About

Purposeful by Design

I’m Carly Nicholson, a UI/UX designer with a background in product design, front-end development, and digital strategy. I enjoy working on products that have a lot going on behind the scenes—complex workflows, dense information, multiple user needs—and finding ways to make them feel simpler and more intuitive. My approach blends thoughtful UX, practical product thinking, and a strong understanding of how digital experiences are actually built.

How I Approach Design

I like to understand the problem before jumping into screens. That means looking at the people using the product, how they work, where the friction is, and what the product actually needs to accomplish. From there, I focus on simplifying the experience, creating clear patterns, and making sure the design can grow with the product.

My Focus

I’m especially drawn to complex enterprise products where information, workflows, and functionality need to work together without overwhelming the user.

My Process

My process is collaborative and flexible—from early thinking and wireframes to interface design, prototyping, and working closely with developers through implementation.

Design with Measurable Results

My work is guided by user needs, product goals, and real outcomes—not visual design alone.

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What Matters to Me

Clarity

Make information and actions easy to understand, even when the product itself is complex.

Empathy

Understand what people are trying to do and design around their real needs, habits, and challenges.

Consistency

Create familiar patterns that make products easier to learn, use, and grow.

Accessibility

Design experiences that are thoughtful, readable, and usable by more people.

Collaboration

Work closely with developers, product teams, and stakeholders throughout the process.

Growth

Keep asking questions, exploring better options, and improving as the product evolves.

How I Think About Design

01.

Start with the User

I look beyond individual screens to understand the workflow, context, and experience surrounding each interaction.

02.

Think in Systems

I design with the larger product in mind, creating patterns that can stay consistent as new features are added.

03.

Keep Development in the Conversation

My front-end background helps me work closely with developers and make design decisions with implementation in mind.

04.

Stay Open to Change

Products evolve. Feedback, analytics, technical constraints, and new requirements are all part of the process, and the design should be able to evolve with them.

Tools I Use

A selection of the tools and technologies I use across product design, prototyping, development, analytics, and collaboration. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but these are some of the tools most relevant to my work.