Hello. I’m Kristina—a design leader working diligently to connect the dots and empower others to do their best creative work.

Define it

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Explore it

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Create it

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Learn from it

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Define it 〰️ Explore it 〰️ Create it 〰️ Learn from it 〰️

Currently leading a talented team of designers at Smartsheet—where we are re-imagining the core of the product to drive work forward.

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My why
Help make people and experiences better

My how
Listen, bring people together & storytell

My what
Shape the environment and provide frameworks to help people do their best creative work

Where I thrive
Collaborative environments that empower me to foster curiosity, critical thinking and creativity to lead others in tackling complex challenges

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📐 Experience

Senior Product Designer Manager
Smartsheet | May 2024–Present

Product Design Manager
Smartsheet | March 2023–May 2024

Design Lead
Smartsheet | November 2022–March 2023

Senior Product Designer
Smartsheet | March 2022–November 2022

Senior Product Designer
OfferUp | 2020–April 2022
Designed a range of experiences for a mobile marketplace
Previous position: Product Designer

UX Designer
Anthro-Tech | 2018–2020
Designed websites for government agencies

Architectural designer | 2013–2017
Designed at a variety of award-winning firms

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☕ Mentoring

ADPList
June 2021–Present

Hexagon UX
2021–2022

Women in Innovation
April 2021–June 2022

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💬 Talks

Crafting narratives people will listen to
As product designers, a key aspect of our role is to craft narratives others listen to. Let's dig into some effective methods for getting your points across.
September 2024–ADPList

Tactics for designers with stakeholder management
Why it’s important. Why design can't sell itself. Tactics to try and apply.
June 2024–ADPList

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🗞️ Writing

Design Playground Substack
Musings about design, leadership, mindfulness and play

Crafting AI Experiences
A series of articles by myself and Dilip Jagadeesh ranging from trends, mechanics of AI , durable principles and patterns to inspire and educate designers working at the cutting edge of technology.

The Building Blocks of Improv
A high level look at the power and practice of improvisation

Communicating Design to Stakeholders
A summary of methods for effectively presenting design to stakeholders

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✏️ Education

University of Washington, Seattle
Master of Human-Computer Interaction and Design (MHCI+D)

California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo
Bachelor of Architecture

Unexpected Productions
Improv courses 100-500, currently enrolled in 600