certain patterns without clear reasoning
zooming in to qualitative research programs
I sidestepped into research and it turned out that I was good at asking questions. while with the NHS, I designed and ran qualitative research programs; visited hospitals, libraries, student unions; discovering ways to improve the NHS app, especially around appointment booking flows.
spending lengths of time with the real humans behind the data was formative. I developed the patience and dedication to pause in conversations rather than predict outcomes. I listened not just for the cognitive but also emotional reality of navigating a healthcare system like that, and allow their truths to emerge.
by the end of this period, I'd stopped thinking of research as a step in the design process, but as the foundation
zooming out to service design, strategic thinking with a systems lens
at SPARCK, my work shifted again into service design and strategic roadmapping.
one client, BP Chargemaster, wanted to become Britain's most digitally savvy EV charging provider. we recruited drivers from online forums, attended the UK's biggest EV event, and drove and charged an EV ourselves on a fun auto-ethnography excursion
the best part was talking to the passionate early-adopter electric vehicle fanatics - what was their vision of the future for cars in the UK? well, for one, there should be a coffeeshop at every charging spot.
at Vivaldi, I led discovery and research for Cognizant's brand repositioning; stakeholder and customer interviews, 8 persona archetypes, journey maps across 7 phases of B2B vendor selection, and two co-design workshops with ~16 key stakeholders.
the main question was: how can a company get taken seriously in rooms it hasn't been invited into before? by being bold, apparently.
content strategy, information architecture and client management
at Flight Digital in Auckland, an innovative marketing agency, the scope got wider. I was leading end-to-end engagements
each client came with surface-level asks to revamp their website communications. but i asked deeper questions of the clients; what’s going on, underneath, spurring this transformation? what are you actually trying to say, to whom, and what do those people need from this experience before they'll trust you enough to take the next step?
on the surface, we were tasked with translating a culture of outrageous hospitality into a digital experience that works for two very different audiences: wholesale partners (cafes, restaurants) and direct consumers (you and me). I led workshops, developed user journeys, and built the site structure.
but underneath, there was a deep relationship-building process that happened in-person, over coffees, morning after morning. Allpress sales teams target ideal cafe’s they want to partner with, and consistently show up and get to know the owners over months, even years. not something that shows up on the website, but important to know. the real question became how we keep the soul of a relationship-based brand legible to someone who doesn't already know them.
on the surface, our ask was to transform an outdated site into a fundraising platform for an international child protection NGO, aligning brand storytelling for trust
but underneath, the biggest conversion barrier wasn't skepticism about the cause; it was ambiguity about how each dollar was spent. after many interviews, it was clear that donors want to believe their contribution reaches someone specific. the site needed to close that gap not by making bigger emotional claims, but by making the path more transparent; Oxfam incorporated cleared destination tracking for each dollar spent after discovering those insights
on the surface, we helped shift Whanganui's economic development site from a tourism-heavy narrative to a credible platform for business investment and relocation. discovery and alignment workshops shaped the strategic narrative and site structure
but underneath, the organisation was shifting into an unknown area and wanted to make sure that there was room for growth and flexibility. we worked with the team to tactfully articulate what it the organization actually is today, while leaving room for the inevitable shifts that would happen in the coming years
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa (website in development)
on the surface, we were tasked with helping evolve a gay men–focused health site into an inclusive digital space reflecting the full LGBTQIA+ community that the organisation now serves. after many 1-1 interviews, discovery workshops, journey mapping, IA, content strategy and UX, the team has landed on a refreshed UI/brand look and the website is in development
but underneath, the org was navigating a huge identity shift - as well as lots of internal political change management as well. the gay-men community it traditionally has served makes up the foundation of their audience, but the message that ‘everyone's welcome’ needs to come through in the coming 5-10 years as the services Burnett Foundation is offering is transforming. how do we talk to everyone? it had to demonstrate through whose voice led, whose stories were centered, and what language was used.
and in my own time:
I’ve worked as a writer, producer and art director on indie features, short films, music videos, commercials and other visual storytelling projects…
art direction & production showreel
Not Your Type feature film (pre-production; March 2027 Wilmington, NC) - instagram
The Balloon short film
Kid You’re Free music video
On The Run music video
Holy Ghost short film
Sunrise Song director’s treatment
I also tell personal and true stories at Moth events, and share more of myself on my substack, Nico's Place.