Catherine Kpaka
New York
Summary
Detail-oriented UX/UI Designer and M.S. candidate specializing in research-to-prototype product design. Expert in heuristic evaluation, competitive benchmarking, and Figma prototype development. Leverages retail leadership experience to translate user pain points into optimized customer journeys, delivering solutions that enhance user engagement across diverse platforms.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
UX Designer
Glimpse Scholar (UX)
New York
12.2025 - Current
- Conducted heuristic evaluation of 4 core workflows, documenting 12 usability issues with severity levels and recommending actionable fixes.
- Produced a prioritized recommendations list; aligned with stakeholders on top changes, with 8 items moved into backlog/iteration planning.
- Benchmarked 5 competitor tools and created comparison matrix (features, UX patterns, onboarding) to identify gaps and strategic opportunities.
- Authored 6 training scenarios and standardized ElevenLabs prompt structure. reducing retries by 15%.
Sales Manager
LOFT (Ann Taylor)
New York
11.2024 - Current
- Led customer-facing team in KPI-driven environment, achieving conversion, UPT, and AUR targets while maintaining high-quality customer experience.
- Increased order task success by diagnosing checkout blockers, clarifying next steps, and helping users complete purchases.
- Guided 9–20 customers/day through LOFT’s e-commerce journey (product discovery, filtering, sizing selection, cart, checkout, order placement), ensuring smooth navigation and order placement.
- Identified usability pain points (navigation confusion, product findability, sizing uncertainty, checkout friction) and adjusted floor support, coaching, and merchandising to enhance discoverability and user confidence.
UX/UI Design Assistant
New York Institute of Technology - NY New York
New York
10.2024 - 12.2025
- Built Figma deliverables (wireframes → hi-fi prototypes) and documented reusable components/patterns for cleaner handoff.
- Facilitated UX workshops/meetups for 6-person team by translating notes into actionable flows, task scripts, and design-ready requirements.
- Developed internal prompt guidelines/templates to enhance output consistency and streamline iteration cycles.
- Produced mockups and prototypes for various design initiatives and presentations.
Design Assistant
FovoFL
Hyattsville
05.2020 - 08.2024
- Designed responsive landing page based on stakeholder requirements, incorporating feedback to enhance user experience.
- Developed and maintained inventory/workflow tracking system, streamlining organization and execution within design operations.
- Assisted design team in creating visual layouts and presentation materials.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to gather project requirements and feedback.
UX/UI Designer
TwinsMusic Enterprises
New York
08.2023 - 10.2023
- Built interactive prototypes to communicate interactions and gather feedback, iterating to enhance navigation clarity and improve feature discoverability.
- Designed 50 UI screens for iOS music experience, aligning content with user preferences and creating clear flows and interface layouts.
- Collaborated with user researcher to select research methods aligned with project goals, translating insights into actionable design revisions.
IT Support Specialist
Crest Consulting Group
Rockville
07.2018 - 04.2020
- Developed and maintained a lightweight inventory/workflow tracking system for ~50–150 items, enhancing organization and minimizing missed or duplicate items.
- Coordinated management of 2–5 active priorities/projects weekly, overseeing day-to-day execution and preparing deliverables for review and production.
- Designed and iterated a responsive landing page based on owner/stakeholder requirements, improving information hierarchy and clarity across key sections.
- Ensured brand consistency by applying visual standards across customer-facing materials and aligning updates with business goals and seasonal priorities.
Education
Master of Arts - UX/UI Design And Development
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
New York, NY05-2026
Certificate - UI/UX Design
Springboard
UI/UX Design Certificate12-2023
Bachelor of Science - Digital Media & Web Technology
University of Maryland Global Campus
Hyattsville, MD05-2022
Skills
- UX/Product: Interaction Design, User Flows, Wireframing, Prototyping, Heuristic Evaluation, Competitive Analysis, Usability-Focused Copy/Guidance, Cross-Functional Collaboration
- User Research
- Tools: Figma, Miro, Adobe Creative Suite (incl InDesign), Canva, Unity, Visual Studio, TouchDesigner
Timeline
UX Designer
Glimpse Scholar (UX)
12.2025 - Current
Sales Manager
LOFT (Ann Taylor)
11.2024 - Current
UX/UI Design Assistant
New York Institute of Technology - NY New York
10.2024 - 12.2025
UX/UI Designer
TwinsMusic Enterprises
08.2023 - 10.2023
Design Assistant
FovoFL
05.2020 - 08.2024
IT Support Specialist
Crest Consulting Group
07.2018 - 04.2020
Master of Arts - UX/UI Design And Development
New York Institute of Technology (NYIT)
Certificate - UI/UX Design
Springboard
Bachelor of Science - Digital Media & Web Technology
University of Maryland Global Campus