Designing with intent

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with creative expression through movies, television, video games, music, art, and design. Not just to consume, but to analyze and understand why they work.

That habit of observation and attention to detail naturally led me to design. I'm drawn to understanding how things are structured, where they break down, and what makes an experience truly enjoyable. That curiosity has shaped how I approach product design. I'm always looking for the simplest path through complexity, trying to surface what matters and make the experience feel effortless.

I’m originally from the South, born in South Carolina and raised in Georgia, but now I call New York home. Outside of work, I’m usually fine-tuning a strategy in a video game, trying a new restaurant, or keeping up with my growing collection of houseplants.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Understand the Problem

How is the business struggling? How are users struggling? How are they related? Answering those questions through research and collaboration helps me focus on the problems that actually matter.

Understand the Problem

How is the business struggling? How are users struggling? How are they related? Answering those questions through research and collaboration helps me focus on the problems that actually matter.

Design for Impact

I want the products I work on to feel clear, considered, and useful, and to look good doing it. My visual design background helps me bring structure to complexity without losing the details that make them feel thoughtful.

Measure and Iterate

The work doesn't stop once something ships. Reviewing feedback, product behavior, and performance helps me understand what's working, what's not, and where to refine things further.

Measure and Iterate

The work doesn't stop once something ships. Reviewing feedback, product behavior, and performance helps me understand what's working, what's not, and where to refine things further.

Experience

Ceterus
Product Designer

Focused on customer-facing and internal tools for a B2B accounting platform, focused on simplifying operational complexity, improving support workflows, and helping the product scale with larger customers.

Ceterus
Product Designer

Focused on customer-facing and internal tools for a B2B accounting platform, focused on simplifying operational complexity, improving support workflows, and helping the product scale with larger customers.

Legislative Services Agency
Web/Interactive Designer

Worked on enterprise and public-facing tools that made legislative information easier to access across desktop, tablet, and mobile, including internal systems and native mobile apps.

Legislative Services Agency
Web/Interactive Designer

Worked on enterprise and public-facing tools that made legislative information easier to access across desktop, tablet, and mobile, including internal systems and native mobile apps.

Garnet & Black Magazine
Staff Designer

Designed editorial layouts and page spreads for the university’s student magazine, building an early foundation in typography, hierarchy, and visual storytelling.

Garnet & Black Magazine
Staff Designer

Designed editorial layouts and page spreads for the university’s student magazine, building an early foundation in typography, hierarchy, and visual storytelling.

USTA South Carolina
Marketing and PR Intern

Created promotional and brand materials across print, digital, and event touchpoints to support statewide league marketing efforts.

USTA South Carolina
Marketing and PR Intern

Created promotional and brand materials across print, digital, and event touchpoints to support statewide league marketing efforts.

Freelance
Design Consultant

What started as helping my dad with visuals for his employer’s Christmas party in high school has grown into freelance work that now includes UX projects for nonprofits and startups.

Freelance
Design Consultant

What started as helping my dad with visuals for his employer’s Christmas party in high school has grown into freelance work that now includes UX projects for nonprofits and startups.

How I Work

Trade-Offs

Most product decisions are really decisions about time: what can make an impact now, what sets the foundation for later, and what will create more work if left unresolved.

Support Console: Cut a location-based search feature to reduce scope and ship faster.
Home: Introduced a new UI instead of reusing an existing table because it created a clearer workflow and reduced future rework.

Trade-Offs
Complexity to Clarity
Complexity to Clarity
Navigating Ambiguity
Navigating Ambiguity
SELECTED TOOLS

Figma

Product Design + Prototyping

Storybook

Component Documentation

Framer

Web + Prototyping

Adobe CC

Visual Design

Heap

Product Analytics

Jira

Product Planning

Confluence

Documentation

ChatGPT/Codex

Exploration + Prototyping

Claude

Writing + Prototyping

Kellen LaGroon

Product Designer based in New York City

Kellen LaGroon

Product Designer based in New York City

Kellen LaGroon

Product Designer based in New York City