# Serena Epstein > Senior Product Designer & Researcher Location: Hayward, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/serenaepstein I bring 15+ years of design experience, a growth mindset, a graduate degree in HCI, and an agile “do what works” approach. Plus some dad jokes.* I balance higher level UX and product strategy with in-the-weeds details, and am happiest when I have some of both. I love collaborating within and especially outside my discipline to solve tough problems together. I have extensive experience working with agile engineering teams, which means I can rapidly design and prototype new ideas, often within the initial conversation. I thrive when I am constantly learning, encountering interesting challenges, and pairing with teammates who make me laugh and inspire me. *Dad joke freebie: “How many UXers does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Does it have to be a lightbulb?” You’ll get the rest when you hire me. Portfolio: serenae.com Latest work: apex.artium.ai ## Work Experience ### Senior User Experience Designer & Researcher @ K12 Jan 2024 – Present ### Senior Product Designer @ Artium AI Jan 2024 – Present ### Owner & Designer @ Shoal Jan 2013 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area • Founded retail business for nature-inspired art, accessories, and apparel. • Managed all aspects, including product design, market research, manufacturing, branding, UX design, sales, social media, and customer service. • UX design and front-end development for shopshoal.com, including user-centered ecommerce features like quick checkout, back in stock notifications, digital downloads, and product reviews. • Used customer surveys to inform product decisions. • B2C and B2B marketing & sales. • Collaborated with artists and nonprofits. • Directed fundraisers resulting in over $130k donations since 2017. • Researched IP law and built a database to help artists fight infringement. shopshoal.com ### Senior Product Designer @ Artium Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 • Spearheaded design across a suite of AI apps that drive and facilitate human-AI collaboration within technology companies. • Created new design paradigms for interacting with generative AI. • Built rapid, iterative prototypes to save engineering time and align with stakeholders • Identified and prioritized product direction through user research, collaborating with chatGPT to analyze research data. • Built design system used across all AI apps • Led design and research on APEX, an AI app that helps users take a product from idea to backlog in minutes. useapex.io ### Senior Product Designer @ Mahmee Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 • Reimagined patient experience of pregnancy and postpartum care, while speeding up care providers. • Designed high-impact systems: task management, automations, notifications, data visualizations, and events. • Improved agile processes across product and design teams. • Led redesign of mobile app experience. Tested company rebrand concepts with users, created interactive prototypes for buy-in from stakeholders, and built Figma design system to keep internal & external teams aligned. apps.apple.com/us/app/mahmee-maternal-health-app/id1635628390 ### Head Of User Experience @ Sesh Jan 2020 – Jan 2023 • Led UX/UI design and research across the company. • Designed and shipped a parenting app that helps reduce tantrums and build healthy relationships, supplemented by machine learning and AI. • Built Figma design system from the ground up, ensuring consistency and fast iteration across design and engineering teams. ### Designer @ Freelance Jan 2009 – Jan 2019 • UX design, print design, branding, content strategy, and design workshops for nonprofits, embassies, and businesses. • Notable clients: Alliance Française de Washington, Embassy of France, Facebook, National Wildlife Federation, Smithsonian Institute. • Created and ran design workshop for non-designers at Facebook, including best practices and hands-on collaborative activities. ### UX Researcher & Designer @ Monterey Bay Aquarium Jan 2019 – Jan 2019 • Created INK, a digital notebook app for education. • Led team through foundational research, multiple design cycles, usability testing, and delivery of the final interactive prototype. • Conducted interviews, observations, focus groups, card sorts, and surveys to understand user needs, culminating in usability testing with students and teachers to further refine app development. • Designed personas, user journeys, and wireframes to shape early iterations of the app, then built these out into high-fidelity interactive prototypes for usability testing and design cycles. • Delivered comprehensive documentation and marketing materials to help client with development and funding. inknotebook.org ### UX Designer @ Penn State University Jan 2013 – Jan 2018 • Led design and front-end development on a range of UX projects for faculty and staff. • Created tools that allowed new teachers to practice skills, helped students reinforce learning, launched STEM initiatives in the community, and more. • Supported WordPress multisite for student and faculty stakeholders. • Worked with College of Education researchers to create Chatbot, a virtual role play tool that helps new teachers practice difficult conversations with students in multiple scenarios. ### Head Librarian & Education Technology Specialist @ The American School of Tangier Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 | Tangier, Morocco • Ran K-12 school library in Morocco. • Expanded library catalog and services on a tight budget through fundraising initiatives, volunteer recruitment, and community events. • Developed school-wide WordPress platform, providing support for faculty and students through workshops and tutorials. • Conducted focus groups and diary studies in collaboration with university researchers as part of an international study to understand technology adoption among middle schoolers. ### Web Designer & Developer @ Penn State University Jan 2010 – Jan 2011 • Helped create Blogs at PSU, a university-wide student and faculty website platform. • Developed templates and style guides used across the system. • Collaborated closely with faculty and staff stakeholders to create websites for a range of educational needs. ## Education ### M.S. in Human-Computer Interaction & Design (MHCID) UC Irvine ### B.A. in English, Creative Writing University of Mary Washington ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/serenae - Portfolio: http://www.serenae.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/serenaepstein JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/serenaepstein/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13