About

A woman with long curly dark hair, wearing hoop earrings and a black top, smiling at the camera with a city skyline in the background on a clear day.

Hello, I’m Cassondra Hegyes, a UX & Product Designer with 10+ years of experience leading user-centered design across complex systems. I design scalable experiences that deliver clarity, build trust, and drive measurable business growth.

Most recently at Ship Smart, Inc., I led a company-wide UX transformation, unifying fragmented tools and workflows into a cohesive product ecosystem. I established the company’s first UX research practice and led end-to-end design for core internal and customer-facing products. This work drove a 173% increase in engagement, supported approximately 30% year-over-year revenue growth from previously underutilized channels, and reduced support demand by 60%.

I hold a Master of Science in Human-Centered Design from Brandeis University and bring a hybrid background across digital platforms, internal systems, and physical products. As a multi-patent holder, I’ve led products from concept through manufacturing and global retail distribution, including my patented product, SeedPOPS!, sold nationally and internationally through major retailers and independent boutiques.

Whether designing software, services, or physical products, I focus on using UX to reduce friction, shape behavior, and build business success because Great UX is Great Business.

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Work Experience

Sr. UX Designer

2020-2026

Led a company-wide UX transformation, replacing fragmented workflows with a unified product ecosystem that improved operations, customer experience, and business performance

Ship Smart, INC.

  • Built the company’s first research programs, uncovering behavioral and operational insights.

  • Established design operations rituals, standards, and roadmaps to increase velocity and predictability.

  • Delivered full-spectrum UX work across IA, workflows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity design.

  • Collaborated across engineering, operations, sales, support, and vendors to ensure clarity and feasibility.

  • Led prototyping, testing, and iteration to drive usability and business impact.

    • ~30% year-over-year revenue growth, supported by UX-led product improvements

    • ↑ 173% user engagement across digital self-service and live chat

    • ↑ 24% quote completion and ↑ 18% conversion rate

    • ↑ 17% CSAT, reflecting improved trust and clarity

    • ↑ 92% vendor update compliance, improving operational transparency

    • ↓ 60% status-related support calls, reducing customer service strain

  • This work has significantly influenced my perspective on experience design. I now recognize that strong internal systems, clear workflows, and a shared vocabulary are as crucial as user-facing interfaces. When teams collaborate effectively and integrate tools well, trust develops naturally.

Senior Product Designer & Co-Inventor

2013-2019

Co-invented, designed, and launched SeedPOPS! (formerly VeggiePOPS!) , a patented educational gardening product created to make growing food intuitive and engaging for children. I led the product from concept through national retail distribution, balancing creative invention with manufacturing realities, operational constraints, and commercial strategy.

Bloomers! Edutainment

  • Owned the full product lifecycle: ideation, user research, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, packaging, distribution and licensing

  • Partnered with engineering teams and overseas manufacturers to ensure production feasibility, quality standards, and cost-effective scaling

  • Designed and managed the company’s e-commerce experience, improving navigation, search, and checkout flow

  • Created educational materials, sales collateral, and presentations for national retailers and industry conferences

    • Co-invented and patented SeedPOPS! (formerly VeggiePOPS!) , a consumer seed-starter product line designed to make gardening intuitive and engaging for children

    • Led the product from concept → manufacturing → national retail launch, balancing creative invention with operational and commercial constraints

    • Secured national and global distribution through major retailers, including Target, Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kmart, Ace Hardware, Amazon, True Value, and Nordstrom, as well as dozens of independent boutiques

    • Established SeedPOPS! as a key revenue driver for Bloomers! Edutainment, helping position the brand as a leader in educational, garden-based play

    • Demonstrated how thoughtful product design grounded in user experience can translate into scalable manufacturing, retail adoption, and sustained commercial success

  • This experience deepened my understanding of product design beyond screens, highlighting the interplay between physical and digital experiences. It showed me how real-world constraints shape scalable design and how thoughtful design can simplify complex ideas for all users. This knowledge continues to guide my approach to UX and product design.

Skills

  • My approach combines systems thinking, collaboration, and business acumen to navigate complex problem spaces and deliver lasting outcomes.

    • Systems-Level Thinking

    • Strategic Problem Solving

    • Clear Communication

    • Narrative Storytelling

    • Trust Building

    • Comfort in Ambiguity

    • Cross-Disciplinary Leadership

    • Business-Oriented Design

    • End-to-End UX Product Design

    • UX Strategy, Experience Architecture

    • Human-Centered Research Validation

    • Internal Tools, Operational UX

    • Trust-Based Self-Service Design

    • Physical Product Manufacturing Design

    • Retail, E-commerce Strategy

    • Cross-Functional Leadership, Design Operations

    • Packaging Design & Production

    • Supply Chain & Vendor Collaboration

    • Patent Development & IP Strategy

    • Experience Architecture

    • Product Roadmapping

    • Prioritization Frameworks

    • Brand System Development (Brand OS)

    • Design for Scale

    • Operational Impact Design

    • Outcome Measurement

    • Qualitative Research

    • Quantitative Research

    • User Interviews

    • Stakeholder Interviews

    • Journey Mapping

    • Service Blueprints

    • Usability Testing

    • Behavioral Analysis

    • Funnel Analysis

    • Persona Development

    • Research Synthesis

    • Information Architecture

    • Interaction Design

    • User Flows

    • Wireframing

    • Prototyping (Low to High Fidelity)

    • Design Systems

    • UI Standards

    • Accessibility Best Practices

    • Responsive Design

    • Mobile-First Design

    • Figma

    • FigJam

    • Sketch

    • Adobe Creative Suite

    • Balsamiq

    • InVision

    • Marvel

    • Miro

    • Canva

    • UserTesting

    • Hotjar

    • Qualtrics

    • SurveyMonkey

    • Google Forms

    • Google Analytics

    • Webflow

    • Jira

    • Airtable

    • Trello

    • Fusion 360

    • SolidWorks

    • 3D Printing

    • CNC Machining

    • Laser Cutting

    • Silicone Molding

    • Resin Casting

    • Hand Assembly

Credentials & Qualifications

  • M.S. Human-Centered Design — Brandeis University (2019–2022)


    Graduate Studies, Industrial Design — San Francisco State University
    Discovered focus on UX; transferred to pursue human-centered design

    B.A. Film & Digital Media, Minor in Sociology — University of California, Santa Cruz

  • USD724480-S

    
US10499569-B2

    
US11324170-B2

  • Stanford International Design Challenge — Finalist

    Google Ad Grant — $120,000

    Startup Chile Innovation Grant — $40,000

More About Cassondra Hegyes