Coffee and a natter
Star Wars. I've always loved the idea of what's possible. Then, while researching a dissertation in 1993, I read an article about online shopping and immediately visualised people at home wearing a VR headset, pushing a virtual trolley round a virtual supermarket. Needless to say, I was hooked!
Anywhere people underestimate me. I love proving people wrong! And the NYT crossword, although I've only ever managed Mon, Tues and Wed without hints.
At work, I love a gnarly problem. The gnarlier the better. Someone once told me I bring clarity to a situation, and I've tried to live up to that ever since.
Dead or alive? I'll assume it doesn't matter. Well, obviously Michael Parkinson would be my first choice. He was such a gifted interviewer, so he could get the conversation going. David Attenborough, because that man is a legend. The Two Ronnies for the wit, and Hannah Waddingham for the sass and Ted Lasso chat.
The work stuff
Strategy & discovery
Asking the right questions to understand a problem before working out how to solve it in the right way.
Problem definition & framing
Product strategy & direction
User research & insight
Opportunity identification
Stakeholder alignment
Product & UX design
Balancing user needs, business goals and technical constraints to make products effective and engaging.
End-to-end product design
Complex workflows & systems
Interaction design & prototyping
Information architecture
Usability testing & accessibility
Leadership & mentoring
Helping designers do their best work, building strong teams and raising the quality of design.
Design strategy & leadership
Team building & development
Coaching & mentoring
Cross-functional collaboration
DesignOps & practice development
What people say
I like the tactful way that Helen pushes back on the client team and prevents us from making dumb decisions. She definitely takes the time to understand context before approaching design and we really appreciate that.
KC
Client Product Owner
Helen is hands down the best line manager I’ve ever had the pleasure of having in my entire career. She gives thoughtful, professional, and empathetic advice and always tries to find a solution to problems. I always feel like she takes extra care and effort in her line management, and I have so thoroughly enjoyed being mentored and managed by her!
SM
Senior Designer, Foolproof
Helen really is a pleasure to work with and is very talented and smart. She is able to grasp concepts quickly and envision what we need even when we cannot! She’s moved our aesthetic to a whole new level.
KR
Client Programme Lead