Ethelo Decisions

Ethelo is a Vancouver-based technology company that specializes in a patented web platform designed to help large groups make fair and inclusive decisions. The platform uses algorithmic tools to support collective intelligence and democratic engagement, making it especially valuable for civic, political, and community contexts. Its core strength lies in enabling broa

About my role

In my role at Ethelo, I worked on projects with cities, municipalities, political organizations, and public campaigns. My work focused on translating complex decision-making data into clear and engaging design outputs. I designed visual reports and slide decks that made algorithm-driven insights easy to understand for diverse audiences. My approach combined design with strategic communication to ensure that community priorities, campaign goals, and key outcomes were presented with clarity and impact. I also contributed to marketing efforts by creating digital assets that helped communicate Ethelo’s mission of building fair and inclusive decision-making systems.

Day to Day tasks

On a daily basis, I collaborated closely with project managers to understand client needs and follow specific brand or design guidelines. I analyzed participation data and turned it into intuitive charts, visual summaries, and narrative-driven slide decks. Each deck was customized to match client branding and deliver insights in a professional and cohesive manner. My design process was guided by design thinking, prioritizing accessibility, clarity, and strong narrative structure. This allowed stakeholders to quickly understand results and make informed decisions.

My core activities included gathering requirements alongside project teams, analyzing data and transforming it into visual narratives, designing custom slide decks aligned with client branding, and applying design thinking principles to make the information clear, compelling, and actionable.

Project Deliverables

The project deliverables included research synthesis and detailed user journeys, which informed the core workflow architecture for mapping, planning, and certification tasks. We moved quickly through four rounds of rapid prototyping and testing to validate assumptions before developing high-fidelity screens and a functional prototype of the task and crop planning flows. Throughout the process, I collaborated closely with the graphic designer on brand and visual direction, refining the illustration style and overall brand identity to ensure the product felt cohesive, intuitive, and aligned with its audience.others.

Project Reflection

This project reinforced how essential it is to design real environments, not ideal conditions. By working on-site and observing how farmers move, prioritize, and make decisions reshaped my approach to simplicity, pacing, and clarity in the product experience.

  • Context drives usability. Designing for a farm is very different from designing for a laptop at a desk.
  • Research must be grounded in reality.  Conducting contextual inquiry at UBC Farm was the turning point that clarified what actually mattered to farmers and what features were secondary.
  • Accessibility is foundational, not decorative. For an open-source platform used globally, accessibility isn’t a “nice-to-have.” Contrast, hierarchy, and visual weight determine whether the product is usable.
  • MVP focus is a strategic discipline. In a complex system like farm management, it’s easy to attempt everything at once
  • Collaboration creates momentum. Working with engineering early  instead of designing in isolation, created alignment on feasibility and avoided rework.
  • Why work with me

    Elevates with purpose
    Transforms Ideas Into Results
    Solutions That Create Real Change