Some kind words
Ashley Kennedy-Foster
Product Design Manager @FloQast
As a veteran UX manager, I wholeheartedly recommend Tess to any design organization. She is an exceptional designer whose talent has been an incredible asset to my design team. Tess brings a unique visual style, shifting between warm, inviting designs and sleek, modern aesthetics.
But Tess is more than just a visual designer. She makes it her business to possess user-centered, data-driven knowledge of E2E workflows. This allows Tess to drive PRD grooming sessions, challenge assumptions, and rally the team around her vision. What's remarkable is her ability to strike a balance between independence and collaboration; Tess is always in sync with the team, including internal and external stakeholders, making sure everyone's on board while she steers her projects forward without the need for managerial oversight.
One of Tess's superpowers is her thirst for feedback. She actively seeks it out because she knows it improves her design work. One of my favorite activities was brainstorming and collaborating with Tess; she was open to alternative viewpoints even when she had strong opinions. Tess's commitment to continuous improvement is evident in her design choices, which are backed by solid reasoning and a keen eye for business impact. Her dedication to feedback ensures that her designs are always evolving and improving.
As Tess's manager, I've seen her shine in the most demanding situations, leading cross-functional projects with grace and determination. Trust me when I say Tess is not one to let slip through your fingers. She's a go-getter, a team player, and a true asset to any organization that values UX.
Ashley Kennedy-Foster
Product Design Manager @FloQast
As a veteran UX manager, I wholeheartedly recommend Tess to any design organization. She is an exceptional designer whose talent has been an incredible asset to my design team. Tess brings a unique visual style, shifting between warm, inviting designs and sleek, modern aesthetics.
But Tess is more than just a visual designer. She makes it her business to possess user-centered, data-driven knowledge of E2E workflows. This allows Tess to drive PRD grooming sessions, challenge assumptions, and rally the team around her vision. What's remarkable is her ability to strike a balance between independence and collaboration; Tess is always in sync with the team, including internal and external stakeholders, making sure everyone's on board while she steers her projects forward without the need for managerial oversight.
One of Tess's superpowers is her thirst for feedback. She actively seeks it out because she knows it improves her design work. One of my favorite activities was brainstorming and collaborating with Tess; she was open to alternative viewpoints even when she had strong opinions. Tess's commitment to continuous improvement is evident in her design choices, which are backed by solid reasoning and a keen eye for business impact. Her dedication to feedback ensures that her designs are always evolving and improving.
As Tess's manager, I've seen her shine in the most demanding situations, leading cross-functional projects with grace and determination. Trust me when I say Tess is not one to let slip through your fingers. She's a go-getter, a team player, and a true asset to any organization that values UX.
Cole James
Lead Mobile Software Engineer @SkySlope
During my Tenure with Tess I found her to be one of the most rewarding UX designers to work with due to the exceptional quality of her work as well as her unwavering patience, attention to detail and consideration for the developer's workflow. She is methodical with her designs and often considers all of the nuance and detail that developers will encounter when engineering and implementing her work. She is truly world class at what she does.
Cole James
Lead Mobile Software Engineer @SkySlope
During my Tenure with Tess I found her to be one of the most rewarding UX designers to work with due to the exceptional quality of her work as well as her unwavering patience, attention to detail and consideration for the developer's workflow. She is methodical with her designs and often considers all of the nuance and detail that developers will encounter when engineering and implementing her work. She is truly world class at what she does.
Kasey Keville
Product Manager @First American
It was my distinct pleasure to collaborate with Tess on the launch of one of SkySlope's latest SAAS products for nearly two years. I can assert with confidence that Tess embodies all the essential qualities of an exceptional UX designer. Her remarkable ability to distill complex concepts into an easily comprehensible format is matched only by her exceptional research skills and unwavering commitment to understanding the needs and desires of users.
