Work Sample
Liz Gilleran’s work 2015 – now
Hello, I am in the progress of migrating this content to a fantastic new portfolio site as part of a larger revamp. Rest assured you will get access when it is ready no later than the week beginning the 29th April 2024. Gotta move with the times!
Liz Gilleran
Welcome to my world of design. I’m excited to meet you!
These are a curated set of my most consumer-facing projects. I have done more complicated work and tackled some truly complex and innovative projects that deserve a deeper dive, ideally in person/zoom.
Also this portfolio is best viewed on a desktop for the best experience.
For now, get to know my design philosophy!
How are you today?
short on time
want the real picture
My approach to UX and Product Design
I specialize in end-to-end, delivery-oriented, research-informed Lean UX and Product Design. I want to know about the business problem, as much as the customer/user’s problems. It’s not a speciality for me. I began in startups and small teams, and consultancy. I can flex to most kinds of digital design.
I believe products are a experienced cohesively, just as the user experiences them. It’s about and creating comprehensive experiences.
Imagine we are designing for the ultimate summertime product – ice cream that doesn’t melt! It’s safe to eat, but it’s neon slime green. What do we need to make this a successful product?
How I make it work
Where is the best place for the user to buy it? Near the beach? I prioritize researching user needs upfront through asking the right questions. It’s about being proactive by testing multiple container sizes and materials to avoid leaking. I am biased towards iterative testing translating into delivery. Can we provide them spoons nearby? I also prioritize service design thinking to ensure users walk back to their car, after buying from out shop, without sticky fingers.
How I make it happen
What better way to package our new product like in a sundae? The ice cream is now at the heart of the core user experience. This must resonate with users or there is no product. The texture should not induce doubt and many versions will need to be checked. Although I am senior, I am still fully involved in taking wireframes to hi fidelity and prototyping, perfecting interaction design. I have always worked closely with tech leads to make sure our development is feasible and we perform user testing ASAP.
Our product must also look the part. It’s not a true sundae without a cherry on top! I am adept at utilising branding, visual design, and design systems for irresistible product appeal. This is how all my skills come together to make great products and experiences.
Key Areas I have worked in
Technological Products and Services
I have worked on bread and butter, technological solutions for bringing ideas to life in the virtual world. From early stage development to launch (or testing and pivoting!), I know how to move forward to a Minimum Viable Product and beyond. I emphasise research through doing. Available projects: ribit (jump to heading), Volunteer Hub for Australian Greens (jump to heading), Speechee for CSIRO eHealth (jump to heading)
Industries
- Academia
- Healthcare
- Startups
- Political Movements
Key Skills
- Mixed methods user research (mixing Service Design, Stakeholder/User Research)
- Design Systems
- Data Visualisation
- Legacy System Updates
- User Interface Design + Testing
- Engineering Delivery Handoff
- Feature Scope Negotiation
- Working within system limits
- Google Sprint Workshops and Facilitation
Liz is a brilliant and incisive researcher with an unusual ability to synthesise perspectives, illuminate the key questions in multi-stakeholder problems and co-design powerful strategic interventions and responses. I’ve seen her coax groups that began with very little common ground or shared language into joining her on a journey to understand each other and the systems they are working with.
– Viveka Weiley, Leader of Future Digital Worlds at CSIRO Data61
Along with an excellent eye for quality, accessibility and aesthetics, Liz is a creative with a brilliance and originality seldom matched in her field.
– Liz Jakubowski, Founder of ribit.net, Director of Jobs and Skills Australia
Working with us, Liz was dedicated to the end-to-end design process, hands-on and efficient in delivery and testing in a rapidly-paced development environment
Data Technology and Org Process Design
At the more complicated end of the scale, I have worked on systems that are undergoing digital transformation. Particularly in challenging areas where established companies have to re-examine their processes or capabilities for a new era (e.g. cyber security). Available projects: REDD for QLD Govt (jump to heading)
Industries
- Federal and State Government
- Product Companies
- Industrial Research and Development
- Hardware Based Systems
Key Skills
- Service Design Blueprints
- Data Management
- Understanding the impacts of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for future innovation on users
- User Interface Design for Specialist Users using CoDesign
- Incorporating Security Concerns
I had the pleasure of working with Liz on a strategic piece of work for a client. I enjoyed the experience, as she brought a significant customer focus and perspective to the work. Working directly with the client and pairing, the collaboration sessions we participated in showed me the excellent work Liz is capable of.
– Michael Joyce, Principal Consultant Thoughtworks NZ
Liz brings a tsunami of good vibes and energy to her work. She cares very deeply about her customers and clients and dives deeply into seemingly impenetrable quagmires of data, emerging with a carefully considered holistic analysis of what she finds. Along the way I’ve seen her build strong relationships with people she’s interviewed over very short periods of time.
– Andy Marks, Head of Engineering at Moula
Retail Customer Insights Investigations
I also run projects that are solely focussed on uncovering customer problems. New competitor? Sudden influx of users? Let’s explore that. I have interrogated business problems and run large interview studies. I have mentored several juniors in this area. Available project: CoPower with Thoughtworks (jump to heading)
Industries
- Ecommerce
- Insurance
- Utility Providers
- Education
- Company Intranets
Key Skills
- Customer Personas
- Growth Strategies
- Storyboards
- Customer Interviews
- Software Recommendations
- Data Analysis of Consumer Behaviour
- Accessibility Audits
Liz and I worked closely together on [CoPower] at Thoughtworks. I was extremely impressed by how Liz presented her UX expertise to clients in both a friendly and professional manner. Liz was very good at guiding me through a complex roadmap of decisions to select the best route to get to our shared destination. I believe that with people like Liz by your side, mentoring and guiding you help you improve yourself in both a personal and professional sense.
