UX Designer
https://www.library.ucla.edu/
Higher Education
3 designers + Product Designer + Lead Manager
Overview
The UCLA Film & Television Archive website contained valuable content, but users struggled to navigate it. I led usability testing and research synthesis to identify structural issues and define a clearer direction for improving onboarding and discoverability.
The Problem
Users experienced:
Confusing navigation labels (Events vs. Collections)
High cognitive load on the homepage
Unclear starting points for first-time visitors
What I did
Led moderated usability testing sessions
Conducted task-based evaluations (e.g., find a screening event)
Synthesized findings into key usability breakdowns
Defined research-backed design priorities
Presented insights to stakeholders to drive alignment
Key Findings
Navigation reflected internal logic, not user mental models
Dense content increased hesitation before clicking
First-time users lacked clear onboarding pathways
Strategic Direction
Based on testing, I defined three priorities:
Clarify Information Architecture – Simplify and relabel navigation based on user language
Reduce Cognitive Load – Improve hierarchy and prioritize high-intent actions
Improve Onboarding – Establish clearer first-click journeys
These directions guided iterative structural improvements.
Results
Delivering immediate impact through detailed annotation of 3 UI components, ensuring seamless hand-offs for developers.
Created 30+ icons for UCLA Library’s learner-centered design toolkit .
Conducted an audit of the design system, attended industry panels, and led usability testing to propose solutions for Film Archive(FTVA) Event page.
Reflection
This project reinforced that impactful UX starts with structural clarity, not just visual redesign. Leading usability testing showed me how refining information architecture can significantly improve discoverability.
To deepen my approach, I joined the UX Leadership Libraries Slack community and participated in lightning talks from designers at peer institutions. I gained insights into IA strategy, focus group research, and large-scale redesign processes,and applied those learnings to strengthen my research synthesis.This experience strengthened my ability to translate research into scalable, system-level improvements.