“If we want users to like our software, we should design it to behave like a likeable person: respectful, generous, and helpful.”
–Alan Cooper
As a designer, I believe it’s my job to put you, your business, and your users first. It’s not about me. It’s about what’s best for your product.
A one-person design agency in the Rocky Mountains.
I’m Samantha Pede, but please feel free to call me Sam. I’m a designer & researcher specializing in user experience, user research, and visual design. I love my craft and delight in the opportunity to do impactful work that transforms business through a focus on the end user.
Over the past decade, I've collaborated with and helped drive the design process for clients across several industries from healthcare to travel to education and from startups to nonprofits to large enterprise organizations. Early in my career, I also had the pleasure of creating and leading a small in-house design team at an international non-profit. More recently, I helped establish a user experience practice and led user research efforts at Dribbble. Currently, I’m focused on empowering entrepreneurs at Shopify.
On a personal note, I spend my free time exploring the mountains, practicing interior design, cooking delicious food, and watching movies. My husband and I also own and operate a bicycle and ski shop in Lander, Wyoming and we can often be found riding bicycles with our busy toddler and baby in tow.
How Can I Help You?
User Research
A key part of the design process is understanding who we’re designing for. I love learning about your users and making sure we keep their needs at the forefront of decision-making. I’ll also create visuals to help keep these findings easily shareable & top of mind.
UX Design
From creating new user interfaces to evaluating and improving existing ones, I’ll create pathways and systems of understanding to make the complex simple and usable before we focus on visuals. That way we can make sure we’re building the right thing.
UI Design
Whether it’s time to bring a new app to life or refresh an existing one, I’ll make sure we’re not only communicating the right message through the visuals and creating interactions your users will be familiar with, but we’re also creating something your users will love.
Adding value for your users is just good business.
What do others have to say?
“I can’t say enough good things about Sam. Not only is she a seriously talented and professional UX designer and researcher, but she’s just a tremendous joy to be around and work with. She radiates empathy for users’ experiences and she truly cares about her work. I hope that my path crosses with Sam’s in the future. I’d gladly welcome the opportunity to work with her again.”
“I’ve worked with Sam on multiple products in various industries from healthcare, to B2C mobile apps, to enterprise software. Her passion for her work combined with her undeniable talent makes her an asset to any team. Don’t miss an opportunity to work with her.”
“If you ever have the chance to work with Sam you should jump at the opportunity. She is bright, creative, intellectually curious, hardworking and fun. She gets stuff done, does it exceedingly well and is fun to be around. What more could you ask for?”
“I’ve got this short list of people that I’ve worked with in the past that I’d leap at the opportunity to work with again. Sam is absolutely on that list.”
“Sam is an incredible UX designer/researcher who I had the privilege of having on my team at Dribbble. She is thoughtful, thorough, communicates well, is an exemplary teammate and a great UX designer to boot. I would highly recommend Sam and hope to work with her one day again.”
