Designing better experiences for real people.

I'm a UX and UI designer with a curious mind and a people-first approach. I research, design and test digital products, and I share what I learn along the way.

See my work My LinkedIn
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research
ideate
design
test
iterate

Thoughtful design for human experiences, fuelled by creative curiosity

The final screen is only part of the story.

Case studies are on their way. Each one will show the questions, sketches and decisions behind the outcome.

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Projects coming soon
Coming soon

New case studies are in the works.

I'm writing up the research, sketches and decisions behind my recent projects.

  • Research
  • UX/UI
  • Prototyping
  • Design systems

UX is not just making things look good.

Research, usability, accessibility and business context all shape the final screen. This is where I can help.

Cartoon of my desk: a pink laptop, two monitors with wireframes, a rainbow keyboard, coffee and plants.

there's a lot under the screen ↑

Finding out what people actually need before anything gets drawn, then checking the design with them.

  • User interviews
  • Usability testing
  • Journey mapping

Turning messy problems into clear flows, wireframes and interfaces that are easy to use and good to look at.

  • Flows and wireframes
  • Interface design
  • Prototyping

Building the shared pieces that keep a product consistent, accessible and quicker to design and build.

  • Components and tokens
  • Accessibility
  • Visual identity
Hellomy name is
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KelsUX + UI designer · South Africa
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About me

I start every project with the people who'll use it.

I'm Kelsey Skye van Es, a UX/UI Designer based in the City of Gold, Johannesburg, South Africa.

I believe good design starts with understanding people. I'm naturally curious, ask a lot of questions, care about the details, and love turning messy problems into clear, intuitive and meaningful digital experiences.

With over three years of experience in the software industry, specialising in UX and UI, I currently work as a UX/UI Designer at DENM Digital, designing and building e-commerce experiences from visual design through to front-end development. Outside of my day-to-day work, I volunteer as the lead researcher on She Can Do's UX research report, exploring women's experiences in design leadership, diversity and workplace culture.

When I'm not designing, you'll probably find me behind a camera, drawing, spending time with my dogs, or hunting down a good coffee spot or pizza place.

Focus
UX · UI · Research
Also
Design systems · Branding

The tools on my desk.

The software I reach for, from wireframes and prototypes to brand visuals, motion and e-commerce builds.

Design + prototyping

  • Figma
  • Axure
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Brand + visual

  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe InDesign

Motion + 3D

  • Adobe After Effects
  • Adobe Premiere Pro
  • Blender

Build + AI

  • Shopify
  • Claude
  • ChatGPT

Same energy, off the clock.

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Behind the brand

My branding.

@ux_kels
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the crew
Process

Small changes can make a big difference.

Swipe
 Resource

5 things I check before every handover

Save this
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golden hour
ideas → wireframes → impact
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coffee first
Growth

Still learning. Still building. Still figuring it out.

@ux_kels
so, what are you working on?

Let's connect.

Connect on LinkedIn
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