About Me
Krista Van Guilder | UX Design Lead
In more than 20 years of visual and interaction design for in-house teams, agencies, and consultancies across several industries, I’ve learned a few things about myself.
I’m obsessed with design
I truly love design. If I can improve everything my fingers touch, I will, and I don’t mind getting into the weeds to make it happen, at work or at home. I once agonized over a printed fill-in form to track the chemicals in my hot tub. Yes, I could have made it digital, but paper and pencil were safer (hey, my hands had to get wet!), and a clipboard just seemed more official.
I’m a co-creation advocate
Writing original music with my rock band taught me early that something interesting on my own could become something inspiring and much larger than all of us. Design works the same way. Brainstorming with product managers, researchers, and developers leads to far better concepts than I could ever come up with alone.
I want to improve people’s lives
Asking the right questions to uncover pain points, then fighting to solve them, is at the heart of my process. Watching scientists struggle with lab equipment or engineers wrestle with software makes me want to do better for them.
Currently I’m a UX Design Lead and Principal User Experience Designer at MathWorks, where I led the team that built our new design system, trained the design team on Figma, designed our products’ first dark theme, and now consult on projects across the company.
Previously I was a Senior User Experience Designer at Thermo Fisher Scientific designing embedded interfaces for scientific equipment and instruments. I still get giddy when I see one of our products in a news segment or science documentary.
In 2025 I completed an MBA program focusing on management because I wanted to go deeper on leadership, strategy, and the business side of design.
When I’m not designing or jamming with my band, I’m cooking dinner, tackling a home improvement project, or nerding out over Star Wars, Marvel, and documentaries with my husband.
The best way to reach me is via email at kvgcreative@gmail.com, but you can also use my contact form (which, coincidentally, goes straight to my email inbox).
Awards
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Graphic Design USA, American Graphic Design Awards
Patents
Display Screen of a Biological Safety Cabinet with Graphical User Interface; Patent date: Issued Dec 24, 2019; Patent issuer and number: US D870,739 S
Education
M.B.A. in Business Management
Fitchburg State University, Fitchburg, MA
Graduated December 2025
M.A. in Graphic Design
New England School of Art and Design at Suffolk University, Boston, MA
Graduated September 2013
B.S. in Communications/Media with Concentrations in Graphic Design and Multimedia
Fitchburg State College, Fitchburg, MA
Graduated June 2000
Continuing Education in UX: Interaction Design Foundation (IxDF) and the Nielsen Norman Group