About
I’m on a mission to connect people to EACH OTHER — online AND WITH CARE.
I help people and organizations connect with their desired audiences through great experiences. As a user experience (UX) researcher and designer, my skills are broad. My specialties and favorite activities to do are:
planning/conducting/communicating research
developing UX and/or content strategy
incorporating trauma-informed and inclusive practices into projects
Complex and ambiguous situations don’t frighten me. I’ve led digital projects for both tiny startups and huge organizations. I've helped Lenovo, Bloomberg News, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Teamworks, Duke University, and many others. I have been focused on health in various ways in the last 8 years – public health, healthcare, and mental health.
I love variety in my work. I currently serve as at the Digital Service at the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare. Working for the federal government is surprisingly interesting and meaningful. I also offer trauma-informed training and design services in collaboration with a trauma expert. I’m currently pursuing a doctorate at NC State University researching the intersection of trauma and tech. We need better websites for those seeking help after traumatic events.
If you want to learn about entering the field of UX, watch this interview where I explain my journey.
If you have further questions after watching the video, then please contact me.
TRAUMA-INFORMED DESIGN
Learn about my work on 988, the U.S. national suicide hotline, on this episode of Radiolab.
🎉 New course released in Summer 2024 🎉
Introduction to Trauma-Informed Design Course on LinkedIn Learning with trauma expert Carol Scott is now live. LinkedIn Learning is often available through universities and public libraries in the U.S. so you may already have access to this course.
After receiving Aquent Design for Good grant in 2017, I explored what a trauma-informed website looks like. This continues to be a passion project for me for so many reasons! Some resources to help you be more trauma-informed are here.
ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS
Trauma-Informed Design: Leveraging Usability Heuristics on a Social Services Website - May 2024
Repairing the Harm of Digital Design Using a Trauma-informed Approach - January 2024
Reimagining Social Work’s Digital Future: The Critical Role of Interdisciplinary Tech Partnerships - April 2023
Professional Service
We have a lot of work to improve the tech industry. Here’s what I’m up to lately:
Co-Founder and Organizer, Trauma-Informed Design Discussion Group (monthly) 2021 - present
Member, Triangle UXPA 2012 - present
Volunteer, UX Y’all Conference 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024
Co-Founder, Co-organizer Ladies that UX, Durham 2014 - 2018
You can check out my profile on LinkedIn to learn more and see what others say about me.
Check out my LinkedIn Course on Trauma-Informed Design with Dr. Carol Scott! You may be able to access the LinkedIn Learning platform through your local library or a university.
Speaking / Teaching
2024
Working for the Gov’t is Surprising - UX Y’all Conference, September
Introduction to Trauma-Informed Design, UX Akron, August
Introduction to Trauma-Informed Design, University of Minnesota, August
Visual Communication and UX Design, UNC-Chapel Hill, Summer
Trauma-Informed Design, Design Forge Conference, March
2023
Trauma-informed Websites, Action Collaborative to Prevent Sexual Harassment, October
Inclusive Human Centered Design, Grace Hopper Conference, September
Visual Communication and UX Design, UNC-Chapel Hill, Summer
DIY User Experience Research, Raleigh-Durham Startup Week, April
Becoming Trauma-informed Workshop, Advancing Research Conference, April
Using Human-Centered Design in Creating Behavioral Health Websites, Agents of Change Conference, March
2022
Creating a Great User Experience For Your Small Business Website, Durham Tech Community College, November
Minnesota UXPA World Usability Day, November
CMS CCSQ World Usability Day, November
Developing Content for Your Small Business Website, Durham Tech Community College, October
Trauma-Informed Design, Inclusive Design 24 Conference, September
Trauma-Informed Design Panel, Ethical Design Network, September
Trauma-Informed Research and Design, Michigan State, March
Trauma-Informed Design, NTEN Conference, March
Trauma-Informed Design, UX New Zealand Conference, February
UX Writing Course, Society for Technical Communication, January
2021
Rosenfeld Media Civic Design Conference, December
Visual Communication and UX Design, UNC-Chapel Hill, Fall
Trauma-Informed Design, Triangle UXPA, April
Nonprofit Website Design: UX Essentials Online Course, March
UX Writing Course, Society for Technical Communication, March
UX of Visuals, SportsMEDIA Technology, February
“We brought Melissa to our conference to speak on usability practices and content strategy. Not only did she skillfully incorporate examples, but she customized the main points of her talk to our niche audience drawing illustrations from relevant industries and nonprofits. Her vibrant energy and stage presence kept attendees enthusiastically engaged as she covered a tremendous amount of material.”
“Thank you for your wonderful presentation at WordCamp Atlanta. It was extremely helpful and added significant value to the conference from my perspective. ”
“I REALLY enjoyed Melissa’s session. Her presentation was fresh and interesting, and her speaking style was engaging and energetic! I really enjoyed hearing her speak and hope to hear her again in the future.”