Hi, I'm Laura Cochran or "LC." I turn complex, high-stakes systems into products and services people can actually use.

15+ years leading UX research and design, 8 of them building and managing teams. Currently a principal product designer — while running ElleSee Futures, my own consultancy, since 2009. Open to select fractional and advisory engagements.

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A screenshot of a team zoom call.
A screenshot of a team zoom call.
A photo of Laura Cochran and President Barack Obama.
A photo of Laura Cochran and President Barack Obama.
A photo of Laura Cochran standing on a rock overlooking the ocean.
A photo of Laura Cochran standing on a rock overlooking the ocean.
A photo of Laura Cochran smiling with a blue NYC tennis hat.
A photo of Laura Cochran smiling with a blue NYC tennis hat.

My Career Journey

Each stop taught me something the next one needed — journalism gave me storytelling, agencies gave me speed, government gave me stakes, and running my own practice since 2009 gave me judgment. I'm a systems thinker that thrives in complexity.

civic tech
solopreneur
AI-Assisted Design
0-to-1 product design
What are you doing now? Recharged and focused.
ElleSee Futures
New York, New York

After eight years leading teams and shaping organizations, I realized I missed hands-on design. Pursuing my HCI Master's and relaunching my business brought me back to what I love most: creating products and services that make a real difference in people’s lives.

As Principal Design Consultant and Founder at ElleSee Futures, I unite strategic vision, hands-on design, and over 15 years of experience across enterprises and startups to deliver real results. I am also focused on helping teams integrate human-in-the-loop AI tools like Claude and Figma Make into the design process. Treating them as co-creators helps amplify creativity and impact.

🔹 Designed and developed AI-enabled technologies and plain language solutions that improved access to essential public benefits like Medicaid, SNAP, and child care.

🔹 Developed design standards and a Figma design kit for B2C and B2B products at the world’s largest financial-crime prevention association, delivering a single source of truth for brand and product decisions.

Financial Services
Design Leadership
0-to-1 Teams
Designing and leading 0-to-1 teams
Valley Bank & Northwestern Mutual
New York, New York

I’ve led and nurtured high-performing design teams at both Northwestern Mutual and Valley Bank. At Northwestern Mutual, I guided four people leaders and sixteen designers in delivering a modern mobile experience for insurance and investment customers.

At Valley Bank, I built a diverse design and research team from scratch. Our research-driven insights shaped new monetization strategies and elevated the entire customer journey.

🔹 Reduced time to complete customer onboarding (from 20+ mins to 5+ mins) by minimizing a dozen flow steps to 4 and an iterative product development approach to remove user friction.

🔹 Spearheaded large end-to-end mobile app evolution to increase engagement resulting in 20.3% increase in MAU YoY while simultaneously managing programs across 20 separate agile pods.

Startup
0-to-1 products
saas
camped on a deer farm
The documentary is true: I went to camp
WeWork
New York, New York

One of my wildest career chapters was as a strategist and UX researcher at WeWork. The fast-paced startup energy was fun, chaotic, and filled with incredible people I’ll never forget.

🔹 Led end-to-end research from discovery to delivery for two 0-to-1 products, uncovering user needs that drove design efficiency and reduced the team’s interior design workflow time by 50%.

Startup
service design
civic tech
Joining President Obama's tech surge
United States Digital Service
New York, New York

During my two-year service with the United States Digital Service, I partnered with top technologists and dedicated public servants to improve application design for millions of Americans, including veterans applying for benefits, travelers seeking global entry, and immigrants working to become U.S. citizens.

🔹 Led enthnographic research in Southeast Asia that identified opportunities for emerging technology to improve the immigration process without impacted the integrity of the system.

🔹 Led evaluative research of a biometric identification and security system at US ports of entry.

Platform Design
systems thinking
saas
consumer product
Refining My Style
Condé Nast
New York, New York

I directed UX for Condé Nast’s proprietary storytelling platform, unifying editorial workflows across 70 teams and saving hundreds of production hours. It was here that I began blending Alan Cooper’s goal-directed design with IDEO’s methods.

🔹 Started coaching teams as a design people leader

🔹 Designed and scaled my first new product, from discovery to launch, as a player/coach on an agile team

human-centered design
prototyping
generative research
Growing as a design practitioner
Gannett
Washington, DC

I began my career in news, studying how people find, read, and share information. I translated those insights into product requirements and designed experiences that truly served our audience.

🔹 Trained by IDEO on human-centered design

🔹 Four years conducting ethnographic interviews with news consumers

🔹 Designed first mobile app

🔹 Launched my consulting business ElleSee Futures

storytelling
content design
consumer product
Getting my feet wet at my dream company
The Washington Post
Washington, DC

My first job was at my dream company, The Washington Post. The work I did over three years helped shape who I am today. Improving lives by providing information that empowers decision-making is at the heart of my passion for design. My roots in journalism and visual storytelling have made me a strong communicator and community builder.

🔹 Helped millions of people make democratic decisions by shining a light on the information people need

🔹 Started to work closely with behavioral data to understand how people behaved across digital platforms

Laura empowered us to self-manage but stepped in to support us across disciplines as needed. She is very intentional and hands-on with coaching and was crucial to shaping us into a well-rounded group of UX professionals.
Photo of Brandon Mosley smiling.

Brandon Mosley

UX Design Manager

She has a vision for building impactful teams and prioritizing initiatives that add value to the customer experience. On top of that, she has empowered her team to communicate the impact of their work across the organization, which has shaped the way we approach things from UX to marketing strategy. She brings tremendous value to any organization, and is someone I truly enjoy working with.

Dan Cappello

Creative Director

Laura did our entire website including design, content, interactivity, provider interface and updates. Her body of work on our behalf has been exceptional & world class. Without her the Foundation would not have had the success it has enjoyed. We recommend her unconditionally.

Jess Wilber

Technologist, Managing Partner

Laura is an unmatched leader in her ability to put people first in both research and on her team. She has created an environment where it is easy to grow and deliver impactful work. She has built a culture of empathy and true understanding of the value of research and design at multiple stages of product development.
Michelle Ammirati smiling in a professional setting.

Michelle Ammirati

UX Researcher, Innovation Lead

Laura's talent for design, knowledge of the digital space, overall energy and passion for understanding the consumer first is why she's been so successful and will continue to have a great career moving forward.

Reggie Murphy

Research and Insights Leader

Let's Work Together

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