Open to work · Available now UK or Ireland Hybrid preferred Remote EMEA & global UX Researcher UI Designer QA Tester Full Stack Developer Accessibility Champion

Damaris
Alum

I am a UX Researcher

I research, design, build and test, from user interviews through to live deployed products. Six real applications shipped. Every project started with a problem and ended with a tested, accessible solution.

I also build with AI, using Claude, Cursor and Google AI Studio to ship faster without cutting corners on research or accessibility.

View Work ↓ Book intro chat ↗ View or Download CV ↗

Live deployed apps

50+

Usability test sessions

Years experience

Google UX certificates

Diploma · Full Stack + AI · St Mary's Uni, Scotland

Cyber projects · DevSecOps · CI/CD

Tech Women to Watch · Phase Innovate

Research-led.
Accessibility-first.
User-tested & approved.

I'm Damaris, a UX Researcher, UI Designer, QA Tester and Full Stack Developer open to hybrid roles across the UK, Chester, Manchester, London, and remote across the UK and Ireland.

My background spans non-profit tech, e-commerce, healthcare systems and predictive analytics. I don't just design or just test, I take projects from discovery research through to live, deployed, tested products that real users have shaped.

I'm Google-certified across the full UX process (7 certificates) and hold a Diploma in Full Stack Software Development, Predictive Analytics from Code Institute. Five diploma projects involved real users, real feedback and real iteration.

Passionate about designing for underrepresented communities, I work at Phase Innovate, an Irish non-profit empowering women, youth, migrants and marginalised groups through technology education.

Currently learning: Playwright automation & AI for testing

Research7 methods

Usability testingUser interviewsFocus groupsSurveysAffinity mappingJourney mappingPersona development

Design & Prototyping7 tools

FigmaAdobe XDWireframingHi-fi prototypingDesign systemsMiroBrand identity

QA Testing7 areas

ExploratoryRegression testingUATSAST/SCACI/CD pipeline testingJIRARisk-based testing

Development7 stacks

PythonDjangoJavaScriptHTML5/CSS3SQLGit/GitHubHeroku

CommunicationHigh-level

Stakeholder interviewsResearch presentationWorkshop facilitationInsight reportingPlain-language writingCross-team translation

CollaborationCross-functional

Agile/ScrumKanbanSprint planningJIRA & GitHub boardsDesigner ↔ developer pairingAsync-first remoteMentoring

AI Build & ToolsHigh-level

Claude AICursorGoogle AI StudioGemini APIGitHub CopilotNotion AIPrompt design

Live testing, design,
research & development work.

Six live deployed apps, each researched, designed, built and tested. Research to prototype, every time. Full case studies, wireframes, prototypes and research documentation available on request.

QuipOrder
UX on NHS

🏥 Django · PostgreSQL · Role-Based Access

QuipOrder, UX Research on NHS Equipment Management

Observational usability testing with 5 real users, 3 occupational therapists and 2 patients. Iterated on role-based dashboards, equipment request flows and audit trail surfacing based on structured session notes and accessibility feedback.

PythonDjangoPostgreSQLObservational testingUATRegression testingWCAG AAGitHub Copilot 29 user stories · 5 real testers

Signed NDA. Happy to discuss the general approach, methodology and high-level outcomes in interview. Code, detailed evaluation reports and stakeholder feedback available on request under the same NDA terms. References available on request.

Demo on request ↗

DavinaLeilani
UX & Brand

🌸 HTML · CSS · JS

DavinaLeilaniBlooms, UX, Brand Identity & Responsive Build

UX and brand identity from scratch for a real London luxury event studio. Responsive layout decisions tested across browsers and devices, with WCAG AA contrast pairings on every page and a tone of voice that matched the brand's premium positioning.

