Kell Egbert is a product designer with over 5 years of experience who evolved from architecture and urban planning to UX/UI design, leading her own design company while pursuing advanced studies at USF to stay current with design trends and AI tools.
Kell Egbert is a product designer with over 5 years of experience who evolved from architecture and urban planning to UX/UI design, leading her own design company while pursuing advanced studies at USF to stay current with design trends and AI tools.
Freelance
In the fast-paced world of UX design, solo designers like Kell Egbert need powerful, accessible tools to deliver high-quality results on tight timelines and budgets. This case study explores how Kell, a product designer with over 5 years of experience, went back to USF to hone her skills in the latest UX tools, AI resources, accessibility guidelines, and design trends. By leveraging Optimal, she revolutionized her research process and delivered exceptional results for her UX/UI Hub project.
By harnessing Optimal's intuitive interface and robust features, Kell transformed her approach to user research, completing critical tasks in just two weeks and setting a new standard for efficient, impactful UX design in the freelance space.
Kell Egbert's career is a testament to the power of continuous learning and adaptability. With a background in architecture and urban planning, Kell's professional journey has taken her from academic research and spatial design to starting her own web design company and transitioning back to construction design. When the global pandemic hit, Kell saw an opportunity for growth and returned to the digital realm, pursuing a degree in UX and UI design at the University of South Florida to learn the latest design trends, AI tools and accessibility guidelines.
With years of experience, and now, an updated UX UI toolkit in hand, Kell embodies the spirit of the modern freelance UX designer: adaptable, curious, and committed to delivering excellence. Her latest project, the UX/UI Hub, aims to create a comprehensive resource for junior designers, showcasing Kell's dedication to nurturing the next generation of UX professionals.
Vitamina K’s UX/UI Hub, was poised to become the ultimate digital playground for aspiring UX/UI designers, brimming with courses, books, and invaluable resources. But a formidable challenge loomed on the horizon: the app's resource tab was in need of an overhaul to best display all the great variety of content. User experience was at stake, and the specter of cognitive overload threatened to undermine the app's potential.
With the project clock ticking relentlessly – a mere 4-5 weeks to revolutionize the app – Kell needed to channel her inner UX superhero. Thorough user research and swift implementation became her mission, demanding a level of efficiency that would make even seasoned professionals sweat. As a solo UX/UI designer, every penny counted, forcing Kell to navigate the treacherous waters of budget-friendly research tools without compromising quality.
The existing infinite scroll design, once thought to be a user's dream, had transformed into an overwhelming labyrinth of information. Kell's challenge? To craft an intuitive system that would guide users effortlessly to their desired resources, slashing bounce rates and boosting engagement.
Kell's introduction to Optimal came at the perfect moment. Having experienced the platform during her studies, she remembered its potential. When faced with the need for robust card sorting capabilities for her project, Kell turned to Optimal, and the results were transformative.
Optimal's platform became Kell's secret weapon in her UX research arsenal. At the heart of her success was the platform's hybrid card sorting capability, a standout feature that left competitors in the dust. This flexible tool empowered Kell to dive deep into user mindsets, uncovering insights that would have remained hidden with traditional methods.
Navigating Optimal's intuitive interface felt like a breeze, allowing Kell to set up her study in record time – a crucial advantage given her tight schedule. The platform's comprehensive onboarding, complete with clear tooltips and guidance, transformed Kell into an Optimal power user without the need for time-consuming training.
But perhaps most impressively, within a mere 10-15 minutes of launching her study, Kell found herself armed with a treasure trove of data, ready to fuel her design decisions with confidence. In the fast-paced world of freelance UX design, Optimal didn't just save Kell time – it revolutionized her entire approach to user research.
Armed with Optimal's powerful hybrid card sorting feature and its rapid participant recruitment capabilities, Kell embarked on a data-driven journey to revolutionize the UX/UI Hub. She crafted a study that would unveil how users naturally categorized and prioritized resources, tapping into the collective wisdom of her professional network.
With a few strategic posts on LinkedIn and targeted outreach to her UX/UI Design Accountability Group on Slack, Kell transformed her network into a valuable research panel. The results were illuminating – within hours, clear patterns emerged, offering profound insights into user preferences and mental models. This wealth of data became the cornerstone for Kell's redesign, empowering her to craft a resource tab that truly resonated with her audience's needs and expectations.
Kell's experience with Optimal showcases the platform's power to elevate solo UX research:
"Within 10-15 minutes, I had everything I needed. The onboarding and tooltips with each step were invaluable. Optimal's interface was really easy to use. The option to do hybrid card sorting makes it more technically robust than competitors - I'll definitely be using it again."
Prioritize speed and ease of use
In the fast-paced freelance world, intuitive interfaces and quick onboarding are crucial for maximizing productivity.
Leverage your network
Kell's success in quickly gathering participants shows the value of cultivating and engaging with a professional community.
Choose powerful, flexible tools
Platforms like Optimal offer robust features that can deliver professional-grade results quickly.
With the success of the UX/UI Hub redesign, Kell is poised to expand her solo UX consultancy. She plans to:
Kell's experience with Optimal highlights the platform's potential to revolutionize how freelance UX professionals approach research and design. By providing powerful, accessible tools with rapid recruitment capabilities, Optimal empowers solo practitioners to:
For freelance and solo UX professionals looking to elevate their practice, Optimal offers an opportunity to experience enterprise-level research capabilities with unparalleled speed and simplicity. Join innovators like Kell Egbert in redefining what's possible in freelance UX research and design with Optimal.
Connect with Kell Egbert on LinkedIn or via her website.
