UX Design Apprentice at Google · New York · Open to Opportunities

I bring AI into every stage of my process — from synthesizing research to rapidly prototyping variations — so I can explore more directions in less time. It's not a shortcut; it's how I stay rigorous while moving fast enough to keep pace with product timelines. I design end-to-end products that are grounded in research and proven through usability testing, so every screen earns its place through evidence rather than opinion.

Crystal Richardson, UX Designer

About Me

I Design With Purpose. I Build With Craft.

Hi, I am Crystal — a UX Designer focused on building digital experiences that are accessible, intuitive, and genuinely useful. My background spans education technology, enterprise systems at Google, and consumer apps, with earlier years inside healthcare and public service that taught me how real people use complicated tools.

AI is woven into how I work — I use it to synthesize research faster, pressure-test ideas from multiple angles, and rapidly prototype variations so I can explore more directions in less time. It sharpens the craft; it does not replace the thinking. Research still drives every decision, and craft still carries it through.

Toolkit

User Research
Usability Testing
Empathy Mapping
User Interviews
Competitive Analysis
Information Architecture
Wireframing
Prototyping
High-Fidelity UI Design
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
Design Systems
Interaction Design
AI-Assisted Workflows
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Accessibility Design

Selected Work

Five Projects. Real Problems. Real People.

Each project below is a full design cycle — discovery, research, testing, iteration, delivery. Research drives every decision and usability testing proves it before anything ships.

NDA

Access Management Platform — Enterprise at Scale

Thousands of employees were filing tickets just to navigate a fragmented permissions landscape with no plain language guidance. A single portal unified discovery, troubleshooting, and access requests - collapsing weeks into minutes.

My role: Led MVP scope and design direction through a four-phase cycle — competitive analysis, design sprints, iterative prototyping, and production handoff — designing for two distinct user types.

MY ROLE Led MVP scope & design direction · Dual-user design · 4-phase cycle: competitive analysis, design sprints, prototyping, handoff
ImpactWeeks to minutes · Plain-language system · Support volume reduced

All project names, internal identifiers, and metrics have been fictionalized per NDA. Designs reflect real process and thinking.

View Full Case Study — NDA · Access on Request
NDA

Enterprise Settings Framework — Designed to Scale

Designing a scalable Settings framework — proven by shipping Notifications first. A design sprint, 13+ competitive teardowns, and a tightly scoped MVP became a reusable pattern published org-wide through the company's internal design-system library.

MY ROLE Led a competitive analysis · Design sprint · AI-assisted prototyping · Design system library contribution
Impact15 reusable component templates · 1 unified pattern published org-wide

All project names, internal identifiers, and metrics have been fictionalized per NDA. Designs reflect real process and thinking.

View Full Case Study — NDA · Access on Request
NDA

AI Access Agent — Conversational Access, Not Guesswork

Requesting access meant guessing from hundreds of technical role names, and failures said only "insufficient permissions." Two conversational scenarios turn that guesswork into a guided conversation that ends in a pre-filled request.

My role: Designed the conversational scenarios end to end — turn-by-turn dialogue, agent analysis logic at each step, and handoffs into existing request tooling.

MY ROLE Conversational design · Scenario ownership · Turn-by-turn flows · Handoff design
Impact2 scenarios designed · ~8 turns to a resolved request · 2 existing tools integrated

All project names, internal identifiers, and metrics have been fictionalized per NDA. Designs reflect real process and thinking.

View Full Case Study — NDA · Access on Request
Side Projects & Concept Work
NaviLearn — Learning Made Accessible

NaviLearn — Learning Made Accessible

An exploratory mobile project to make learning accessible for adults with limited tech experience.

My role: Owned end-to-end design — research, information architecture, accessibility features, and multiple rounds of usability testing with adult learners.

MY ROLE UX research · Usability testing · Iterative prototyping
ImpactStreamlined core flow · Zero task abandonment in final testing
View Case Study
Tyo's Auction App — Trust Through Design

Tyo's Auction App — Trust Through Design

A mobile art auction platform redesigned for trust, transparency, and seamless live bidding.

My role: Owned end-to-end design from research through high-fidelity prototype, running usability testing with art collectors and resolving the friction points it surfaced.

MY ROLE UX research · Usability testing · Iterative design
Impact100% Task Completion · 5/5 Issues Fixed · 60% Lag Reduced
View Case Study

Experience

Where the Work Comes From

My perspective wasn't built in a classroom — it was built inside the Department of Education, healthcare, and public service, watching exactly how systems break for the people using them.

  • Google — UX Design Apprentice

    Feb 2025 – Present

    End-to-end design across two product areas — covering research, information architecture, high-fidelity Figma work, and production handoff. I run daily working sessions with PMs, engineers, and UX research to ship designs that survive contact with real users.

  • Freelance Visual & Digital Artist

    April 2018 – 2025

    Seven years of independent work in visual design, digital art, photography, and brand identity — and that craft is the reason my UI files look like UI files instead of wireframes with color applied on top.

Certifications

Credentials

Certifications

  • Apprenticeship Completion Certificate, U.S. Department of Labor — Google
    2026
  • Uncovering Your Transferable Skills with AI — Google
    2025
  • Google UX Design Professional Certificate
    2025
  • Google AI Essentials Certificate
    2025

Let's Talk

Let's Build Something Together

My path into design wasn't a straight line, and that's my edge — I bring transferable skills, a fresh perspective, and real energy to every team I join. I do my best work when I can roll up my sleeves early and shape ideas alongside the people who care about them most. If you want to create amazing products for people, I'd love to build something great with you. Let's connect.

crystalrichardson690@gmail.comlinkedin.com/in/crystal-richardson-508798363
View My Portfolio
Open to Opportunities