I’m a strategic, holistic thinker skilled at helping teams identify their and their users’ needs, developing a system-level understanding, and creating and implementing strategies to bring meaningful solutions to fruition through service and systems design, research, and experience design. I enjoy helping people come together to tap into their inner brilliance and effectively collaborate and make decisions. Spaces of creativity, experimentation, and open communication are where I thrive.
Background
“Because of Julia’s research and reporting, the recruiting team was provided with invaluable documentation… This vital information will be used for years to come.”
“She taught partners how to conduct research, test prototypes, and how to apply human centered design methods to challenging problems in Austin government.”
I work at Teladoc Health as a product designer, helping to shape the future of healthcare through our virtual primary care service.
My focus is to fill the gaps between what a virtual offering can and can’t provide by bringing healthcare to users’ homes, such as through self-administered labs and blood pressure monitoring.
I also enjoy shaping our design practice by working on our Experience Principles Initiative, to help us create consistent, cohesive experiences that meet our strategic vision across the organization.
Before working at Teladoc, I traveled the world doing residencies to expand my understanding of and experience with deep community building.
Over a period of 18 months my partner and I completed residencies at collective living communities across Central America, Europe, Asia, and Canada.
We built a deeper understanding of collective and land-based living, advanced communication and collective decision making practices, and creating spaces that help people access their emotions and express their desires, through media such as dance and play.
At the City of Austin Communications and Public Information Office, I loved bringing Human-Centered Design to large scale projects.
Worked on the design systems for major updates to the public website and internal intranet.
Co-led the 2020 Census outreach effort for the LGBTQ+ community, contributing to one of the best performances of any county in Texas and to Texas gaining two seats in Congress, the most of any state in the nation.
Designed the police reform and the land code revision websites, increasing transparency and accessibility of critical information and increasing public engagement.
Spearheaded the translations process for our COVID testing website, bringing it from serving only English-speaking residents to serving residents speaking the top 5 languages in Austin.
Service and systems design to improve communications awareness and public engagement, consolidating cross-department resources.
Advised Austin-Travis County EMS on identifying staff needs for a controversial organizational transition.
Served on the board of the LGBTQ+ Employee Network, providing trainings and coordinating contributors for a Gender Identity Transition Guidebook.
As a Design, Technology, and Innovation Fellow for the City of Austin Innovation Office, I loved advancing accessibility and equity in government services.
Used service design, design research, and UX design to tackle the process of permitting for staff and the public, new hire recruiting for EMS, and establish the practice for digitizing forms for the entire City organization.
Brought a systems and service-oriented approach to my teams, pushing beyond digital solutions to ensure no user faced gaps or dead ends.
Facilitated workshops and mentored city staff in human-centered design and user research.
At IBM Design, I loved moving the culture toward user-centered practices.
Established a user feedback program, research processes, and education.
Facilitated Design Thinking and research workshops as part of one of the first cohorts of IBM Design, part of a massive initiative to develop IBM Design Thinking and incorporate it into the core of the organization’s approach to product design.
Did user research and UX design for IBM Watson and Mobile First products.
Brought a holistic view of the user journey to my teams, using service and system mapping to raise awareness of the end-to-end customer experience.
Email me at julia.z.byron@gmail.com
Awards and Recognition
“A versatile and impactful UX designer.”
Speaker at the Enterprise UX Virtual Summit by UXPin
Speaker at the O’Reilly Design Conference on Team Personas
“Junior employee who has progressed most quickly to senior-level contribution” - Keith Kozak, previous design director of IBM MobileFirst
Philip H. Stevens Award for the redesign of bathroom vanity for individuals in wheelchairs
Design Professors’ Award for a group project on “Accessible Wearables.”
Still curious? Here are some testimonials.
“In my 27-year career in design and communications I have had the privilege of working with many talented professionals. Julia is an individual who stands out.
During our time working together at the City of Austin, Julia reported to me and served as a systems, service and user experience designer. She brought a wealth of expertise and insights to understanding user behavior and consistently employed thoughtful, human-centered solutions to challenging problems. But what truly sets Julia apart is her empathy and integrity. Julia approaches her work with a true goal of empowering others through the use of her designs. She is able to encourage focus on exceptional delivery for both herself and for her teammates by fostering an environment of collaboration and mutual respect among her colleagues.
Julia would be an asset to any team.”
Yasmin Wagner, Manager, City of Austin
"This was a difficult project due to a short timeline, lean staffing, and a scope change during the discovery phase. Julia dove right in from the beginning and I was impressed with her attention to detail, professionalism, knowledge, and the insights she uncovered through her research. It takes most people years to truly understand how our system works, but Julia quickly grasped the many nuances of our organization and successfully contributed to our tasks, often in a lead role.
Because of Julia’s research and reporting, the recruiting team was provided with invaluable documentation on potential targets, where to target them, and the most appropriate messages to reach them. This vital information will be used for years to come. I also appreciated how Julia worked with us throughout the entire research process and clearly explained each step of her research. We all learned a lot from her. On a personal note, Julia is a joy to work with and I hope our paths will cross again professionally in the future. I can, without hesitation, recommend Julia as a dedicated and skilled researcher, designer, and team player."
Hillary Berquist, Client, Austin-Travis County EMS
"Julia brought rigor and passion to our team's research efforts. She taught partners how to conduct research, test prototypes, and how to apply human centered design methods to challenging problems in Austin government. Julia's forms research and design work laid the foundation for more accessible forms across the city. Julia is a creative and supportive team member, critical thinker, and talented designer and researcher. I hope our paths cross again!"
Celine Thibault, Colleague, City of Austin
"Julia's presence and confidence within program and design teams belies her youth. She brings an impressive level of tenacity and focus to her project work as well. These personal attributes are complemented by a solid foundation in design thinking process, UX design practice, and user research methodologies. This combination of characteristics and expertise make Julia a versatile and impactful UX designer."
Brad Allen, Colleague, IBM Design Watson
