How might we
co-create with

compassion?

co-create (verb): to make something in collaboration with one or more.

compassion (noun): the emotion when a person is moved by the suffering of another and the desire to relieve it.

Oxford English Dictionary

A successful experience design consultant with brown hair, wearing glasses and a white cardigan, smiling outdoors during golden hour with sunlight filtering through trees in the background.

I’m an Experience Designer developing efficient and enjoyable products and services for clients, customers, and colleagues.

Collaborations

Everyone wins when solutions are co-created with compassion from start to end.


Healthcare • Nonprofits • Passion Projects • Small-Medium Startups • Large Corporations

Case Studies


Helping members find their trusted providers and prescriptions to Retain

Laptop screen displaying a webpage titled 'Find Your Providers' on the Gravie platform, showing search fields for provider type, name, specialty, zip code, and radius.

Company: Gravie
Product: Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement (ICHRA)
Users: Subscribers of employer-sponsored healthcare plans offering ICHRA.

Opportunity: How might we ensure ICHRA subscribers understand their current care coverage compared to new healthcare offerings during Open Enrollment (OE)?

Outcome: Created provider and prescription search tools to help 7,000+ members determine if their health needs were covered in future plans.


Creating Convenience to Member Verification for continued care

Computer screen displaying a webpage titled 'Eligibility & Benefits Search' by Gravie, with a form to enter member ID, date of birth, and date of service, and buttons labeled 'Search' and 'Clear'.

Company: Gravie
Product: Eligibility & Benefits Search Tool
Users: Providers and administrative staff.

Opportunity: How might we streamline member eligibility verification for providers and administrative staff?

Outcome: Reduced 31% of provider call volume the first week of launch by designing a secure public-facing search tool.


Designing Game Play to strengthen connections and build networks

Box for 'Test Your Connection' game featuring cartoon characters engaging in a game, with a yellow background and colorful design.

Company: Test Your Connection
Product: Tabletop Board Game
Users: Family and friends ages 10+

Opportunity: How might we discover new relationships or deepen current connections?

Outcome: Grew 275% web traffic in Q1 through organic traffic and developed an efficient AI business operation model to reduce production cost at ~50%.

Learn more soon!


Building a sustainable business operation From Seed to Sale

Screenshot of a website and photos of a pickle and soy sauce jar at a market stand. The website promotes pickled foods and has sections for about us, FAQs, contact, and online ordering. The market stand displays jars of pickled jalapenos and soy sauce pickled jalapenos, with signs indicating prices and product features.

Company: pickled :palate
Product: Original + Soy Sauce Pickled Jalapeños
Users: Individuals seeking to add flavor to their food.

Opportunity: How might we increase brand awareness to scale product demand?

Outcome: Developed a successful multi-touchpoint business strategy resulting in selling out the first three events and being featured twice on the local WCCO news channel.

Learn more soon!

Archived

  • Establishing high Value Partnerships to provide high quality care

    Company: CareFirst
    Service: Provider Network Partnerships
    End Users: Providers who contract with CareFirst

    Opportunity: How might we understand the end-to-end provider experience to collaborate more effectively?
    Outcome: Identified specific multi-provider nuances to create equitable contracts and renewals.

  • Creating Member Confidence In The Explanation of Benefits (EOB) Doc

    Company: CareFirst
    Product: Explanation of Benfits (EOB)
    End Users: Subscribers and dependents of CareFirst healthcare plans.

    Opportunity: How might we elevate this consumer touchpoint to improve the comprehension on healthcare services received?
    Outcome: Saved $3 million dollars in customer service by highlighting document type, health services, and financial responsibility.

  • Exploring the expansion of Alternative Medicine in Care Coverage + Delivery

    Company: Gravie
    Product: Alternative Medicine Supplemental Health
    End Users: Subscribers of employer-sponsored healthcare plans.

    Opportunity: How might we expand traditional healthcare coverage and make it affordable?
    Outcome: Determined people’s willingness to spend $30 to $36 for a supplemental health plan.

  • Empowering Members to Make Quality + Cost-Effective Choices

    Company: Gravie
    Product: Personal Healthcare Map
    End Users: Subscribers of employer-sponsored healthcare plans.

    Opportunity: How might we guide people to affordable care that fit their needs?
    Outcome: Developed a prototype to enable members to make smarter healthcare choices with coordinated care options, transparent cost, and direct provider communication.

  • Data Served Online by Stirring Up Food for Community Feedback

    Client: Marnita’s Table
    Product + Service: Big Book of Everything + Intentional Social Gatherings (IZIs)
    End Users: Sponsors and people in the community

    Opportunity: How might we make insights from IZIs accessible with participants and clients?
    Outcome: Developed a software based template to share information and continue to collect data to further deepen research needs.

  • A Community Effort to Leave No Elder Behind

    Client: Friends & Co (Formerly known as Little Brothers, Friends of The Elderly)
    Service: Senior Companionship
    EndUsers: Seniors who are interested in finding social connections and volunteers who want to help contribute their time.

    Opportunity: How might we help reduce elder isolation in Longfellow neighborhood?
    Outcome: Developed cost-effective ways to drive engagement through simple formats such as mail and online referral submission.

