USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN/
PRODUCT OWNER
My involvement with Yello Strom - both freelance and permanent - has allowed me to grow into a variety of roles. It has shaped my understanding of agile work and customer focus.
DESIGNER WITH A CURIOUS MIND AND A PASSION FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND AGILITY
I’m an experienced designer (KISD, Germany) and certified design manager (UAL, UK) with a background in UX design, product ownership, and design research.
Driven by a deep curiosity for people, systems, and the dynamics of change, I bring user insights into agile teams and lead collaborative design processes.
With many years of experience in corporate environments, I have gained a thorough understanding of how organizations function – including their structures, cultures, and interpersonal dynamics. Since 2018, I’ve been working independently, choosing projects that challenge me and environments that inspire me.
DESIGN IS PERSONAL
Two places I deeply connect with have shaped my work and life: Cologne, my vibrant hometown in Germany, and Johannesburg, South Africa, which has become a consistent second home.
Regularly spending time in South Africa has expanded my outlook on culture, communication, design, and the human experience. This perspective allows me to adapt quickly, collaborate effectively across diverse contexts, and contribute with strategic clarity and cultural sensitivity – skills I bring into every collaboration.
SKILLS
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User Centered Testing und Design Methods
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Agile Mindset
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Scrum Framework
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Moderation- und Communication Skills
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Customer Focus
MY VALUES AND BELIEFS
I strongly believe in the scrum process. It provides clear guidance to the individual's role and responsibilities as well as a timeframe in which things need to get done. From my experience, these ground rules enable everyone to flourish freely and strive to their best.
I am highly pragmatic, and I like to get s*** done! ‚Minimum viable' is a motto not only suitable for professional problems. It's valid for life in general – stay on top of your game and keep improving along the way.
Why I love what I do? User-Centered Design and iterative development need openness for mistakes and curiosity to learn new things again and again. Learning by doing. It is a privilege to be able to experience this every day!
USER TESTING
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
SIDE HUSTLES
WAYAWAYA
I am passionate about everything lean/agile/design! When I visited Zambia last year, I decided to collaborate with a little handbag workshop in Livingstone.
I came back a few months later to spend ten days and introduce scrum tools and processes to the small business. The collaboration will continue in 2019; we’re planning to do a design research project to inform the design of future products.
CLASSICAL PILATES CERTIFICATION
Sport has always played a significant role in my life. I now stepped up my game and became a Certified Classical Pilates Instructor. This experience has been expanding my mental comfort zone significantly.
BERUFSERFAHRUNG
04/2016–06/2018 // PRODUCT OWNER BESTANDSKUNDENPORTALE Yello Strom GmbH (festangestellt)
04/2014–04/2016 // USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER Yello Strom GmbH (freiberuflich + festangestellt)
2012–2013 // USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER Cologne Systems GmbH (freiberuflich)
2010 // DESIGN MANAGEMENT denkwerk GmbH (freiberuflich)
2010 // DESIGN RESEARCH & DESIGN STRATEGIE Studio MEM (freiberuflich)
2010 // WISSENSCHAFTLICHE MITARBEIT University of Applied Sciences Wuppertal (freiberuflich)
2008-2009 // DESIGNERIN denkwerk GmbH (festangestellt)
2006-2008 // DESIGNERIN & PROJEKTMANAGERIN yellow design | yello circle (festangestellt)
2001-2006 // JUNIOR ART DIRECTOR Oevermann Networks GmbH (festangestellt)
WHAT I FIND MEANINGFUL
I want to support companies in developing (new) products in the sense of the circular economy. It's my goal to redirect consumption to a sustainable future that preserves our habitat instead of destroying it.
POSITIVE THINGS TO SAY ABOUT MYSELF
I have a passion for working with human beings to understand their needs and thinking. I‘m happy to explore new spaces, learn and understand different cultures, contexts, and people.
Working in an interdisciplinary agile development team has taught me a solution-focused and delivery-driven style of work and what ‚real‘ teamwork is. I also learned how to communicate openly and how to give and receive feedback.
When I asked my former colleagues for personal feedback, these were the things they said: curious, challenging the status quo and thrilling when it comes to trying new things, calm and chilled at times of pressure, empathy, and a sympathetic ear for fellow human beings.
NOT SO POSITIVE THINGS TO SAY
I was also told to improve negotiation skills and say ‚no‘ to things more often. I learned that I let my environment know and feel if I’m not happy with circumstances, processes, or outcomes.
I still need to practice setting boundaries. It would be helpful to practice letting go and learn how to compromise for a more significant cause. The two things seem to contradict themselves — but I guess that’ll be part of the challenge.