👩🏽💻 Hello! I'm Rachel
I shape educational experiences, mission-driven technology, and community-focused design
CoHeart
Fostering friendships for introverted international students via a dedicated social app
UX Research • UX Design
Kaona
Bridging interactive learning with Hawaiian lore with through a role-playing game and digital “Storyteller”
UX Design • Game Art • In Development
Kumu Connect
Empowering culturally relevant CS education with asset-based AI tools for teachers
UX Research • UX Design • In Progress
UX Design
Capsule
Facilitating cultural (re)connection and exploration through a recipe exchange platform
UX Design • UX Research
IODA
Transforming how the public understands internet shutdowns with a dashboard redesign
UX Design • UX Research
Pickrick Project
Educating and engaging through AR storytelling of Atlanta’s civil rights history
UX Design
TRACE
Reimagining architectural co-design with a video conference app blending sketching and digital drafting
UX Design
CoHeart
Fostering friendships for introverted international students via a dedicated social app
UX Design • UX Research
Illustration & Graphic Design
Kaona
Bridging interactive learning with Hawaiian lore with through a role-playing game and digital “Storyteller”
Game Art • UX Design
Veggie Mijas
Elevating the identity of a food justice org through strategic branding and logo redesign
Illustration • Graphic Design
Birthing Rights Zines
Distributing critical maternal health information via accessible and engaging zines
Illustration • Research
Design Systems
Crafting Consistency
Transforming the U.S. Asylum Office's design system for improved functionality and user experience.
UX Design • Design Systems
About Me
I'm Rachel, a UX designer focused on edtech and mission-driven projects, blending storytelling, gamification, and cultural relevance.
With 3+ years of professional design work and two rigorous design degrees, I hold skills in UX and product design, qualitative UX research, and illustration. Soon-to-finish my MS in Human-Computer Interaction at Georgia Tech, I’m seeking a full-time Product / UX Design role for May 2024.
I have a knack for speeding up tasks and smoothing out processes without compromising quality and creativity. This impacts user experiences, as seen by a 30% cut in task completion times at USCIS, as well as my work efficiency, as shown by accelerating permit set fulfillment by 50%-65% at Caddis Collaborative, exceeding firm averages.
What sets me apart? My expertise in community-based projects and co-design. I closely collaborate with users, drawing from a multitude of perspectives and needs, to design solutions that deeply resonate with a diverse user base.
Here are some achievements I am proud of:
📚 Leading Product Design on Ka Moamoa Lab’s EdTech Efforts:
As lead Product Designer on the lab's education projects, I collaborate with cross-functional teams to design culturally responsive educational solutions, such as “Kaona”, an educational role-playing game. I advocate for users, apply human-centered design to the game development process, and create engaging UI elements, design standards, and user flows, with positive feedback from 85% of test users.
🌟 Increasing User Connection Through Co-design:
At Caddis Collaborative, I led participatory design workshops with >24 clients, using user research to inform design enhancements that fostered community engagement. At Ka Moamoa Lab, I utilize co-design methods to include user and stakeholder insights in educational solutions, deepening user connection.
📈 Advancing Design Efficiency at USCIS's Asylum Branch:
As a User Experience Design Fellow, I led the overhaul of the Asylum office's design system. This involved mapping variables and creating Figma components to tackle legacy inconsistencies and heuristic challenges. I took on the role of evangelizing Figma best practices and the use of design variables through presentations and teach-out sessions, fostering shared understanding and application.
✉️ Let's connect! You can reach me at rachelbaker@gatech.edu
Resume
The Archive
Lloyds: Erosion and Reoccupation
A projection of erosion and reoccupation of Lloyds of London
Architecture
Eco-Morphology
An architectural study on connectivity, symbiosis, and weaving the built environment with the land
Architecture
Birth Rights: Design Proposal
A birthing community center, focused on dignity and continuous support systems
Architecture
Conservation on Aisle Four
The Rise and Failure of Eco-Commerce in the 1980s and 1990s
Research • History