Tess's keen business acumen enables her to align her designs with our strategic vision and long term goals, while her empathy allows her to design truly user-centric products. Tess is well-versed in accessibility best practices and her impressive portfolio is a testament to her skills.
A consummate collaborator, Tess works seamlessly with the rest of the team and her creative competencies imbue her designs with a unique flair that sets them apart from the rest. I wholeheartedly recommend Tess for any UX design project.
Kasey Keville
Product Manager @First American
It was my distinct pleasure to collaborate with Tess on the launch of one of SkySlope's latest SAAS products for nearly two years. I can assert with confidence that Tess embodies all the essential qualities of an exceptional UX designer. Her remarkable ability to distill complex concepts into an easily comprehensible format is matched only by her exceptional research skills and unwavering commitment to understanding the needs and desires of users.
Tess's keen business acumen enables her to align her designs with our strategic vision and long term goals, while her empathy allows her to design truly user-centric products. Tess is well-versed in accessibility best practices and her impressive portfolio is a testament to her skills.
A consummate collaborator, Tess works seamlessly with the rest of the team and her creative competencies imbue her designs with a unique flair that sets them apart from the rest. I wholeheartedly recommend Tess for any UX design project.
Nick Jacoy
Product Design Lead @SkySlope
Tess is an extremely talented designer and it has shown on every project I’ve worked with her on. She is a master of her craft and has a firm grasp on the design process from start to finish. Tess is able to translate ambiguous direction into actionable plans, while fully embracing any design challenges that come up along the way. Aside from the polished aesthetic standard she brings to the table, she is also an excellent communicator with such positive energy that makes working with her a delightful experience. I can’t recommend her enough!
Nick Jacoy
Product Design Lead @SkySlope
Tess is an extremely talented designer and it has shown on every project I’ve worked with her on. She is a master of her craft and has a firm grasp on the design process from start to finish. Tess is able to translate ambiguous direction into actionable plans, while fully embracing any design challenges that come up along the way. Aside from the polished aesthetic standard she brings to the table, she is also an excellent communicator with such positive energy that makes working with her a delightful experience. I can’t recommend her enough!
Katelyn Johnson
UX Research Manager @SkySlope
I have had the pleasure of working with Tess on multiple projects over the years. Truthfully, in the span of my research career, Tess is the one UX/UI Designer that consistently takes initiative to keep research at the forefront of her design work, ensuring every design she creates is backed by solid data and sound user insights. Tess genuinely seeks to create user-centered designs, and her resilient work ethic brings these goals to fruition. You can tell Tess is a powerhouse designer because she continuously brings energy and dedication into each step of the design process, resulting in some truly incredible, usable designs.
Katelyn Johnson
UX Research Manager @SkySlope
I have had the pleasure of working with Tess on multiple projects over the years. Truthfully, in the span of my research career, Tess is the one UX/UI Designer that consistently takes initiative to keep research at the forefront of her design work, ensuring every design she creates is backed by solid data and sound user insights. Tess genuinely seeks to create user-centered designs, and her resilient work ethic brings these goals to fruition. You can tell Tess is a powerhouse designer because she continuously brings energy and dedication into each step of the design process, resulting in some truly incredible, usable designs.
Amanda Sanchez
Co-Director @Capitol Creative Alliance
Tess started volunteering with us in the summer of 2019, right after we hosted our first Design Week. She signed up as a web designer and jumped right into two huge and immediate projects! We worked with Honey, a local design studio, to design both a brand for Design Sacramento, and a word mark for Design Week Sacramento. Tess was tasked with both creating our Design Sacramento website and updating our Design Week Sacramento website to match our current brand.
She offered a lot of great insight and feedback from the very beginning and has been such a wonderful part of our team. She was super patient while we created content and her collaborative spirit made it really fun to work with her on these projects. She continues to volunteer with us and is very responsive when asked to update our websites. We are 100% a remote non-profit, and Tess has proven that she is both a great team player and can also work independently. She always delivers on our vision.
