About

I design clarity
into systems that
carry real weight.

Senior UX Designer based in Northern Virginia with 12+ years of experience in cybersecurity, IT operations, and data-rich enterprise platforms. I specialize in the work people don't see: the moments where a misread visualization or an unclear AI output could cost a company a deal, a customer, or worse.

Kamala Espig
Available for Lead, Staff & Principal roles
Design Philosophy
"Clarity isn't a feature. It's a responsibility."

My approach starts with the system, not the screen. Before I think about what something looks like, I need to understand what it does, who depends on it, and what happens when it fails.

I take trust seriously, especially in AI-assisted products. When a tool surfaces analysis that people rely on for real decisions, the design of that experience has to reflect the weight of that responsibility.

01
Understand the system first
I don't touch the interface until I understand what the system does, who it serves, and what the cost of failure is.
02
Clarify mental models before adding features
The right solution is usually less — a clearer IA, a smarter default, a workflow that doesn't require explanation.
03
Map tradeoffs, not just requirements
I advocate for identifying risks and competing priorities before they become late-stage objections or rework.
04
Design for real use, not ideal conditions
Enterprise users are distracted, time-pressured, and domain-expert. I design for their actual context.
What Drives Me

I design for high-stakes products — the kind where a confusing interface isn't just friction, it's a bad decision waiting to happen. Threat intelligence platforms, AI-powered tools, enterprise analytics. Twelve years of technically complex work with real business consequences.

I care about outcomes. Not just usability, but adoption, retention, and whether the thing we shipped actually moved a metric. I've spent a lot of time in rooms where UX and business strategy overlap, and I'm comfortable in both.

Where I do my best work
  • Problems that are complex and consequential
  • Teams that treat design as a strategic partner
  • Decisions that connect user needs to business results
  • Collaboration across PM, engineering, and domain experts
Professional Journey
Feb 2023 — Present
Tidal Cyber
Lead UX Designer · Reston, VA (Remote)
30–50% reduction in enterprise demo explanation time
Jan 2021 — Feb 2023
Dell Technologies
Senior Product Designer · Remote
130% engagement lift on global campaign
Apr 2019 — Jan 2021
ScienceLogic
UX Product Designer · Reston, VA
Enterprise AIOps platform, end-to-end UX
May 2016 — Apr 2018
IdentityGuard
Senior Web & Graphic Designer · Chantilly, VA
421% increase in landing page conversions
Jan 2011 — Present
Kamala Created LLC
Founder & Creative Director · Leesburg, VA
95% client retention rate
Core Skills
Enterprise Platform UX
AI-Assisted Workflow Design
Information Architecture
Data Visualization
Design Systems
Cross-Functional Leadership
Accessibility (WCAG)
AI Trust Design
Tools
Figma Cursor Framer Claude ChatGPT Midjourney Adobe Suite Notion Storybook HTML & CSS
Who I Am Outside the Work

Outside of work, I'm a mom of two, a painter, a boxer, a lego builder, a foodie, a traveler, and a video game enthusiast who's currently learning guitar. I survived breast cancer, which has a way of clarifying what actually matters. I paint with oils — whatever's moving through me, whether that's surrealism or something I dreamed — because it slows my brain down in a way nothing else does. I make things. I always have. That's not separate from the work I do — it's the same impulse.

🎨
Painter
Oil painter working in surrealism and whatever else needs to come out. Painting is meditative in a way that slows everything down — the opposite of a sprint.
🥊
Boxer
Learning to stay calm when things move fast. The patience it takes to get the form right is not so different from getting the interaction right.
🎮
Gamer
Systems, strategy, storytelling — the same things I care about in product design. Also just fun.
🧱
Lego Builder
There's something satisfying about instructions that actually work. A good system, followed to completion.
✈️
Traveler & Foodie
Food is how I understand places. Travel is how I stay curious. Both make me a better designer of things for humans.
🎸
Learning Guitar
Currently humbling myself via Pickup Music. Being a beginner at something is a good reminder of what it feels like to be a new user.