HTML5CSS3JavaScriptBrand identityStakeholder interviewsGitHub CopilotCross-browser testingWCAG AA Real client · London luxury launch

Live site preview View code on GitHub

Quizverse
UX on A11y

🧠 JS · WCAG · Lighthouse

Quizverse, Accessibility-First UX

Accessibility-led design for a single-page quiz: full keyboard navigation, screen reader support, animated result feedback and a countdown that doesn't punish slower users. Tested against Lighthouse and manual screen reader passes, 92–100 across all audits.

JavaScriptCSS3WCAG 2.1 AAScreen reader testingKeyboard navigationLighthouse auditARIAGitHub Copilot 92–100 Lighthouse · Manual SR pass

Play the quiz game View code on GitHub

Standup Updates
UX on CLI

⌨️ Python · Google Sheets API

Standup Updates App, UX Research on a CLI Workflow

UX research from two perspectives, engineers logging standups and managers reading them. Mapped the daily flow, removed friction points and shaped the terminal CRUD interface so neither audience had to think about how the tool worked.

PythonGoogle Sheets APIRichUser interviewsPersona developmentGitHub CopilotExploratory testingUAT 2 personas · Engineers + managers

CLI demo preview View code on GitHub

Damaris Alum
This Portfolio

✦ HTML · CSS · JS · Design system

Damaris Alum, Portfolio & Brand System

A bespoke editorial portfolio, hand-finished from research to ship. Vanilla HTML, CSS and JS, no frameworks, no templates. Signature burgundy and gold palette, research-led typography pairings and WCAG AA contrast on every surface.

HTML5CSS3JavaScriptDesign systemBrand identityWCAG 2.1 AALighthouse auditGitHub Copilot Design · Test · Build · Test · Ship · Test · Smile

View code on GitHub

Phase Innovate
UX on Non-profit

🌍 UX Research · Design · Testing

Phase Innovate, UX Research on a Live Tech Education Platform

Ongoing UX research, software testing and inclusive design for an Irish non-profit empowering women, youth, migrants and marginalised groups through technology education and community-led innovation.

Testing-first approach. 50+ moderated and observational usability sessions, plus 15+ documented UX improvements traced back to specific session notes across internal tools, event systems and outward-facing surfaces.
Inclusive design and accessibility audits embedded in every release, WCAG-led patterns, plain-language copy and culturally aware flows for women, youth, migrants and other underrepresented groups.
Training, mentoring and capability building. Helping participants move from first-time learners into shipping technologists through workshops, coaching and supported real-world projects.
Connecting Ireland's tech ecosystem. Active in Women in Tech Ireland, Techstars and the local Startups Hub community, bringing leaders, founders and learners into the same room to co-create what comes next.

UX ResearchUsability TestingInclusive DesignWCAGD&IMentoringGitHub Copilot 15+ improvements · 50+ test sessions

Co-founder · Evelyn Nomayo. Tech Women to Watch in Ireland. Innovation & Product Development at Phase Innovate (2020 to 2025). Co-founder of LoopLab. University Lecturer at Dorset College Dublin. Senior Software Engineer (AI, ML, NLP, React, Node, DevOps). Trinity College Dublin. Ex-Accenture R&D.

View Live Site ↗

Environmental
Risk Prediction

ML, Predictive Analytics, UX Research

Environmental Risk Prediction System

Flood Modeling & ML Pipeline, Code Institute Diploma, 2026

100%

Classification accuracy

0.59

R² regression score

Hypotheses validated

457

Live monitoring stations

Built classification and regression ML pipelines using real-world hydrological and environmental monitoring data.
Implemented an end-to-end ML lifecycle. Automated data ingestion via API, data cleaning, feature engineering, model training, evaluation, and deployment as a live web application.
Applied CRISP-DM methodology with emphasis on reproducibility, versioning, and model evaluation across multiple feature sets.
Built an interactive dashboard for real-time risk prediction and scenario testing via user input.

Pythonscikit-learnStreamlitPlotlyFoliumSciPyHerokuGitHub Copilot Design · Test · Build · Test · Ship · Test · Smile

Signed NDA. Happy to discuss the general approach, methodology and high-level outcomes in interview. Code, detailed model evaluation reports and stakeholder feedback available on request under the same NDA terms. References available on request.

