Next Steps Idaho

Next Steps Idaho

Graphic with orange background and white text that reads "Next Steps Idaho"

Client
Idaho State Board of Education

Duration
4 months

Role
Web Designer, UX Design Lead

Contributions
Design Research & Strategy, Information Architecture & User Flows, Visual Design, Interface Design, Interaction Design, Prototyping & Testing, Documentation & Handoff, Quality Assurance

Overview

As UX Design Lead, I bridge the gap between user needs and business goals through thoughtful research and strategic design solutions. I transform complex problems into intuitive, accessible experiences by guiding projects from initial discovery through execution, ensuring that every design decision supports both user satisfaction and organizational objectives.

A webpage titled "Next Steps Idaho" showing results from a career values assessment, including sections on core values, work environment, work interactions, and work activities, with a photo of a man working with machinery.

Website Archives. Initial state of the website tools and quizzes before redesign.

Discovery

I begin each project by immersing myself in the existing ecosystem—analyzing current structures, interviewing stakeholders, and researching industry patterns. For the Next Steps Idaho project, I evaluated their platform alongside competitor tools, identifying opportunities to seamlessly integrate resume-building functionality with existing career assessment data. This foundation of research revealed key insights about student needs and pain points that informed every subsequent design decision.

Two web pages from Next Steps Idaho, showing inventory lists of core values and work environment qualities, with options to mark importance.
A web page titled 'Work Values Inventory' from Idaho's 'Next Steps' website, displaying two different sections: 'Work Interactions' on the left and 'Work Activities' on the right, with lists of related items and descriptions.

Website Archives. Initial state of the Work Values Inventory assessment quiz.

Strategy

With research insights in hand, I map the strategic direction by prioritizing user flows and creating component frameworks that align with project goals. For the resume builder, I broke down complex document creation into manageable steps, ensuring students wouldn't feel overwhelmed. By itemizing every element needed across development phases, I created a clear roadmap that connected student needs with Next Steps Idaho's educational mission and technical capabilities.

A checklist document titled "Resume & Cover Letter" with sections for 'Expected', 'Must Have', and 'Nice to Have' items related to resume and cover letter preparation, including tips, features, and optional tools.
A website showing a login page, a sign-up form, and a personalization dashboard for Next Steps Idaho.
A multi-step wireframe or app prototype showing login, Welcome, resume building, skills addition, and resume preview screens.
Three different webpages depicting a resume-writing guide with sections on contact info, work experience, examples, tips, links, and things to do, each designed with a similar layout and content.

Design

I translate strategy into tangible experiences through thoughtful information architecture, intuitive wireframes, and cohesive visual design. Working from low-fidelity sketches to polished interfaces, I crafted a resume-building experience that maintains the familiar Next Steps Idaho aesthetic while introducing powerful new functionality. Each design element—from typography to interactive components—was purposefully created to support student confidence and document quality.

Flowchart showing the process of creating a cover letter, starting from selecting document types, entering work values, filling out contact and content sections, and finalizing with a profile page and to-do list.
Illustration of a woman holding a giant pencil, standing next to checklists, with green plants in the background, on a website that guides building a cover letter.
Illustration of four people discussing around a round table with documents, graphics, and icons representing ideas and communication.
Flowchart illustrating the process of creating a resume using a website, showing screens for starting a new document, adding skills, selecting skills, viewing tips, and managing documents.
Illustration of a man creating a resume on a large laptop, with code and images on the screen, next to a green plant in a blue pot.
Online resume website with a form to add contact information, featuring a woman interacting with a digital interface illustration, with books placed nearby.
Illustrated step-by-step process of creating a professional cover letter and resume on a computer, with characters filling out forms, adding contact and skills information, and reviewing resources.

  • "I have worked with over 100 designers throughout my 30 year creative career and I can state with great confidence, that Brittany is one of the best. Creative as she is personable, her design aesthetic is impeccable, she double-checks her work for accuracy and adherence to brand standards and project requirements, is a pro at presenting her designs including explaining inspiration and evolution, and is just a wonderful and joyful person to work with. She is organized and collaborative, plus her positive attitude is infectious and I miss the daily exposure. If given the opportunity to work with her again, I would hire her in a hot minute."

    – Brick Kane, Vice President of Account & Project Management at Strategies 360