I turn ambiguous business problems into clear user experiences through strategic design.

I turn ambiguous business problems into clear user experiences through strategic design.

I'm a Senior UX Designer with 8+ years of experience who believes the best design solutions emerge when you deeply understand both user behavior and business dynamics.


At Datasite, I redesigned the identity verification flow and led the homepage launch that generated an 18.9K increase in unique visitors to MergerLinks content, while leading cross-functional discovery sessions across seven product teams to align user needs with revenue goals.


My international business background taught me to navigate ambiguity and competing priorities, skills I use daily when turning messy problem spaces into clear, testable design hypotheses.

I'm a Senior UX Designer with 8+ years of experience who believes the best design solutions emerge when you deeply understand both user behavior and business dynamics.


At Datasite, I redesigned the identity verification flow and led the homepage launch that generated an 18.9K increase in unique visitors to MergerLinks content, while leading cross-functional discovery sessions across seven product teams to align user needs with revenue goals.


My international business background taught me to navigate ambiguity and competing priorities, skills I use daily when turning messy problem spaces into clear, testable design hypotheses.

UX Process Overview

UX Process Overview

UX Process Overview

A Comprehensive Guide to the UX Process

Companies

8+ years in UX/Product & Research

Skills

Strategic planning

Strategic planning

Strategic planning

Strategic planning

Cross-functional facilitation

Cross-functional facilitation

Cross-functional facilitation

Cross-functional facilitation

Stakeholder alignment

Stakeholder alignment

Stakeholder alignment

Stakeholder alignment

Methods

Jobs-to-Be-Done

Jobs-to-Be-Done

Jobs-to-Be-Done

Jobs-to-Be-Done

Usability Testing

Usability Testing

Usability Testing

Usability Testing

Behavioral Analytics

Behavioral Analytics

Behavioral Analytics

Behavioral Analytics

User Research

User Research

User Research

User Research

Journey Mapping

Journey Mapping

Journey Mapping

Journey Mapping

Location

St. Paul, MN

(open to remote/hybrid)

Tools

My UX Approach

My UX Approach

My UX Approach

My UX Approach

End-to-End UX Thinking

Strategy

Design Decisions That Drive Product and Business Impact

Every problem I tackle begins with understanding what’s at stake. I ask: What are we solving, and why now? I align UX direction to measurable business goals like activation, retention, or revenue lift.


At Datasite, this mindset helped clarify tradeoffs across product squads and turn vague business requests into specific, testable design goals.

Research
Behavior-led insights that de-risk decisions

I combine qualitative and quantitative insights to guide decisions. I pair stakeholder interviews with behavioral analytics to uncover not just what users say, but what they actually do.


This approach helped me redesign Datasite’s homepage by blending user feedback with engagement data to improve conversion.

Execution
Cohesive, scalable design in Figma

I design for scale, not just screens. I create modular interfaces in Figma that flex with evolving requirements and partner closely with PMs and engineers from kickoff to launch.


My goal is to build systems that adapt to business needs while keeping the user experience clear and consistent.

UX Process Overview

UX Process Overview

UX Process Overview

UX Process Overview

A Comprehensive Guide to the UX Process

1. Discover

Talk to users, stakeholders, and the business to understand what matters most.

1. Discover

Talk to users, stakeholders, and the business to understand what matters most.

1. Discover

Talk to users, stakeholders, and the business to understand what matters most.

2. Define

Prioritize problems by aligning user needs with business goals and tech limits.

2. Define

Prioritize problems by aligning user needs with business goals and tech limits.

2. Define

Prioritize problems by aligning user needs with business goals and tech limits.

3. Design

Build clear solutions with reusable components and scalable systems.

3. Design

Build clear solutions with reusable components and scalable systems.

3. Design

Build clear solutions with reusable components and scalable systems.

4. Validate

Test with real users to confirm assumptions and fix what fails.

4. Validate

Test with real users to confirm assumptions and fix what fails.

4. Validate

Test with real users to confirm assumptions and fix what fails.

5. Deliver

Share detailed specs and support engineers through implementation.