Demo on request ↗

1 / 8

Use the arrows to flick through the splash, walkthroughs and design slides, tap "Read the full story" or any thumbnail to open the case study for that slide.

Featured · UX, Brand & Build

MyLocalDressmaker, Full UX, Brand & Shopify Build

End-to-end UX research, brand identity and responsive Shopify build for a real London fashion business specialising in bespoke African-inspired womenswear.

100%

UX improvement

90%

Engagement increase

Moodboard tiles

Brand discovery

Founder interviews and a competitor audit fed into a seven-tile moodboard, heritage textiles, cocoa pods, jewellery and editorial fashion references, anchoring the visual direction in craft and cultural roots rather than generic e-commerce.

Brand identity

Logo system, tone of voice and visual language built from the discovery work. Ghana-inspired palette pairs Kente reds, golds and greens with neutral cream, chosen to signal heritage, craft and approachability rather than fast-fashion.

Style guide

Asul (display) + Roboto (body) typography system with defined scale, weights and line-heights for mobile and desktop. Documented colour tokens with WCAG AA contrast pairings, button states, spacing scale, iconography rules and reusable component patterns, handed off as a single reference for future Shopify theme work.

Brand identityLogo systemMood boardColour tokensTypography scaleComponent patternsWCAG AA contrastShopify devMobile prototype

Brand toolkit · Discovery

Moodboard

A seven-tile discovery moodboard, heritage textiles, cocoa pods, hand-crafted jewellery and editorial fashion references, anchored the visual direction in craft and cultural roots rather than generic e-commerce. Tile positions reference the original board layout.

Click any tile to flip and read the discovery note behind the image.

Brand toolkit · Style guide

Typography

A two-tier type system: Asul for editorial display, paired with Roboto for body text, and Helvetica as a secondary fallback for product catalogues and system surfaces.

Heading · Primary typeface

Aa Aa

Asul

Display · Regular & Bold

Bespoke African-inspired womenswear, crafted in London.

Body · Primary typeface

Roboto

Body · Light, Regular, Medium

Set in Roboto for product descriptions, navigation and long-form story copy across the responsive site.

Secondary typeface

Helvetica

System fallback · Catalogue & UI

Used as a system fallback for catalogue grids, micro-copy and admin surfaces where Roboto is not available.

Colour palette · Brand tokens

#712028

#446465

#25D366

#F9770E

#160808

#757575

#FFFFFF

#EAEAEA

The full picture.

Manual Testing

ExploratoryRegression testingIntegrationUATUsability testingWCAG accessibility

Security Testing

SAST (SonarQube)SCA (Dependabot)IaC (Trivy)Secrets detection (TruffleHog)

UX Research Methods

User interviewsModerated testingUnmoderated testingFocus groupsSurveysObservational research

Analysis & Synthesis

Affinity mappingThematic analysisJourney mappingPersona developmentInsight reportsStatistical analysis

Design

UX/UI designWireframingPrototypingHi-fi designDesign systemsBrand identityStyle guides

Design Tools

FigmaAdobe XDMiroCanva AIShopifyGoogle Forms

Engineering & DevOps

CI/CD pipelinesGitHub ActionsSource controlBranchingTest automationTerraformBash scripting

Development

PythonDjangoJavaScriptHTML5CSS3SQLPostgreSQLGit/GitHub

Data & ML

scikit-learnStreamlitPlotlyPandasSciPyRandom ForestCRISP-DM

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS GuardDutySecurity HubLambdaSNSHerokuGitHub Pages

AI Tools

Google AI StudioGemini APIClaude AIGitHub CopilotCursorNotion AIPerplexity

Project Delivery

Agile/ScrumKanbanSprint planningUser storiesGitHub ProjectsStakeholder management

Accessibility

WCAG 2.1 AAInclusive designAccessibility auditingScreen readersKeyboard navigationARIA

Information Security

PII awarenessGDPR complianceSecure data handlingPrivacy-by-designAccess control

Methodology

Stanford Design ThinkingGoogle UX ProcessCRISP-DMUser-centred designAgile/Scrum

Currently Learning

Playwright automationAI for testingApplitoolsBrowserStackISTQB Foundation

UX principles
I design by.