Amanda Sanchez
Co-Director @Capitol Creative Alliance
Tess started volunteering with us in the summer of 2019, right after we hosted our first Design Week. She signed up as a web designer and jumped right into two huge and immediate projects! We worked with Honey, a local design studio, to design both a brand for Design Sacramento, and a word mark for Design Week Sacramento. Tess was tasked with both creating our Design Sacramento website and updating our Design Week Sacramento website to match our current brand.
She offered a lot of great insight and feedback from the very beginning and has been such a wonderful part of our team. She was super patient while we created content and her collaborative spirit made it really fun to work with her on these projects. She continues to volunteer with us and is very responsive when asked to update our websites. We are 100% a remote non-profit, and Tess has proven that she is both a great team player and can also work independently. She always delivers on our vision.
Zach Olivare
Lead Software Engineer @SkySlope
Tess and I collaborated for over a year while we were building a new product (SkySlope Offers) that became the new company standard for graphical design and user experience. Tess was at the forefront of that effort, continuously pushing and supporting
our dev team to create something wonderful.
Tess has a phenomenal eye for design. Her work is consistently engaging... she’s also extremely organized. Her user stories and design files are always constructed in such a way that they’re easy to understand and glean information from.
But perhaps most importantly of all, Tess is a wonderful teammate and collaborator. She is always willing and even eager to talk through her thoughts and her designs. She takes constructive feedback well and doesn’t get stuck on her original designs when a better idea is presented. But when she’s confident that her design is correct, she is also capable of standing strong and pushing back. Collaborating with Tess is always a positive experience and consistently helps the best version of the product come forward.
Zach Olivare
Lead Software Engineer @SkySlope
Tess and I collaborated for over a year while we were building a new product (SkySlope Offers) that became the new company standard for graphical design and user experience. Tess was at the forefront of that effort, continuously pushing and supporting
our dev team to create something wonderful.
Tess has a phenomenal eye for design. Her work is consistently engaging... she’s also extremely organized. Her user stories and design files are always constructed in such a way that they’re easy to understand and glean information from.
But perhaps most importantly of all, Tess is a wonderful teammate and collaborator. She is always willing and even eager to talk through her thoughts and her designs. She takes constructive feedback well and doesn’t get stuck on her original designs when a better idea is presented. But when she’s confident that her design is correct, she is also capable of standing strong and pushing back. Collaborating with Tess is always a positive experience and consistently helps the best version of the product come forward.
Tara Buck
Senior UX Designer @First American
Tess is any product team's dream come true. During my time working with Tess, I have seen her go above and beyond on every ticket that lands on her desk. Tess sits at the intersection of passion and skill, and it shows. I have seen her bring products to launch with a arsenal full of research to back her work, documentation to make everyone else's lives easier, and cutting-edge, beautiful design.
I've said it already and now am worried I've buried the lede, but Tess is such an incredible visual designer. Everything that leaves her hands is a work of art that is not only beautiful but functional. She brings a new meaning to visual storytelling. Her work is visually pleasing, humanistic, and what businesses and users alike want to see, which is quite the feat.
Any team would be so lucky to have her–her work is incredible.
Tara Buck
Senior UX Designer @First American
Tess is any product team's dream come true. During my time working with Tess, I have seen her go above and beyond on every ticket that lands on her desk. Tess sits at the intersection of passion and skill, and it shows. I have seen her bring products to launch with a arsenal full of research to back her work, documentation to make everyone else's lives easier, and cutting-edge, beautiful design.
I've said it already and now am worried I've buried the lede, but Tess is such an incredible visual designer. Everything that leaves her hands is a work of art that is not only beautiful but functional. She brings a new meaning to visual storytelling. Her work is visually pleasing, humanistic, and what businesses and users alike want to see, which is quite the feat.
Any team would be so lucky to have her–her work is incredible.
These people make me blush 🥰
Thank you