My experience in
product design
A brief overview of where I’ve been and what I’ve done, specifically in the realm of product design.
About me, today
Most recently I was the Head of Design at BRYTER. Currently, I’m working as a consultant and writing a book about onboarding.
I have more than 13 years of experience in product design and design leadership. I’ve worked across the entire product design process—research and strategy to execution and iteration—and adapted my work to a variety of industries and circumstances. As a lead, I’ve built international teams and created resilient cultures, in-office and remote.
Above all, I aim to do good and to do it well. Through my work, I support people in their endeavours, big or small, for customers and for the teams I work alongside.
Read more about what drives me and how I work on my ReadMe.
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I’m designing with Caribou, a design agency that I cofounded back in 2011, with Quinn Keast. These days my work is primarily on Caribou initiatives.
I’m expanding my onboarding resource, the up-to-speed script, into a book. Onboarding can be a challenging time but we can make it better.
Where I’ve been
Industry
Roles
Size of org
Audience
Platforms
Series
What is BRYTER?
Highlights
- Led design through the shift from product to platform
- Shaped company strategy with the founding team
- Scaled the design team to twice its size
- Evolved design’s vision and built a resilient culture, including nurturing rituals and practices
Outside work hours
Co-founder and mentor, plug-and-play usability testing space for local start-ups in partnership with North Forge.
Co-founder and host, a meetup for the growing UX community in Winnipeg.
Instructor, Web Usability for the Digital Media Technology program.
My work, at a glance
A curated collection of screens and stories from my time in design and design leadership to give you a sense of my work experience and how I approach solving different problems.
Contact me for access –jen@jengoertzen.com
Talks
The following is a selection of talks I’ve given over my career. Presenting has given me the opportunity to dive deep into topics that have shaped me as a designer and have thoughtful conversations with others.
Talks I would love to give again
To design for no-code: We need to stop talking about ‘no code.’
"No code" tools have an opportunity to shift the power dynamic of who can create solutions for the problems we face. But they are held back by the very teams behind those tools. As designers and developers, are we too close to the problem we aim to solve?
Let's talk about the "curse of knowledge" and how we need to change our mindset around those who don't code but will build.
Joining and knowing your new team: How to onboard yourself.
Onboarding is often a tension between learning the lay of the land and hitting the ground running, between fitting in and standing out. This tension affects our confidence and our ability to do our best work. I'll share the challenges we face as newcomers, why we face them, and a framework for a better, smoother start (for you and your new team).
This talk inspired my book.
Past events and presentations
To design for no-code: We need to stop talking about ‘no code.’
BRYTER Bar Camp
May 2022
Berlin Product Designers Meetup
March 2022
Growing into any role you want: How to thrive in any team.
New Media Manitoba
April 2021
The tension between inclusion & accessibility and the demands of product-market fit.
Roundtable at UX Copenhagen
March 2021
Joining and knowing your new team: How to onboard yourself.
UX Camp Europe
June 2020
IxDA Berlin
June 2019
How we design: Defining the problem space.
Guest speaker for Content Graz
May 2019
Context matters: How to get better use feedback.
Marley Spoon's Design Exchange
February 2019
Wire
February 2019
Ethics & Sustainable Design (or how to be a good human).
Red River College
January 2018
Navigating Cross-Functional Team Dynamics (Design & Dev)
Panel organizer and moderator at Prairie Dev Con
June 2017
Stop Reacting to Mocks and Own Your Product
Prairie Dev Con
April 2016