Julia standing before books in a library

Hi, I’m Julia Laser

UX/UI researchaer and designer with 10+ years experience in graphic design. I use human centered design principles to connect scientific research with users in a friendly, engaging, and digestible way. I’m wildly passionate about creating delightful, intuitive, and accessible digital experiences for everyone.

I believe in the power of team work, trust, and collaboration.

Education and Training

I never want to stop learning, staying current with frequent trainings is a priority. If a project requires a special certificate or certification- I’m on it.

  • UX/UI Bootcamp | 2024

    Studied a multidisciplinary approach to design thinking, user experience and user interface design by conducting user research and iterative prototyping.

  • CITI Program | 2024

    Trained in ethical human subject testing requirements that apply to all aspects of user experience research including conducting user interviews, usability studies, 
and data analyses.

  • World Wide Consortium (W3Cx) | 2023

    Learned Section 508 standards and international implementation methods through actual stories of people with disabilities and their interaction in the digital world.

  • Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) | 2019-Current

    Continually taking courses focused on UX design to stay up to date on latest trends and best practices, currently working toward a UX Master Certificate.

  • Graphic Design Major, Marketing Minor | 2011

    Learned the graphic design principles that continue to be the at foundation of my design work to this day.

Being the change

I’m actively engaged in teams and projects across the lab in an effort to make NREL better for everyone.

  • Digital First Team Leader | 2023-Current

    Lead creation and development of NREL’s first digital first playbook, outlining strategies for creating accessible products.

  • Member | 2023-Current

    Worked alongside executive leadership to write mission, vision, values, and goals for the Communications Office.

  • Co-lead / 2022-2023

    Increased accessibility awareness in the Communications Office and positioned it as the north star of web work, building a foundation for a digital first approach for all materials.

  • Member (Peer-Nominated Role) / 2022–2023

    Worked to define psychological safety and 
co-authored recommendations for an 
office-wide framework.

  • Member | 2024

    Partner with fellow NRELians to ensure NREL is accessible to everyone, with the goal of establishing a new Employee Resource Group.

UX Skills

I’m proficient in leveraging the human-centered design process to build delightful user experiences.

  • User interviews, surveys, qualitative research, card sorting, SWOT analysis, task flow analysis, contextual inquiry

  • Affinity mapping, information architecture, journey mapping, personas development, storyboarding, user scenarios

  • Accessible design, brand development, data visualization, design pattern libraries, human-centered design, interactive design, prototyping, responsive design, visual design, wire framing

  • Analytics, A/B testing, heat mapping, heuristic evaluation, moderated usability testing

  • Asset resizing/organization, HTML, CSS, GitHub, Google analytics, MS Clarity, VS Code