01 | Companies
Over the years, I’ve partnered with a wide range of companies to tackle complex challenges—translating user needs and business goals into practical, effective solutions that improve products and experiences.
UX Leader shaping product strategy through human-centered design, behavioral insight, and measurable business impact.
Hi, I’m Shelby Thompson — a researcher and designer with over 20 years of experience in User Experience and Human Factors. I partner with product, design, and leadership teams to define the right problems, drive research strategy, and translate insights into decisions that improve conversion, usability, and long-term product direction.
My background spans aerospace, oil & gas, finance, e-commerce, healthcare, and more. I specialize in UX research, human-computer interaction, and interface design, with deep expertise in usability testing, persona development, journey mapping, and data-driven insight.
02 | Human-Centered Design Process
My approach to design is rooted in human-centered principles—understanding users in context, aligning with business goals, and translating both into cohesive product experiences. I apply a structured UX process to ensure ideas are explored, validated, and delivered with clarity and purpose.
In my work with Sleep Number, what initially appeared to be a technology-driven sales process issue was actually a human-centered breakdown—customers were overwhelmed, unsure how products fit their needs, and disengaging before key decisions were made. By reframing the experience around customer needs and decision-making behaviors, we redesigned the journey to be more intuitive and supportive, resulting in a 15% measurable lift in conversion, while reducing training time.
Directed UX research and experience strategy for Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s veterinary ecosystem, helping unify multiple platforms into a cohesive, workflow-driven experience. The work supported more efficient product discovery and ordering, enabling veterinarians to make faster recommendations and contributing to Hill’s broader goal of expanding B2B sales through professional channels.
Designing for safety-critical environments requires more than usability—it requires preventing error. During my time at Lockheed Martin supporting NASA, I applied human factors principles to medical monitoring and procedural interfaces used in extreme conditions—work that closely aligns with modern medical device standards like ISO 14971 and IEC 62366-1.
In complex operational systems, performance depends not just on access to data, but on how effectively people can interpret and act on it. My work with pipeline measurement systems at Flow-Cal focused on helping users detect anomalies within high-volume, time-based datasets by designing around real workflows—pattern recognition, signal validation, and noise filtering—reflecting the shared principles of Human Factors Engineering and Human and Organizational Performance to support better decisions in complex environments.
03 | Research & Design Process
I use a five-phase approach—Discover, Define, Design, Develop, and Deploy—to guide work from insight to execution. This framework ensures that decisions are grounded in real user needs, aligned with business goals, and continuously refined through iteration, ultimately resulting in scalable, effective product experiences.
04 | User-Centered Design in Practice
My work is grounded in a robust UX toolkit—spanning interviews, workshops, personas, and journey maps—which I use to connect user insight with product decisions. This approach ensures that design solutions are not only informed by real needs, but also aligned with business goals and team priorities.
05 | UX and GenAI
I hold an AWS Generative AI Essentials and Responsible AI Foundations Professional certifications. I understand the underlying structure and development of AI systems. This technical fluency enables me to design not only with AI but for AI—crafting intuitive interfaces that align with how users interact with intelligent systems. As businesses move toward increasingly AI-driven products and experiences, this fusion of UX strategy and AI literacy is more critical than ever.
06 | Mobile First
I don’t view “mobile-first” as a strict starting point, but as an essential consideration throughout the design process. By designing responsively and validating across devices early and often, I ensure experiences remain consistent, usable, and effective regardless of screen size.
07 | E-commerce Industry
I have experience designing e-commerce experiences that support the full customer journey—from product discovery to purchase—focusing on usability, clarity, and reducing friction to improve conversion and overall customer satisfaction.
08 | Aerospace Projects
I worked for Lockheed Martin at Johnson Space Center during the Constellation Program. Projects centered on habitation and HCI for the Orion, Altair Lunar Lander, and the “rover” for lunar operations.
09 | Oil & Gas Industry
Most of the projects in Oil & Gas revolved around information processing of large and complex data. Phillips 66 was financial-based at the up-stream, mid-stream, and down-stream markets.
10 | Extras
Education and Highlighted Experience
Education
Wichita State University
2002 - 2007
PhD in Human Factors Psychology
University of Louisiana at Monroe
2000 - 2002
MS in Experimental Psychology
University of Louisiana at Monroe
1995 - 2000
BA in Psychology
Research
Skilled in various research design methods, such as task analysis, cognitive walkthroughs, ethnographic studies, A/B design, heuristic analysis, card sorting, affordance testing, interviewing, and prototype evaluation.
Deep knowledge of developing test plans, study design, questionnaire and interview creation, persona development, qualitative and quantitative metrics, and statistics.
Comfortable in conducting rapid iterative usability studies with a full understanding of the design life cycle and need for early design research.
Design
Experience in standards and requirement development with a deep understanding of UX/UI guidelines and standards (e.g., iOS, Microsoft, Google Material Design). Knowledgeable in using various assessment software application. Skilled creating wireframes, prototypes, and interface workflows. Knowledgeable with many software packages for prototyping, for example Figma and Adobe Suite (Photoshop and Illustrator).
Programming Knowledge
Understanding of capabilities of DHTML, HTML5, CSS, JavaScript and other web standards. Experience in desktop application programming (C#, XAML, WPF, VB).
Working knowledge of iOS and Android material design. Knowledge of database architecture (SQL, Oracle).
Work Environment
Can collaborate effectively with product management, engineering, and quality assurance teams. A self-starter, driven, strong relationship builder, passionate about learning and making a difference. Strong communication skills with experience giving presentations and writing reports. Experience managing and developing teams.
Work Experience Highlights
Sogeti, a part of Capgemini
November 2021 - August 2024
UX Manager
UX Lead for Central Region of North America, oversaw pursuits with clients and developed a stronger process for UX Research engagements.
Involved with major companies such as Proctor & Gamble, Sally Beauty, Tractor Supply, and Ashley Furniture. Work involved everything from research to design, in addition to developing user stories, requirements, and acceptance criteria for development.
Flow-Cal Measurement Applications
January 2017 - March 2019
Lead UX/UI Designer
Established the first UX/UI program at the company to oversee digital transformation of legacy applications. Primary responsibilities included: identification of user needs and goals, task and workflow modeling, persona development, and rapid iterative usability testing. Work closely with product management and feature teams in understanding business requirements for the product. Also responsible for managing all standards and requirements, constructing mockups, storyboards, and design documentation to effectively communicate design vision to product management and development.
Halliburton
June 2015 - October 2016
Lead UX Designer/Researcher
Worked as a contractor through Apex. Led a small team of UX designers and visual designers. Was responsible for conducting developing research in design for in-house software products. Worked closely with product management and feature teams in understanding business requirements for the product. Primary job was creating navigation structures and information designs, as well as constructing prototypes, storyboards, and mockups to effectively communicate designs to product management and development. Worked closely with designers in realizing the company’s vision.
Lockheed Martin
May 2007 - April 2015
Senior Human Factors Engineer
Worked in the Usability Testing and Analysis Facility at NASA Johnson Space Center. Duties included leading projects, conducting evaluations, writing reports and presentations, and presenting results to stakeholders.
Advanced Interface Design work focused on development of Natural User Interfaces (NUI) using technologies such as speech recognition, multi-touch, and kinetic interfaces. Was a lead interface researcher for NASA and FAA funded projects. Helped develop human-system integration standards for display development and operations.
Was part of the team that developed the cursor control input device and displays for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. Guided design for displays and interfaces for the Lunar Rover during the Constellation Program. Engaged in training and operations development for ISS (International Space Station) tasks.