Sabella is

a senior interaction designer and multidisiplinary artist based in Chicago Seattle. 📥 Get in touch.
Résumé LinkedIn

USAFacts

Role
  • UX Design
  • Front-end Development

In a time when government data is available but not always accessible USAFacts was created as an answer to a question: where does our money go, as a nation? The Ballmer Group, the philanthropic organization led by Steve and Connie Ballmer, set out to accomplish this though a data repository and a powerful data visualization tool called USAFacts.org.
We set out to make sense of government spending in a non-partisan and unbiased way.

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"What we're trying to do now is create a foundation for a more fact-based discussion about what's going on with government in our country. This is really a starting point.
We need more data."
— Steve Ballmer

  • Careful consideration was made to the types of charts used for each data type in order to not introduce bias. We sought to transform dry and dense data into an engaging and exploratory experience.
  • A goal of the project was to facilitate the ability for people to form their own opinions around the data. One way we designed for this was through the use of sparklines. Using these small visualizations allowed for the user to be able to toggle through multiple decades worth of data in a related category and to see the change over time.

The repository launched on Tax Day with an astounding 2.5 million people visiting in the first 24 hours.

Teachers Know Best: Making Data Work Report

Role
  • Interaction
  • Visual Design
  • Front-end Development

Education is changing. Schools are beginning to thoughtfully use data in order to personalize their students’ learning. However, there is a gap between the tools currently available, in the market, and what teachers actually need. The Gates Foundation developed Teachersknowbest.org as a resource for EdTech entrepreneurs to aid in the building of more effective digital products. Our team was tasked with investigating and distilling how teachers use data in the classroom into action items for developers.

Visit Project Archive
  • The results of a workshop with teachers and developers where we reviewed teacher needs and concepts and discussed approaches to effecting change and innovation in the EdTech space.
  • Summary page of our findings. We backed up our bold and direct suggestions with statistics.
  • Our report contained the results of both quantitative and qualitative research. In order to not overwhelm users we peppered blocks, like the one pictured, on the summary page where users could deep dive into our data, in the form of pdfs or raw excel docs, should they want more information.

Over 4,500 teachers from innovative and mainstream schools were interviewed along with 15 software developers. We identified 9 opportunity areas where teachers needed the most help. With each opportunity we provided interview snippets, clear descriptions of the challenge and thought-starters.

Huddleforcare

Role
  • Front-end Development
  • Wordpress Development

How do you connect healthcare professionals interested in transitional care solutions? Our recommendation- an online portal for frontline healthcare professionals to share best practices around reducing hospital readmissions. Users can connect with their peers, take part in discussions, submit or recommend others to write stories about specific issues they’ve encountered.

We found that healthcare professionals were lacking a space to share their experiences and challenges around transitional care. The goal was for Huddleforcare to become that space.

  • Users can search for solutions by challenge, filter stories by topic or submit their own.
  • User profile where you can view their expertise, compare organization stats to your own, or contact them with your questions directly.

Selected Clients

Roles
  • UX Design
  • Visual Design
  • Front-end Development
  • Illustration
  • Consulting
  • Systems Building
  • Prototyping

I've also done some work for these folks.

  • Allstate
  • Samsung
  • Pepsico
  • Hyatt
  • WebMd
  • P and G
  • Magic Leap
  • Digitas
  • UsaFacts

the monarq

Disciplines
  • Collage
  • Illustration
  • Painting
  • Patternmaking
  • Photography
  • Printmaking

I create under the moniker “the monarq” which is a multidisciplinary practice with a focus on analog photography, pattern making, and illustration.

the monarq

Speaking

In Real Life

Events, podcasts, and speaking engagements. Looking for a speaker, presenter, or podcast guest? Drop a line.

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