Hello, my name is Upendo.
I create visually impactful, user-friendly journeys throughout digital and physical spaces. My design is guided by visual elegance and clarity.
What I do best
Experience design.
I specialize in creating visually appealing and intuitive user experiences that facilitate engagement in the digital landscape, as well as physical spaces.
Responsive design for web and mobile.
In a world where screens come in all shapes and sizes, I ensure that your digital content presents optimally in all formats.
Visually impactful stories.
People engage with stories, and I’m here to help you tell it visually. Balancing careful visual editing with creative exploration.
Featured work
Scheduling App
Role
Senior Product Designer
Contribution
Lead for HCD activities as we designed the interface for a healthcare professional scheduling app to support the client which works with over 1,100 hospitals and health systems, 13,500 physicians, and over 400,000 cases per year. Activities included: facilitation of stakeholder interview sessions, collaborative design sessions, and delivery of final design materials.
User Portal
Role
Senior Product Designer
Contribution
Lead designer for a client-facing program portal and CRM campaign. The project goal was to create a client relationship tool for the insurance carrier, with their clients (agencies) as the audience. The portal was intended to facilitate the management of a pilot program aimed at increasing new policies via the utilization of this tracking tool by their agency partners. Activities included: user interviews, market research, wireframing, medium and high-fidelity design mockups, email campaign design and strategy.
Event Digital Design
Role
Lead Product Designer
Contribution
I was honored to design the Event Sponsorship Guide for the Kelly Strayhorn Theatre(KST) annual benefit bash and celebration of summer i CPA applicationPA applicantsn the city. East Liberty heats up every June, inviting guests from all walks of life to join us on the KST main stage for live performances, food and drinks from the East End’s favorite bars and restaurants, plus a dance floor that’s no stranger to the best movers and shakers in the city.
Event Digital Design
Role
Lead Designer
Contribution
Lead digital and enviornmental designer for America’s favorite annual beer festival (Barrel & Flow Fest) as voted by USA Today readers. Delivered design and build of event website, marketing assets, merchandise, stage banners, and wayfair graphics.
UX Research
Role
Senior Product Designer
Contribution
Lead for HCD activities collaborating with 9 cross-functional teams as we planned the migration of their manual workflows to a unified digital workflow utilizing Salesforce. Our team researched and documented 18 stages of an asset lifecycle and the granular processes involved within each stage. activities included: facilitation of stakeholder interview sessions, creation of 3 iterations of process mapping, and delivery of final findings report document.
Enterprise Web Redesign
Role
Senior Product Designer
Contribution
Lead for HCD activities including Phase 1 of the CGI.com redesign which focused on creating an initial implementation of CGI’s new branding concepts. With phase 2, the team focused on the creative direction and design of components, page layouts, and user flows on the site to optimize the user-experience and discovery of CGI offerings
Bespoke renovation of 136 year old home
Passion Project
This property is located in the historic Troy Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA. This neighborhood is home to the Troy Hill Art Houses which served as an inspiration for this unique renovation that focused on quality of material and utilization of space. 4 finished levels featuring mixed width white oak hardwood floors, 10 ft ceilings and exposed brick.
Design/build of ceiling light concept
Passion Project
Though this piece utilizes organic material and not 3D printed plastic, the design is inspired by the concept of 3D printed components in maufacturing. The materials used to create this piece are a series of thin wood frames that are interlocked and use no glue or fasteners.
Sharepoint Modernization
Role
Lead UX Designer
Contribution
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Mobile App
Role
Lead/Senior UX Consultant
Contribution
Lead for HCD activities as we designed a mobile portal for CPA applicants. The portal included a user flow that helped users maintain awareness of their statuses through a complex application process. Activities included: facilitation of stakeholder interview sessions, collaborative design sessions, and delivery of final design materials.
Event marketing
Role
Lead Designer
Contribution
I was honored to design materials for Made For The Soul, a cocktail which was inspired by two Pittsburgh-based musicians, FRH Golden and pvkvsv, who released an album by the same name. It was crafted and produced by TLC Libations: a Black and Women locally owned distillery.
Work experience
February 2025 – Present
Senior Experience Designer
PNC
Leads design for consumer-facing experiences (Offers, Insights, Rewards) across web + mobile
Meeting facilitation, presentation, stakeholder communication
September 2018 – February 2025
Senior Product Designer
CGI Inc.
Spearheading the product design vision and strategy, aligning design goals with overall business objectives.
Championing a user-centric design approach by conducting user research.
Facilitating productive collaborations between design, development, and product management teams to ensure cohesive and efficient product development cycles.
June 2014- August 2018
Sole Proprietor – Product Design
Upendo Design
Brand strategy and direction with a focus on user-experience
Discovery meetings, info gathering, research and project management
Design, development of strategy and assets for digital projects across various industries
July 2010 – May 2014
Front-End Designer/Developer
Tobii-Dynavox
Design and development of UI elements with a focus on facilitating user interaction as well as maximizing conversion goals, utilizing HTML, CSS, jQuery, Photoshop, Illustrator, Google Analytics
Lead visual designer/developer implementing regular creative content refreshes within the multiple web properties of dynavoxtech.com and mayer-johnson.com utilizing HTML, CSS, jQuery, Photoshop, Illustrator
Design and development of digital marketing campaign assets utilizing HTML, CSS, jQuery, Photoshop, Illustrator
Creative direction, design and development of digital marketing campaign products targeting specific user groups and market segments