Design Software & Websites

DESIGN SOFTWARE & WEBSITES

Software Product Designer at Websense (now Forcepoint): 2013-2014 and freelance web design.

DESIGN NETWORK SOFTWARE

CYBERSECURITY SOFTWARE DESIGN AT WEBSENSE (NOW FORCEPOINT)

Pixel-perfect display design from low-fidelity concept to high fidelity prototype for a software company, in keeping with style guides and working closely with developers and program managers.

Traveling through the information superhighway has never been a simple journey. My former employer, Websense (now Forcepoint), specializes in human-centric cybersecurity that ostensibly makes the journey much less risky.

Forcepoint builds cybersecurity software for network administrators to use and apply in various sizes of organizations around the globe.

While I was a Sr. UX Design Engineer there, it was my job to understand, design, and review the software interfaces that administrators would use to connect our Proxy product to set up a secure network virtual wall so that intruders were less likely to gain access and act maliciously.

WEBSENSE DESIGN RESEARCH PROGRAM

Design research program at a software company to understand and explain how users actually used their products and why.

One of the most difficult aspects of a researcher's job is to look at research with a critical eye and be willing to make unpopular choices for the sake of sound data science and the integrity of the research program itself.

When I was hired as a Sr. UX Design Engineer at Websense (now Forcepoint) in 2013, one of my first tasks was to assess the effectiveness of their existing Websense Design Research Program (WDRP) and also go through the backlog of data that had been collected over the past year to present any still-relevant findings to the design and engineering teams so that lessons could be learned from those studies. If this sounds like a massive undertaking, it was.

My first step was to locate all of the data and understand who collected it so that I could have insight on why it was done and how. This process was the data gathering or discovery stage of the project.

REDESIGN EXISTING WEBSITE TO PROVIDE MORE VALUE TO CONSUMERS

One of the projects I am currently working on is to redesign the website for VitalityIP.com, a patent law firm specializing in patents, trademarks, and copyrights. The problem the law firm assumes they are having is with attracting new clients due to poor SEO and lack of valuable information on the website that demonstrates competency in the domain.

So far I have done a competitve analysis and created an "as is" information architecture to reveal the hierarchy of existing content. My next step is meeting with the law firm founder to discuss ideas for reorganizing the content and improving SEO as well as establishing a marketing plan with paid ads on Google and LinkedIn.

I also plan to develop preliminary user stories or personas to design the new website in line with the expectations of users who will be accessing the website for information and to choose a law firm for representation.

For this project, I am using DudaOne and hosting the domain on Google Domains then building out a shell for review with the business owner. The shell will provide us a peek into what content could/should be shown on the website to which I will then add content based on recommendations and input from the business owner directly.

CREATE NEW DAYCARE WEBSITE

CREATE A NEW WEBSITE FOR A FAMILY-OWNED DAYCARE IN LOS ANGELES

I was hired by a daycare provider to design and build content for a new preschool website focusing on healthy eating, outdoor play, and curriculum for kids ages 18 months to 5 years.

For this project, I used Duda content management system and hosted the domain on Google Domains then built out a shell for review with the business owner.

The shell provided us a peek into what content could/should be shown on the website which I then added content based on recommendations and input from the business owner directly.

I also used SquareSpace to build a custom logo and favicon for the site. The entire website took one week to complete including editing and review time.

See live website: Loyola Village Preschool

(use code: NewPreschool.123)

CREATE NEW PROPERTY MANAGEMENT WEBSITE

CREATE A NEW WEBSITE FOR A PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY IN LOS ANGELES

One of my hobbies since 2015 was to build out my creative capacity through building websites for people. I decided to get a real estate license in 2015 and start a property management company because I was already managing properties that I owned as investments.

So in 2018, when I moved to Los Angeles, I decided to create my own property management website to attract more clients to my services and gain more business.

Since then, I have added one more rental property to my portfolio and have had a lot of interest in my services. Unfortunately, I am only able to do property management on a selective basis since I also work full time in real estate.

My property management website helps me be very selective in deciding who to work with and how to get additional work when real estate cycles slow.

See live website: Legacy Property Management

"Chiesha is an energetic and effective leader and problem solver. She consistently looks for ways to improve processes and to enhance team performance. Additionally, she is creative and has the unique ability to effectively use scientific theories and methods to solve problems."

Kevin Aeling, PhD, Program Manager
"I have worked with Chiesha for 5 years and she possesses the perfect combination of tenacity, flexibility and insight. She can apply a methodology to understanding any problem."

Brad Poeltler, President of Poelter & Associates
"Chiesha managed our customer research program and was also the UX-Lead for our proxy product. She brings a strong background in research methods and experience designing complex military products. Chiesha is also a confident and enjoyable personality who was a pleasure to have on my team."

Jeff Axup, PhD, Director of User Experience
"Chiesha consistently exceeds expectations on all fronts: she has a rare combination of skills, work ethic, attitude, leadership, creativity, and drive towards innovation. Chiesha brings a unique and valuable perspective to each project and issue, bringing definition and organization needed to develop solutions in complex and often ambiguous situations..."

Maia Cook, PhD, Director of Human-Autonomy Integration
"I’ve worked closely with Chiesha on multiple projects and she is always a key contributor. She works fast and produces high quality products. I’ve seen her effectively lead tasking and find her to be impressively organized, even when dealing with complex and/or ambiguous subjects. I highly value her as a co-worker and greatly recommend her work."

Mary Ann King, MS, Human Factors Scientist