About me – Susana Galarza

I am a UX/UI Designer from Philadelphia. I love working in environments where honest feedback and diversity are encouraged from external customers and internal teams. I’m inspired by the humbling feeling of listening to users.

I’m committed to expand my library of knowledge and experiences to have more “dots” to connect for my next project.

In my spare time, you’ll find me hanging out with family and loved ones, looking for cool hikes around Philly, and finding ways to get back to Scotland.

Skills

Language
Fluent Spanish

Experience

Freelance UX/UI Researcher and Designer

Akamai Technologies, MA | 02/21 – Present

Collaborate with internal teams to develop custom design validation strategy, including moderated and unmoderated research methods, for a cloud provider
Lead research efforts to improve the experience of customers and internal teams
Collaborate with internal teams to identify and support research opportunities
Socialize findings to communicate the voice of the customer

Sr. UX Designer

Think Company, PA | 08/18 – 11/20

Clients: AmerisourceBergen, Comcast, Department of Defense, ADP, BioNews
Developed and lead moderated and unmoderated research strategy for Fortune 15 companies and government agencies
Worked with a team of 8 to conduct in-person contextual inquiries with over 90 participants in 6 states
Designed and tested wireframes for new processes

UX/UI Designer

SEI Investments, PA | 10/14 – 08/18

Create content for more than 65 online classes by collaborating with users, subject matter experts and instructional designers
Translate online class objectives into interface designs and learning workflows
Conduct usability and A/B testing to make class structure more accessible
Lead workshops to educate peers and managers on the importance of advocating for users

Content Strategist

Action Tank, PA | 7/18 – 01/19

Lead workshop for non-profit to identify clients, communication goals and strategies
Conduct content analysis and stakeholder interviews to discover business needs
Team up with a Philadelphia digital solution company to develop content strategy

Design Strategist and Illustrator

Oakland University, MI | 6/18 – 02/19

Design signature mascot (Canada goose) and series of poster for a campaign aimed at changing unhealthy alcohol and drug consumption norms
Collaborate with health coalition team, university staff, and students to develop and test campaign message and visual design

Graphic and Web Designer

SpecialtySpain, MI | 02/14

Developed sitemaps, wireframes and prototypes
Created brand identity for custom tour company
Defined user-centric content for website

Graphic Designer and Illustrator

Michigan State University, MI | 05/08 – 02/14

Designed award-winning cartoon characters for posters, table tents, t-shirts and social media
Developed strategies for a campaign aimed at changing unhealthy alcohol consumption norms
Campaign decreased extreme alcohol consumption by 20% for undergraduate students and 61% for graduate students

Graphic Designer

Nashville Symphony, TN | 01/11 – 10/11

Developed design standards for organization’s brand
Designed over 300 marketing materials including concert programs, magazine ads, billboards, annual reports, web banners and logos
Hired, trained and supervised junior graphic designer

Education

User Research Certification | Nielsen Norman Group | 04/18

M.S. in Communications Design | Pratt Institute | 05/10

B.A. in Advertising | Michigan State University | 12/06

Groups

Girl Develop It Philadelphia | In-person courses on HTML/CSS, WordPress, SEO, Accessibility, Command Line, and Vim | TA for Intro to Programming Concepts, and Intro to UX

Philly Content Strategy | Participated in Content Strategy clinic for Greensgrow – Philadelphia-based non-profit

Recognition

Pinnacle Award & People’s Choice Award Winner | Public Relations Society of America | 04/11

Featured in Communication Arts Magazine | Thinking in Systems, Design and Otherwise, Part 2 by DK Holland | 10/10