5. Deliver

Share detailed specs and support engineers through implementation.

5. Deliver

Share detailed specs and support engineers through implementation.

1. Discover

Talk to users, stakeholders, and the business to understand what matters most.

2. Define

Prioritize problems by aligning user needs with business goals and tech limits.

3. Design

Build clear solutions with reusable components and scalable systems.

4. Validate

Test with real users to confirm assumptions and fix what fails.

5. Deliver

Share detailed specs and support engineers through implementation.

My Toolkit

My Toolkit

My Toolkit

My Toolkit

Design, research, and collaboration tools I’ve worked with

Research & Testing →

Research & Testing

← Design & Prototyping

Design & Prototyping

Collaboration & Delivery →

Collaboration & Delivery

← AI Tools

AI Tools

Career Timeline

Career Timeline

Career Timeline

Career Timeline

Work History

Datasite

2024–2025

Senior Product Designer

@

Datasite

Led platform-scale design across seven product teams

Datasite

2024–2025

Senior Product Designer

@

Datasite

Led platform-scale design across seven product teams

Datasite

2024–2025

Senior Product Designer

@

Datasite

Led platform-scale design across seven product teams

Datasite

2024–2025

Senior Product Designer

@

Datasite

Led platform-scale design across seven product teams

Datasite

2021–2024

Senior Web UX Designer

@

Datasite

Redesigned homepage and identity flows, driving 18.9K+ new visitors

Datasite

2021–2024

Senior Web UX Designer

@

Datasite

Redesigned homepage and identity flows, driving 18.9K+ new visitors

Datasite

2021–2024

Senior Web UX Designer

@

Datasite

Redesigned homepage and identity flows, driving 18.9K+ new visitors

Datasite

2021–2024

Senior Web UX Designer

@

Datasite

Redesigned homepage and identity flows, driving 18.9K+ new visitors

Lifetouch

2018–2021

UX Designer & Lead UX Researcher

@

Lifetouch

Pivoted into UX after Prime Digital Academy; led research-driven design

Lifetouch

2018–2021

UX Designer & Lead UX Researcher

@

Lifetouch

Pivoted into UX after Prime Digital Academy; led research-driven design

Lifetouch

2018–2021

UX Designer & Lead UX Researcher

@

Lifetouch

Pivoted into UX after Prime Digital Academy; led research-driven design

Lifetouch

2018–2021

UX Designer & Lead UX Researcher

@

Lifetouch

Pivoted into UX after Prime Digital Academy; led research-driven design

Target

2016–2017

Report Builder

@

Target

Built a strong analytics foundation for data-informed UX work

Target

2016–2017

Report Builder

@

Target

Built a strong analytics foundation for data-informed UX work

Target

2016–2017

Report Builder

@

Target

Built a strong analytics foundation for data-informed UX work

Target

2016–2017

Report Builder

@

Target

Built a strong analytics foundation for data-informed UX work

McCann Minneapolis

2014-2016

Media Analyst & Strategist

@

McCann Minneapolis

Refined research, messaging, and business strategy skills

McCann Minneapolis

2014-2016

Media Analyst & Strategist

@

McCann Minneapolis

Refined research, messaging, and business strategy skills

McCann Minneapolis

2014-2016

Media Analyst & Strategist

@

McCann Minneapolis

Refined research, messaging, and business strategy skills

McCann Minneapolis

2014-2016

Media Analyst & Strategist

@

McCann Minneapolis

Refined research, messaging, and business strategy skills

Looking for a strategic
designer? Let’s connect

Mail Icon

marap844@gmail.com

© 2025

Mara Pederson, All Right Reserved

Looking for a strategic
designer? Let’s connect

Mail Icon

marap844@gmail.com

© 2025

Mara Pederson, All Right Reserved

Looking for a strategic
designer? Let’s connect

Mail Icon

marap844@gmail.com

© 2025

Mara Pederson, All Right Reserved

Looking for a strategic
designer? Let’s connect

Mail Icon

marap844@gmail.com

© 2025

Mara Pederson, All Right Reserved