Product Designer & Researcher, Innovation Strategist
Elaine Matthias is a product designer and researcher with a design education grounded in art history and visual design. She turns complexity into intuitive digital experiences, using color, typography, layout, and data to make digital experiences that feel thoughtful and intuitive. Her creative process runs from qualitative research and product strategy through UI concepts and design systems, sharpened by a critical eye for e-commerce trends and financial planning systems.
Comfortable with ambiguity, she draws on diverse inspiration sources, experiments with configurations, and finds creative solutions within technical constraints, without losing sight of pattern consistency and user expectations. She builds spaces where teams solve problems together, treating differing perspectives as the foundation for shared, meaningful experiences.
Education
B.A. Political Science
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
2001-2005
M.A. Connoisseurship, Art History and The Art Market
Christie’s Education, New York
2007-2009
Front-End Web Design Intensive
General Assembly, New York
2017
User Experience Design Intensive
General Assembly, New York
2016
Coursework toward A.A. in Graphic Design
Parsons, The New School of Design, New York
2016-2020
Employment
Principal Designer
Curiosity Projects
2019-Present
Co-Founder
Jobs to Be Done Toolkit
2020-Present
Senior Product Designer
Northwestern Mutual
2021-2024
Lead Interaction Designer
eCommerce by MRM/McCann (formerly Optaros)
2017-2019
Experience Designer
Rosenfeld Media
2013-2016
Designer/Developer-in-Residence
General Assembly
2011-2015
Junior Associate, Business Operations
GlideSlope
2011-2013
eCommerce Manager
Cynthia Rowley Design Studio
2010-2011
Download Resume
Volunteer Experience
Sailing Instructor
Sail Rockaway
2024
Conference Co-Chair, Interaction21
Interaction Design Association
2021
Run-of-Show Producer, Interaction19 & Interaction 20
Interaction Design Association
2019-2020
Chapter President
NYC User Experience Professionals Association
2015-2017
Professional Skills
Research & Problem-Framing
-Jobs to Be Done
-Design Thinking
-Workshop Facilitation
-Qualitative Interviewing
-Persona Creation
-User Journey Maps
-Service Blueprints
Solution & Feature Design
-Interaction Design
-Wireframes
-Visual Design
-Brand Identity
-Design Systems
-Prototyping
Technical Hand-off
-Agile/Scrum Workflows
-Jira Documentation
-Design QA
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Comprehensive Asset Allocation is a B2B financial strategy enablement tool for that reframes insurance and annuities as fixed income within a client's investment portfolio, giving wealth managers a single, compliant view of a household's full asset allocation.
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Northwestern Mutual 02 Financial Planning Software
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Nam sed tincidunt neque. Nullam tellus urna, tempus et vestibulum eget, volutpat at erat. Vivamus non magna pharetra, aliquet nulla eget, blandit tortor. Maecenas egestas ut lorem venenatis lacinia. Curabitur a dictum massa. Sed et fermentum felis.
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Carson Group Digital Strategy Research
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USPS Usability Testing
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Automotive Art Paints eCommerce Website
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Milwaukee Tool eCommerce Website
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Huntington National Bank Innovation Research
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Nam sed tincidunt neque. Nullam tellus urna, tempus et vestibulum eget, volutpat at erat.
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Farther Finanice Platform Usability Testing
Sed accumsan leo vitae tincidunt mollis. Cras a sem congue, congue magna vel, pulvinar libero. Quisque elementum maximus leo. Nam sed tincidunt neque. Nullam tellus urna, tempus et vestibulum eget, volutpat at erat. Vivamus non magna pharetra, aliquet nulla eget, blandit tortor. Maecenas egestas ut lorem venenatis lacinia. Curabitur a dictum massa. Sed et fermentum felis.
Nam sed tincidunt neque. Nullam tellus urna, tempus et vestibulum eget, volutpat at erat. Vivamus non magna pharetra, aliquet nulla eget, blandit tortor. Maecenas egestas ut lorem venenatis lacinia. Curabitur a dictum massa. Sed et fermentum felis.
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JTBD Toolkit Web & Brand Design
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Century 21 Stores eCommerce Website
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