Designing human-centered experiences at the intersection of systems, strategy, and story, with a creative practice spanning graphic design, UX/UI, and service design.
Curious by nature, systematic by habit, and always focused on the people at the other end of the work.
I'm Dari FitzGerald, a Senior Service Designer. I trained as an illustrator at RISD and have worked across the full spectrum of design since: graphic designer, UX/UI designer, product designer on Agile teams, and now service designer untangling complex systems for government and public-sector clients.
I use design thinking in my approach. I start by understanding how a service really works today, for the people using it and the people delivering it, before reaching for solutions. You'll see that approach in the work below.
Visual craft, digital interaction design, product delivery, and organizational service thinking, refined through hands-on practice.
End-to-end services for complex government and public-sector environments, from service blueprinting and journey mapping to co-design facilitation and policy alignment.
Working inside Agile product teams from concept through launch, testing ideas early and measuring what works. I use generative AI tools like Microsoft Copilot and Glean every day to prototype concepts and draft user flows faster.
Translating user research into intuitive, accessible digital interfaces, from wireframes and prototypes to usability testing and design systems.
A foundation in visual communication: brand identity, typography, print, and illustration.
Three projects where the real problem lived between the pieces, not inside any one of them.
The problem wasn't any one website. It was the gaps between more than ten of them.
Impact$50M7-year contract supported by my service blueprint Read the case study →Every channel affected every other one. Move volume in one place, and the load shifts everywhere else.
Impact60–80%of ineligible requests resolved through self-service Read the case study →The app was only the front door. Behind it sat a worldwide care system: time zones, triage rules, and nurses ready to step in.
Impact< 4 minto complete symptom triage in the app I designed Read the case study →The working tools behind the outcomes. In a single year I facilitated more than ten collaborative workshops, for programs at SSA, HUD, the Navy, Aidvantage, and the Air Force.
Two channels mapped on one shared spine, showing where paths converge, loop back, and need a person to step in.
See the flows →A current-state blueprint of a frustrating payment call, and the redesigned call that answers it.
See the blueprints →I've never stopped learning. Each step added a new way of seeing the system.
BFA in Illustration, Providence. Where I learned to look closely, draw what's actually there, and redraw until it's right.
At The Motley Fool I moved from marketing design into UX, running A/B-tested campaigns and starting a “guerrilla” usability testing practice with in-house testers.
At Easy Dynamics I deepened my research craft through interviews, surveys, and usability sessions, plus accessibility and Section 508 work for federal clients.
At Maximus I grew into service blueprinting, outcomes mapping, and maturity modeling, and co-created a two-day workshop method now being turned into a repeatable company offering. I also attended the ACT-IAC Customer Experience COI and CX Summit.
Coursera: AI for Everyone. Salesforce Trailhead: Platform Basics, AI Fundamentals, Generative AI Basics, NLP Basics, LLMs, Prompt Fundamentals, Data + AI + CRM, and Data Fundamentals for AI. AWS Skill Builder: Amazon Connect Introduction. Attended the Salesforce Agentforce World Tour in DC.
I use Microsoft Copilot and Glean every day, alongside Claude and ChatGPT, to prototype interface concepts, generate content variations, and draft user flows for government modernization projects, speeding up each design iteration.
I'm actively exploring new opportunities in service design, UX leadership, and human-centered design consulting. Whether you have a role, a project, or just want to connect, I'd love to hear from you.