Caitlyn Marie Derks
Product Designer in Education and Wellness (UX/UI • Research • Strategy)
- Role
- Head of Design & Research at Frenalytics
- Location
- Washington, DC, US
- LinkedIn followers
- 500 followers
About Caitlyn Marie Derks
I became a designer because I was a patient first. Trapped in a healthcare system that couldn\'t diagnose my complex health issues for years, I participated in a co-design workshop at Stanford\'s D.School at MedicineX and discovered something that changed everything: the way things work is the result of design decisions someone made. That was the moment everything clicked, and I realized \"making things\" could be a tool I could use to change the world.Today I\'m a 0-to-1 Product Designer with 6 years of experience designing for clinician and teacher workflows, the people who, when properly supported, change lives. I crafted a product vision for an edtech startup that directly contributed to $195K in funding and led to authoring a chapter in a forthcoming Harvard Education Press book on translating complex, high-stakes needs into scalable solutions through participatory design.I specialize in uncovering what\'s actually broken inside real workflows. Because when you truly understand the person you\'re designing for, you can make something with intention. The same intention you\'d bring to making something for someone you love.
Experience
Head of Design & Research
Apr 2024 — Present
Established design responsibilities and operations, partnering with the CEO to shape a design vision that prioritized product innovation and market expansion, enabling rapid exploration to expand our core product offerings.Owned the end-to-end design of innovative patterns across learning analytics, content sequencing, library organization, and AI-assisted data analysis to improve teacher workflows; recognized for data visualization excellence with a 2024 Gold Stevie Award.Pioneered an equity-centered co-design process with educators, parents, and students that informed product decisions, increasing end-user satisfaction and contributing to an 86% pilot contract renewal rate.Mentored 3 early-career designers and 4 college students throughout the entirety of our internship program.
Education
The American University of Paris
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), International and Comparative Politics
2014 — 2016
University of Warsaw
Polish Language
2015 — 2015
Hofstra University
Public Relations and Media
2012 — 2013
John Cabot University
International Relations
2013 — 2013
Prince George's Community College
General Studies
2011 — 2012
Jagiellonian University
Polish Language
2014 — 2014
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