User-centred always

Every decision starts with the user. Research before wireframes. Testing before launch. Iteration after feedback.

In practiceevery shipped project, from QuipOrder to FloodSave, went through user sessions before going live.

Accessibility is not optional

WCAG AA is a baseline, not a goal. Inclusive design means building for everyone from the start, not retrofitting at the end.

In practicekeyboard-first navigation, screen reader checks and contrast audits on every UI I ship.

Iterate on evidence

Opinions don't ship products, evidence does. Every change I make comes from user data, test results or documented feedback.

In practice15+ UX improvements at Phase Innovate, each traced back to a specific session note or finding.

Reduce cognitive load

Good design is invisible. If a user has to think about how to use something, the interface has failed them.

In practiceprogressive disclosure, sensible defaults and one clear primary action per screen.

Privacy by design

GDPR compliance and ethical data handling are designed in from the start. Participant data is always anonymised, secured and minimal.

In practiceconsent captured, identifiers stripped, retention windows agreed before the first interview.

Consistency builds trust

Design systems, shared components and consistent patterns reduce errors and build user confidence across every touchpoint.

In practicetokenised colour, type and spacing on MyLocalDressmaker so the brand stays consistent across every page.

Trusted by clients
and collaborators.

Evelyn Nomayo in

Co-founder · Phase Innovate (2020–2025) · Co-founder of LoopLab · Senior Software Engineer

Tech Women to Watch in Ireland · University Lecturer, Dorset College Dublin · Trinity College Dublin · ex-Accenture R&D

"I have had the pleasure of working with Damaris on Phase Innovate's product and platform work, and I genuinely enjoy continuing to bring her in on the various innovation projects that arise. From the first usability session, it was clear she leads with both empathy and rigour, pairing structured research methods with a real care for the underrepresented communities our platform serves."

"Damaris is the rare UX practitioner who is equally at home running observational sessions, designing accessible interfaces, raising defects and presenting findings to senior stakeholders. Her 15+ documented improvements landed in production because she does the work end-to-end, research, design, test, ship."

"I would recommend Damaris without hesitation for UX research, UI design, software testing or full-stack roles. She brings warmth, evidence and a strong technical foundation to every team she joins."

Martha Taylor in

Senior Software Engineer · JLR (Jaguar Land Rover)

April 13, 2026 · Worked with Damaris on different teams

"I've worked with Damaris and would confidently recommend her across Software Testing, SDET, DevSecOps, and UX-focused roles."

"She quickly grasps complex systems and produces clear, structured and reliable test cases. She has strong attention to detail, solid QA fundamentals, and is increasingly confident with technical areas such as automation, APIs, and Agile delivery."

"Damaris is an excellent communicator who translates technical issues into clear, actionable feedback for both technical and non-technical stakeholders. She is collaborative, positive, and a joy to work with."

"She is also a continuous learner, recently expanding her skills into AI, predictive analytics, and software development through formal study, which further strengthens her ability to contribute in modern, evolving engineering environments."

Aqua Ofosuhene

Business owner · Promoting healthy living & retreats

Client · MyLocalDressmaker e-commerce build

"I loved working with Damaris. She is such a delight: talented, insightful and business savvy. She has an amazing ability to communicate solutions to complex problems. She created impactful and beautiful experiences for my customers. The feedback has been brilliant!"

"She really took the time to understand my brand and my customers. Nothing felt rushed and every detail had a reason behind it."

"My sales lifted after the relaunch, and customers started messaging me to compliment the new look and feel of the site."

"I would work with Damaris again in a heartbeat, and I have already recommended her to other small business owners in my network."

DamarisAlum

Research-led.Accessibility-first.User-tested & approved.

Live testing, design,research & development work.