Hi, I’m Anna
A UX designer, speaker, author, podcaster & storytelling consultant, helping individuals, teams & companies apply the power of storytelling to their work.
Experiences are stories. Every story matters.
On the other end of every computer, smartphone, tablet, TV, smart speaker, other device or service there’s a person with a specific goal in mind. They have their own backstory, a story about right now and a story they imagine about the future. All of which impacts their experience. How your brand, product or service fits, shapes and becomes part of people’s story and life is something that needs to be defined and designed.
That’s one of the things I can help with.
I've written a book for O'Reilly. It's called
Storytelling in Design
It's a practical guide that shows you how storytelling can make a powerful difference in product design. By applying tried-and-tested principles from film and fiction to the context of design and business, you’ll learn to create great product experiences, as well as how you can use storytelling to get buy-in, and for improving you presentation skills.
Where I've spoken & given workshops
Have you read these?
How Storyboarding Has Helped Me As A Freelancer
Why I developed a method for storyboarding presentations and other deliverables and how I apply it to my work.
Sometimes there should be friction and sometimes that friction will cost you
What a recent road trip and charging experience showed in terms of the difference removing friction does.
How purposeful storytelling helps when asked to present on the fly
A year and a half ago I was asked to present on the fly to a large group of people. This post is about how the simple practice of purposeful storytelling helped med present confidently on the fly.
How I can help you, your team & company
UX Leadership & Design Ops
If you're in a need of a Head of UX or design ops leader then I can help. Or if you need an interim leader to look after the team, or help with connecting UX design to the business, increase buy-in, defining and implementing processes, leading projects etc.
Hands-on UX work
I still do the hands-on work that's involved from before a project kicks off to after it's delivered, be it research, strategy, IA, product design, testing and optimisation, and can be your one UX-er or help lead your team.
Advising
Whether you're s startup, individual or company I'll work with you to provide practical, tangible and actionable recommendations that takes the bigger picture into account. It can range from a one-off session to an ongoing engagement.
Training & Workshops
I provide out of the box as well as custom made training, masterclasses and workshops - either pre-recorded, live streamed or in person. They are suitable for individuals, teams and organisations, and cover everything from foundational UX training to honing in on specific areas, as well as storytelling and presentation skills.
Public Speaking
Be it a talk or a workshop I put great emphasis on defining and developing the right story for your event's audience. My presentations are highly visual with the right balance of text to ensure my sessions are engaging and include actionable outcomes that the attendees can apply to their work the very next day.
Mentoring & Coaching
Whether your company lacks someone who can mentor and look after the UX/ design team, or you're seeking outside mentoring or coaching in addition to what you have, I'll work with you over a set period of time on the areas we define.
Let's talk about a
Storytelling Session
Does your team need help with how to present with impact, better engage their audience, and reach the outcomes they're after when it comes to selling in work, findings, and what they stand for?
If so tell me about your needs and we can talk through a custom or out-of-the-box training session.
Companies & brands I've worked with
These are some of the amazing companies I’ve worked for:
Skånetrafiken, Create TOTALLY, Bugaboo, Sunshine, 72andSunny, Pernod Ricard, Unmind, BBC Sport 2012, Massive Interactive, Leo Burnett, Alliants, inOrbit, Albion, AKQA, BBC News, Agency Republic, Work Club, Dare, EzGov, Rambøll Management, Haburi.com, ClickSummit, Yahoo! Denmark.
Whilst working for them I’ve worked with some of the world’s leading brands:
Google, AXE, Marks & Spencer, BBC Sport, Ballantines, Max Factor, Tropicana, Danone, Augustinus Bader, Huawei, AEG Presents, Barclays, Sony Compare the Market, ITV Media.
I’m also hosting the UX Fika podcast, a weekly show where I catch up with friends and people I’ve met through the UX, tech and conference scene. You can find it where you normally listen and follow along on Instagram and sign up to the newsletter.
