Hi there, I'm Carissa,

Content Designer

H&R Block - Contract

1/2025 — 5/2025

• Collaborated with cross-functional teams in an agile environment to design and optimize UX content for DIY tax software.

• Crafted checkout flow content that improved conversions for an underperforming payment method by 6% during A/B testing.

• Redesigned contextual guidance and help content for small business expense reporting, with 85% of testers preferring it over the original.

Doctoral Candidate

Brandeis University

9/2017 — 9/2024

• Cultivated a deep understanding of the ways in which language can be leveraged to capture attention, influence perception, and guide behavior.

• Taught persuasive writing courses, showing students how to develop their unique verbal identities and craft compelling arguments.

• Conducted a multi-year research initiative, presenting and successfully defending the resulting dissertation before a panel of experts.

Content Design Intern

KIT - Keep in Touch

9/2022 — 11/2022

• Partnered with a team of content design interns at KIT, a mobile app startup, to shape, test, and refine content throughout the app.

• Leveraged user feedback and testing insights to redesign the app tutorial, improving comprehension for all participants in testing.

• Developed and administered user testing, uncovering actionable insights and translating them into specific design directives.