My experience in
product design
A brief overview of where I’ve been and what I’ve done, specifically in the realm of product design.
About me, today
Most recently I started a role as Founding Designer with Parsnip. Alongside that work, I’m writing a book about onboarding.
I have more than 13 years of experience in product design and design leadership. I’ve worked across the entire product design process—research and strategy to execution and iteration—and adapted my work to a variety of industries and circumstances. As a lead, I’ve built international teams and created resilient cultures, in-office and remote.
Above all, I aim to do good and to do it well. Through my work, I support people in their endeavours, big or small, for customers and for the teams I work alongside.
Read more about what drives me and how I work on my ReadMe.
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On the side, I run Caribou, a design agency I cofounded back in 2011, with Quinn Keast.
I’m expanding my onboarding resource, the up-to-speed script, into a book. Onboarding can be a challenging time but we can make it better.
Where I’ve been
Industry
Roles
Size of org
Audience
Platforms
Series
What is Parsnip?
Highlights
- Facilitating conceptual discovery work with SMEs and engineers
- R&D work on integrating AI into education systems
- Developing design and brand foundations to scale team efforts
Outside work hours
Co-founder and mentor, plug-and-play usability testing space for local start-ups in partnership with North Forge.
Co-founder and host, a meetup for the growing UX community in Winnipeg.
Instructor, Web Usability for the Digital Media Technology program.
My work, at a glance
A curated collection of screens and stories from my time in design and design leadership to give you a sense of my work experience and how I approach solving different problems.
Contact me for access – jen@jengoertzen.com
Presentations
The following are a few presentations that feel particularly relevant right now. I enjoyed exploring these and others in prep and presentation.
For a complete list of past presentations and topics, please see my Presentations list.
To design for no-code: We need to stop talking about ‘no code.’
"No code" tools have an opportunity to shift the power dynamic of who can create solutions for the problems we face. But they are held back by the very teams behind those tools. As designers and developers, are we too close to the problem we aim to solve?
Let's talk about the "curse of knowledge" and how we need to change our mindset around those who don't code but will build.
Presented at:
BRYTER Bar Camp
May 2022
Berlin Product Designers Meetup
March 2022
Joining and knowing your new team: How to onboard yourself.
Onboarding is often a tension between learning the lay of the land and hitting the ground running, between fitting in and standing out. This tension affects our confidence and our ability to do our best work. I'll share the challenges we face as newcomers, why we face them, and a framework for a better, smoother start (for you and your new team).
This talk inspired my book.
Presented at:
UX Camp Europe
June 2020
IxDA Berlin
June 2019