I worked closely with Yasuko in her role as QA lead on several projects at OpenTable. Her team-leading knowledge of how the product worked in intricate detail helped ensure that we worked through potential problems before getting to development. What most impressed me working with Yasuko is her laser focus on how a customer is going to interact with and react to the feature being built. She always came at a problem from the point of view of the user, which materially improved the product we delivered. I'd work with Yasuko again in a heartbeat.
Denis O'Sullivan
Engineering Team Lead OpenTable
I was Yasuko's manager for 3.5 years. Yasuko was a core member of our teams/squads following an Agile highly collaborative and available work process from requirements definition through QA and launch. Our teams could not have delivered as quickly and to same level of quality with Yasuko. She was a key accelerant for us. Yasuko is very detail oriented and organized. Her knowledge of all OpenTable's systems was expert level. Yasuko often worked on multiple projects and teams at the same time and has the planning skills to balance competing priorities and deliver on time. Yasuko has good communication skills and she and I developed a good working relationship to understand priorities and how to tradeoff availability. Before COVID Yasuko grew her skills to become an automation engineer. Yasuko learned Cypress.io, javascript, GitHub and a number of other technologies. Yasuko built out the test suites, fixture data and credentials to run e2e tests for customer facing applications. She not only worked close with the engineers but became an engineer. This was not an easy set of skills to acquire but Yasuko stuck to it and became a pretty solid automation engineer. This is a testament to her dedication and work ethic. Finally Yasuko is a fun and caring person who cares about the customer and her teammates.
Caleb Morrel
Software Engineer OpenTable
I worked with Yasuko for 8 years, and she was always diligent and thorough in her work. She collaborates well with others, and is a team player. It would be a pleasure to work with her again one day.
Laura kincade
Account Executive / Interior Designer MINE
Yasuko and I worked together for three years at MINE. During that time, they consistently impressed me with their professionalism, creativity, and attention to detail. Yasuko brings a rare blend of strategic thinking and user-centered design skills to every project. They always come prepared, ask the right questions, and deliver thoughtful solutions that truly elevate the user experience.What really sets Yasuko apart is their ability to collaborate seamlessly across teams while staying deeply focused on the small details that make a big difference. They are personable, reliable, and incredibly sharp. Yasuko is someone you can always count on to bring both clarity and care to their work.Any team would be lucky to have Yasuko as a UX designer. I would work with them again in a heartbeat.
Tomas Amado Loppacher
Software Engineer MINE
I had the pleasure of working with Yasuko for over three years at MINE, where she consistently demonstrated exceptional skill as a UI/UX designer. Her eye for detail, user-centric approach, and ability to translate complex requirements into intuitive, elegant designs made a significant impact on our products. Beyond her technical expertise, Yasuko is a collaborative and thoughtful team member who brings creativity, clarity, and calm to every project she touches. Any team would be lucky to have her.
Home
Work
About
A UX Designer
Background
From quality assurance to user experience design — a career evolution that created my unique strengths
QA Engineer
12 years
I was a QA engineer for 12 years, focusing on usability issues and edge cases, while collaborating closely with developers, PMs, designers, and end-users.
Solid understanding of development lifecycles
Attention to edge cases and hidden flaws
Effective cross-team collaboration
Deep user empathy from testing real scenarios
Career Transition
UX Designer
Present
After a career transition, I became a UX designer. This shift gave me unique strengths that shape how I design today:
This journey didn’t just change my career — it gave me unique strengths that define how I design today.
Unique Strengths from My Journey
A laser focus on user experience and pain points
Deep understanding of pain points from years of testing real user scenarios
Deep knowledge of the software development cycle and ecosystem
Intimate knowledge of technical constraints and possibilities
The ability to understand diverse team perspectives and bridge gaps
Ability to translate between diverse stakeholders and understand multiple viewpoints
The Result
I design with the empathy of a user, the eye of a QA engineer, and the collaboration of a product partner.
Building on these strengths, I completed an AI for UX Design course at UX Academy and now apply it through research and prototypes to explore how AI can enhance workflows and user-centered design.
Driving Growth Across Diverse Industries
I've shipped software that not only delivers value but also drives growth across diverse industries.
Self-service ordering platform for restaurants, stadiums, and event venues
mobile, kiosk, handheld, and POS systems at cheq (cantaloupe)
B2B restaurant systems for online reservations
OTRESTAURANT SYSTEM AT OPENTABLE
B2B & B2C interior design platform for interior designers and clients
STUDIO MINE AT MINE
B2C backend tools for a major automobile manufacturer
DESIGN PROJECT AT BTRAX
What it's like to work with me
Laura Kincade
Account Executive/ Interior Designer MINE
Yasuko and I worked together for three years at MINE. During that time, they co...
Cheq is a mobile-first ordering and payment platform that lets fans, diners, and guests order food and drinks from their phones, kiosks, or handheld devices at restaurants, stadiums, and event venues. It helps businesses serve customers faster while reducing wait times and streamlining operations.
Cheq #1
Onboarding Quickly in a Complex Multi-Platform System
I quickly adapted to Cheq’s multi-platform system (PWA, POS, kiosks, handheld devices) and large-scale Figma files, becoming an independent contributor within two weeks.
Cheq #2
Ongoing Major Projects – Coming Soon
I am currently leading two high-impact UX initiatives: (A) mobile food order management flows for admin users (B) Clock-in/clock-out feature for event attendees Full case studies will be shared soon.
Featured Projects at Studio MINE
MINE provides Furniture and Home Furnishings Manufacturing, and Studio MINE is a holistic website tool made for interior designers to work for clients who need to furnish their homes.
Studio MINE #1
Initial UX Design & Strategy
I laid the groundwork for Studio MINE by conducting user research, defining the MVP, and establishing a user-friendly foundation for the platform.
Studio MINE #2
Product Snapshot and Split
I designed a solution that allows Studio MINE to handle product status changes, addressing a crucial need for interior designers.
Studio MINE #4
Shoppable Room and Designer Checkout
I developed a feature that enables interior designers to create virtual showrooms and seamlessly share them with their networks.