Portfolio: Content Design

Designing a Clear Path for Custom Email Configuration at Okta

Role: UX Writing / Content Design

Scope: Net-new UX copy & flow optimization

Tools Used: Figma, Google Docs

Impact

Structured a complex, two-option configuration flow into a clear, dual-section layout that managed user expectations around technical delays (like DNS propagation time).

Overview

When Okta launched a highly requested feature allowing admins to route communications through their own external email providers, a major hurdle emerged: technical complexity.

Transitioning from Okta’s native email system to an external SMTP provider required admins to navigate complex DNS record updates and off-platform configurations.

As the UX Writer, I restructured a confusing multi-step setup into an intuitive, informative, and actionable flow. By organizing the layout into clear, distinct choices and introducing transparent instructional copy, I transformed a technically dense process into a straightforward, approachable experience for IT administrators.

Project: Designing a multi-step email provider configuration flow

Simplifying Security Warnings with Inclusive, Actionable Language at Okta

Role: UX Writing / Content Design

Scope: Rewriting UX copy & inclusive language alignment

Tools Used: Figma, Google Docs

Impact

Eradicated non-inclusive terminology (e.g., transitioning away from legacy terms like “whitelist”), provided clear next steps directly within interdependent security workflows, and made technical security settings actionable.

Overview

Balancing strict platform security with user autonomy is a recurring challenge in enterprise software. When Okta introduced a more secure method for embedding portals via Trusted Origins, IT administrators faced a fragmented configuration experience across multiple settings pages.

The existing UI relied on legacy, non-inclusive terminology, obscured the locations of required settings, and failed to explain the operational difference between testing and launching a live site.

As the UX Writer, I refactored the copy across the Trusted Origins and Customizations dashboards. By replacing non-inclusive language, illuminating the rationale behind critical configuration choices, and guiding admins toward safer security practices, I reduced cognitive load and eliminated the need for admins to consult external documentation to protect their organizations.

Project: Simplifying security warnings with inclusive, actionable language

UX Study: Optimizing Technical Help Documentation for Mobile Screens

Role: UX Researcher / Principal Investigator

Scope: Usability testing design, qualitative & quantitative data analysis, data synthesis, and presentation framework

Deliverables: Academic research paper and a comprehensive defense slide deck presented to a faculty committee

Impact

Established a literature-backed set of mobile UX recommendations to optimize data density and navigation structures on smaller device viewports.

Overview

While enterprise and product help websites are heavily relied upon by users in moments of friction, their layout and navigation models are frequently optimized exclusively for desktop screens.

As the Capstone project for my MS in Technical Communication, I conducted a comprehensive user research study to investigate how help documentation performs when accessed via smartphones.

I designed a rigorous usability testing framework rooted in UX literature, executed user testing sessions, and synthesized qualitative and quantitative data to isolate hidden mobile friction points.

By translating behavioral patterns into actionable design frameworks, I developed a definitive set of UX recommendations aimed at transforming dense technical documentation into a responsive, highly accessible mobile experience.

Paper: UX study: Adapting help websites for smartphones

Beyond Colors and Images: Advocating for the Value of UX Writing

Role: Author / UX Thought Leader

Scope: Industry publication, UX advocacy, and conceptual analysis

Impact

Provided the broader product design and technical communication community with an actionable framework for justifying content design resources, elevating the conversation around microcopy from “words on a screen” to an essential usability asset.

Overview

Within rapidly evolving tech ecosystems, UX writing is often misunderstood as merely a final layer of polish rather than a fundamental component of product design. Published in Shanghai TC, this article dismantles the misconception that user experience is defined solely by visual aesthetics.

Drawing on industry methodologies and design principles, I examine how strategic microcopy, clear information hierarchy, and user-centric language serve as the backbone of intuitive digital products.

By framing content as an active driver of user engagement and error reduction, the piece serves as both an industry critique and a practical guide—advocating for the integration of content designers early in the product development lifecycle to build more accessible, cohesive human-computer interfaces.

Article on WeChat: Beyond colors and images