– Chloe Bui, Business Analyst at Bunnings
Liz has a remarkable talent for identifying key individuals to talk to during the research process. Whether it’s stakeholders, end-users, or subject matter experts, she possesses a keen eye for recognising the individuals who can provide the most relevant and valuable insights… Her positive energy and ability to inject lightheartedness into the work environment make collaboration enjoyable and foster a sense of camaraderie among team members.
Christin Westermann, Lead Engineer at Thoughtworks AU/Germany
Web Accessibility in Detail
It’s never too early to consider accessibility – see my 2018 A11y camp talk for more about accessible Minimal Viable Products (new page). I also work in teams – in a group of 4 including 2 engineers, we tackled an audit and retrofit of greens.org.au (external). The Australian Greens now maintains an over 90% Google Lighthouse score on their main website.
Industries
- Federal government applications
- Education
- Not-For-Profits
- Art Initiatives
- Startups
- Australian Greens
Key Skills
- WCAG 2.0+ Auditing since 2016
- Debugging
- Automatic Testing
- Educational seminars
- Preparing branding for accessible web
- Coaching
- Pairing with Engineers on fixes
- VoiceOver Testing
“I was thrilled with the work Liz and the team did with the Greens. Liz brought a lot of technical, legislative, and contextual knowledge that levelled up the Greens’ accessibility knowledge and proficiency. We learned a lot about WCAG, and where WCAG isn’t enough and then Liz stepped us through design considerations and testing tools. What truly stood out to me though is Liz’s depth of knowledge beyond the specifications.”
John Twyman, Systems Liaison Coordinator at Australian Greens
“I’ve learnt a lot about accessibility from working with [Liz] on a number of client sites and also the Thoughtworks Arts website. Liz conducted a full assessment of the site and presented a detailed report outlining the accessibility issues in order of severity and impact, with recommendations on how to solve the accessibility issues. Her knowledge of WCAG and her technical understanding of HTML and semantic code is exceptional.
Kate Linton, Head of Design Thoughtworks
In addition to this, she quickly gains the trust of product owners and execs through her logical rationals, effective and animated story-telling and defence of the customer experience.
Available projects
If you are curious about other work I have done, please get in contact. It has been a long road!
The best way to view my work
I have PDF presentations for my projects available here (consultants dream in slide decks after all). They are provided in flipbooks. Flipbooks are best viewed on a desktop, although every effort has been made for mobile devices, this cannot be guaranteed. Note: you are allowed to view this content, but under no circumstances do visitors to this website have the right to copy, remix or redistribute it. Images and diagrams that are not part of client work are here under license.
Flipbooks
ribit.net
NICTA then CSIRO Data61 Project (2015-16) the student internship matchmaker and my first major project that shaped me as a designer. Here with the permission of Liz Jakubowski.
Problem: No student internship platform in Australia that could sustain long enough. Lack of data source on what grad skills were in market demand.
Delivered: Alpha version wireframes, several rounds of preliminary research (competitor analysis, surveys, background research), Beta hi fidelity design, marketing and social media collateral + strategy
[dearpdf id=”811″ type=”thumb”][/dearpdf]
Tech: Sketch, Photoshop, Invision, SurveyMonkey, Adobe Illustrator, MailChimp
Role: Design all-rounder
Speechee
Modernising child speech abnormality assessments (2016) with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning. Taught me a lot about data visualisation for new audiences. Here with the permission of Dr Andreas Duenser.
Problem: There is a shortage of child speech pathologists in Australia meaning that many children get therapy for common developmental errors too late. How might we screen them just in time?
Delivered: Hi fidelity end-to-end design with customer journey and testing to user accepted level for future development.
[dearpdf id=”1123″ type=”thumb”][/dearpdf]
Role: Sole UX relieving Principal
Tech: Sketch, Invision
REDD
Queensland Department of Environmental Science project with Thoughtworks (2022). Launched in April 2023. Here with the permission of Lana Reynolds.
Problem: Legacy software of 30 year old database solution needed to be updated onto modern software for specialist data users. Interface needed to add slight improvements on tight deadline.
Delivered: Design Handoff file in Sketch with high fidelity design for entire product to key user group satisfaction and visual identity specialised for this type of data (how to balance the fonts and vertical spacing to make data legible)
[dearpdf id=”824″ type=”thumb”][/dearpdf]
Role: Lead UX beginning fresh, mentored junior UX
Tech: Sketch, Mural, Teams
Volunteer Hub
Australian Greens project as independent contractor (2023) the future of digital campaigning and volunteering here via digital self service. Here with the permission of John Twyman.
Problem: Volunteering is going digital, the Greens are expanding membership. Online services are needed to help members keep their details up-to-date.
Delivered: Service Delivery Blueprint to understand how the system would work, Visual Identity to combine Material UI with the Greens’ existing branding, Modular high fidelity design for a first version.
[dearpdf id=”819″ type=”thumb”][/dearpdf]
Role: Lead UX beginning fresh mentored junior UX
Tech: Figjam, Figma, Hangouts
CoPower
A Thoughtworks engagement (2022). The Thoughtworks presentation that I gave to stakeholders is here with the permission of Godfrey Moase and was distributed to the CoPower member base. Currently, they have implemented one recommendation – ElectionHero, with great success.
Problem: CoPower underwent a massive expansion in users into the 1000s and was looking for technological solutions to keep members engaged.
Delivered: Powerpoint presentation with user research with a technical implementation plan and business plan to keep members engaged as the cooperative expands.
[dearpdf id=”817″ type=”thumb”][/dearpdf]
Role: Engagement Lead of project, managed Business Analyst and Principal Dev
Tech: Various – technical investigation was part of delivery