Betty Hensellek, PhD
Researcher / Designer
work

process

about
resume

Insights into my Design Thinking

foundations
expertise
inspiration
background

Foundations

Experience and Qualifications

My 10+ years of work experience as a researcher and designer means that I can effectively plan, research, execute, manage, and disseminate projects, ranging from concise single-week assignments to complex multi-year ventures.

I am skilled in end-to-end design, including:

01. UX Research

User, business, and competitor research; research ops and data management; user typologies, journey maps, and user stories; information architecture and taxonomies

02. UX and UI Design

Lo-Fi wireframing and Hi-Fi prototyping; design ops, design systems, and style guides; icon design and illustrations; usability testing

03. Measurement

Profiles and scorecards; customer satisfaction measurement and trend tracking; implementation plans and roadmapping

04. Strategy and Comms

Planning goals and objectives; leading teams and tasking out work; guiding collab sessions and facilitating workshops; documenting and presenting work at various stages

My primary design tool is Figma, but I am likewise proficient in Adobe software and love learning new tools that aid both the research and design process. I work well in agile environments where I can communicate with my team and document my workflow through tools such as Jira and Confluence. I can present data-driven research coupled with compelling designs to both internal team members and external stakeholders.

screen shots while working on the DogDiscovery team

Design Principles

01. Research

results of user and product research should always inform and be reflected in the design

02. Context

context of a specific product or service should shape the decisions within the design process

03. Structure

regardless of the product, goal, or aesthetic, the design should follow a logical (i.e. user-tested) framework and its elements should be consistent

Values

I am am strong advocate for continued learning throughout one’s life, especially in this field of technology where novel ideas, skills, and tools are multiplying ad infinitum. I am likewise passionate about teaching and mentoring the next generation of researchers and designers.

Having traveled and researched in over 40 countries, I am particularly enthusiastic about initiatives that facilitate cross-cultural communication. Furthermore, growing up in a bilingual immigrant family, I am devoted to working on projects that are accessible to diverse audiences both in terms of design and content.

Expertise

Specialization in Design Systems

I am passionate about researching, building, and maintaining design systems, including style guides for visual design and sticker sheets for icons, illustrations, interactive elements and components.

As an expert in the history of art and design, I believe that all UI design choices should be intentional. Design decisions need to be deeply intertwined with both UX and product research.

Furthermore, I love making workflows more efficient and practice atomic design system principles. I take full advantage of tools that aid with the automatization and consistency of responsive component building, notably utilizing Figma's Component + Instance, Auto Layout, and Variant features.

Mini Case Study: My Portfolio

Being a designer to a T, I indeed sketched my portfolio website, drew lo-fi wireframes and then built a prototype. I devised a design system that would represent my work cohesively and brand all of my professional documents.

designing portfolio website on Figma

screen shot while working on my portfolio's design in Figma

design system for typography for portfolio website

my typography decision is based on: 1) accessibility: all are open source on Google Fonts 2) women-designed: as a woman designer, I highly value this attribute as one that could best represent me & my work

design system for grids for portfolio website

the grid, sizing, & spacing system is built around a 6px base; relationships are created using either halves or thirds, depending on the element

design system for color for portfolio website

color choice is a long-standing personal favorite combination of split complementaries. The subtle olives, bright turquoise, & deep cyan palette paint my sacred natural space: the forest. The deep red-orange, on the contrary, sparks a strong CtA, if needed.

Inspiration

Interconnecting the Past and Present

My paths to creative inspiration are intertwined with my love for the history of art and design. Though my creativity can be sparked by work in the modern digital world, it most often emerges from encounters and experiences in the physical world.

Everything we create today– whether a museum, mug, meme or microchip– is built on past design systems. Absolutely nothing within our visual environment was or will ever be created ex nihilo. Thus, I am endlessly exploring historical, cultural, and biological interconnections through time and across space.

Background

Education

My formal education has led me think more critically, research more thoroughly, design more creatively, and communicate more effectively.

I earned my PhD in the history of art and design from Cornell University (2013-2020). There I undertook research, interpreted data, & disseminated results through presentations & publications. My doctoral dissertation was about premodern fashion design systems across Central Asia and Iran. I won over $250k in research funding based on both project designs and qualifications, including fellowships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017-2019).

I received my MA in art history and archaeology from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (2011-2013). There I gained my broad knowledge of the history, theory, and criticism of art and design across time and space.

I received my BFA in studio art and my BA in art history from the College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning, University of Cincinnati (2006-2011). There I built a solid foundation for creating within 2-dimensional spaces, alongside how to approach decision-making processes.

left to right: presenting new research about premodern fashion design for a conference at Cambridge University; studying the design of ancient rock sculpture in the Fars Province of Iran; studying an ancient Iranian plate at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (PS. I made this blouse & embroidered the plate’s image onto it for a museum event!)

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