Hello! I’m a Senior User Experience Designer and Researcher.
I currently live in Chicago, IL, and work at Truss Works. You may have seen me before at Kin + Carta, Zappos.com, or Illinois Athletics.
My name is Madison Ross-Ryan (she/her/hers), and I design human-first, equity-centered experiences for mission-driven companies, government, and non-profits.
I think of design outside of any tool, medium, or practice. Design can be digital, but often is not. Every moment of our lives is designed to be the way it is, and I work to make those moments just a little bit better. I center my work around trying my very best to make everyday people’s lives easier, and do so through trauma-informed research and design.
I like to think through the consequences of what I design, both on an individual and societal level. My research is rooted in actively listening to the lived experiences of the humans I am speaking to, and ensuring their fingerprints can be felt in the work we co-design.
I have a background in visual design and technology consulting for both the public and private sector. I’ve also received a certificate in Social Innovation Design through Penn, and have spoken about Consequence Scanning at the Code for America Summit.
When I’m not designing in my day job you might find me snuggling with my corgi, Meatball, helping research with rapid-response teams with U.S. Digital Response, designing for local nonprofits with Code for Chicago, mentoring designers entering the field, or working on my personal travel blog.
Let’s stay in touch!
Experience
Truss Works, Senior User Experience Designer
November 2021 - Present // Remote
Led the design and development of a production-ready ServiceNow case management system for the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency by conducting 40+ user interviews across 20 insider threat hubs over 6 months.
Ensured the integration of user insights into roadmap development by examining insider threat discovery research findings, specifically by juxtaposing the number of pain points with the size and maturity of the insider threat hub.
Drove the creation of user stories for ServiceNow developers by: designing user flows and hundreds of low-fidelity wireframes based on user feedback, coordinating updates with product managers, and iterating weekly in an agile environment.
Kin + Carta, Senior UX Design Consultant
September 2021 - November 2021 // Chicago, IL
Received a 91% and 83% positive reaction over 102 tested users on a redesigned landing page and custom-built animations for a Fortune 500 mobile banking bill pay feature by utilizing discovery research insights and evaluating iterations over 8 months.
Previous roles with Kin + Carta included:
UX Design Consultant, Service Design & Strategy
February 2019 - September 2021 // Chicago, IL
Created a positive impact on the global UX community by volunteering with a Nairobi-based non-profit, Internet of Elephants, to conduct concept, field, and beta testing at the Lincoln Park Zoo and in Kenya for a conservation mobile game.
UX Design Analyst
August 2017 - February 2019 // Chicago, IL
Collaborated with developers, product managers, and client stakeholders to save Rockwell Automation 3 million hours a year by digitizing a repair and order center as part of the responsive web platform, myRockwellAutomation.
UX Design Intern
June 2017 - August 2017 // Chicago, IL
Uncovered and solved 6 main user pain points for a Fortune 500 credit card company’s in-person acquisition process by researching and designing a conversational UX progressive web application prototype in 10 weeks.
Zappos.com, Visual Design Intern
June 2016 - August 2016 // Las Vegas, NV
Contributed to the overall brand experience of Zappos.com by designing emails, site images, and event branding.
Selected to be one of thirty company summer interns, of which only 2 were placed in Visual Design.
Fighting Illini Athletics, Graphic Design Intern
September 2015 - May 2017 // Champaign, IL
Assisted Creative Director and Webmaster in creating digital and print designs for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Athletics; Proficiency required in Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign; Worked with coaches and Communication department to promote sports teams
UX Designer, Underground Unicorn Program @ University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
August 2016 - May 2017 // Champaign, IL
Selected as group of students to create new program partnering Graphic Design with Computer Science at UIUC; Took Computer Science courses and collaborated on new technologies, including an entire semester designing for virtual reality
Education
University of Pennsylvania
Executive Program for Social Innovation Design (XSD)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graphic Design Major, Communication Minor
Speaking
University of Illinois UX Days March 2024
Pathways to Impact: Navigating Civic Tech Careers
Code for America Summit May 2023
Lightning Talk on Consequence Scanning
Volunteering
U.S. Digital Response, Engagement Volunteer Mar 2024 - Present
Research design intervention potential in a rapid-response team serving a critical government agency.
Code312, UX Design Lead Feb 2021 - Present
Engaged in the local community by serving as lead UX Designer to support an equity-based non-profit’s website and design system, utilizing a custom-built content management system and Figma.
Second Day, Coding it Forward Fellowship Facilitator June 2022 - August 2022
Supported the junior civic tech community by coaching a group of 12 civic technology fellows placed in government agencies teaching them lessons on prioritization techniques, consulting skills, and the landscape of government career paths.