  • Bringing awareness to Subconscious behavior patterns to reduce Harmful habits

    Client: HabitAware
    Product: Keen End
    End Users: People with body-focused repetitive disorders (BFRD).

    Opportunity: How might we add personalization to help members reduce harmful habits?
    Outcome: Developed personal notification prompts to add context to behavioral patterns associated with activities, environments, and mental states to identify triggers.

Reviews

Top 3 Skills Endorsed on LinkedIn: Leadership, Communication, + Teamwork


Silhouettes of five people holding umbrellas casting shadows on a wet surface with scattered colored leaves.
    • “What sets Ngoc apart is her ability to think holistically about design challenges. She carefully considers each project, ensuring that her solutions not only delight users but also align with strategic goals. I can say without hesitation that Ngoc would be a tremendous asset to any organization fortunate enough to have her. Her design expertise, business acumen, and excellent teamwork skills make her a standout professional in her field!" – UX Design Manager (November 2024)

    • “Ngoc continues to impress me with her leadership of owning projects from start to finish. In the last six months she’s taken on three major project initiatives and also led the creative design direction of a conceptual product for senior leadership.” – UX Manager (September 2024)

    • “Ngoc is a talented and multifaceted researcher, synthesizer and designer. She meets challenges with poise and curiosity, and is quick to learn new tools, skills and techniques. She’s extremely organized and never misses a deadline, Ngoc knows how to manage up and across on project teams.” – Service Design Manager (January 2023)

    • “Ngoc has ability to transform complex ideas and user flows into simple, intuitive designs, while balancing user needs with the realities of technical constraints. Her thoughtful approach ensured that her solutions were both innovative and practical, making her an invaluable bridge between design and the engineering team. Ngoc is also an outstanding collaborator and team player. I always enjoyed brainstorming and working through projects with her and think she would contribute a great deal to any team she finds herself on.” – Senior UX Designer (December 2024)

    • “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ngoc, an exceptional UX designer who improves every project she works on. She creates high-quality, user-centered designs quickly while making sure accessibility and inclusivity are always a priority. Ngoc’s expertise in user research helps her gather insights that lead to impactful design decisions. She’s a strong collaborator, always advocating for both user needs and stakeholder goals, and pushing for more intuitive, innovative solutions. Ngoc is a valuable asset, and any team would be lucky to have her.” – UX Designer (November 2024)

    • “She receives feedback really well, is very collaborative, and is overall just extremely enjoyable to work with!” – Senior UX Designer (May 2022)

    • “I’ve had the privilege of working with Ngoc for nearly three years. Her ability to simplify healthcare digital experiences is nothing short of extraordinary. She led extensive user research and testing, iterating on the design until we achieved a solution that resonated deeply with our users. The result was a seamless experience that made managing healthcare costs much more accessible for our members. Beyond her expertise, Ngoc is a fantastic collaborator who brings a calm, thoughtful approach to challenging projects. I would highly recommend her for senior UX design roles—her skills, creativity, and work ethic make her a true asset to any team.” – Strategic Product Manager (November 2024)

    • “Ngoc continues to meet and exceed my expectations of what it means to work with a UX Designer. She consistently shows up with a strong understanding of the business requirements/user flows, or is otherwise prepared with sharp questions that often reveal gaps or areas in need of further discovery. Ngoc proactively strives to resolve challenges as soon as they arise. Her design work is excellent and her usability research has been a key asset informing our product strategy. Ngoc has been unconditionally reliable. Ngoc is one of my favorite people because she brings a refreshing mix of reasonability and accountability to the table even when planning weeks or months in advance amidst an ocean of competing priorities. I have a great deal of trust in Ngoc’s work ethic, quality of work, and sense of mutual respect across business functions.” – Product Strategy Manager (May 2023)

    • “I highly recommend Ngoc for any prospective employer seeking a dedicated and skilled professional. She played a pivotal role in creating quality, consistent, and intuitive user experiences. Her insightful, detail-oriented, and results-driven approach, combined with her flexibility and engaging demeanor during implementation, makes her an invaluable teammate. Ngoc consistently contributes to enhancing the customer experience, and her commitment to improving the lives of our members deepens her understanding of their user journey. She would be an incredible asset to any team.” – Senior Engineer (November 2024)“Working with Ngoc has been an absolute pleasure. She excels at fostering collaboration by bringing diverse perspectives into the design process and ensuring everyone feels included during all phases of the design process. Ngoc’s communication is clear and empathetic, making even complex challenges easier to tackle as a team.” - QA Engineer (December 2024)

    • “She’s a collaborative designer who is strong in research, UX, and product design. She also mentors peers about UX methodologies and tools and is always willing to support others.” – Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer (March 2023)

    • “On a time-sensitive deadline, your constant communication on the status of the designs, swift updates, and any new changes was incredibly helpful during that stressful time and helped create a collaborative team environment. Your no-hesitation willingness to go over questions during QA was an important factor within the timeline of release. Your work is always finalized and ready for us once we take up a story. You always get done quickly to make sure engineers are able to do their work smoothly.” – Software Engineer (May 2023)