Jess Pine — UX/Product Designer

Delivering impactful, human-centered experiences with curiosity, strategy, and a bold touch

Approach

I team up with product owners, researchers, designers, and engineers to build intuitive, user-focused experiences. I'm passionate about understanding complex problems, solving user and business needs, and exceeding goals. My designs are grounded in usability, inclusivity, and accessibility, so they serve everyone.

Priorities

I’m currently leading the design and support of customer support features in H&R Block’s DIY tax software, offering accessible help when they need it through options like Live Expert Help, AI Tax Assist, and Self-Help tools.

I also love painting, getting creative with interior decorating, and getting lost in a good game.

Inspirations

Laws of UX

How to Make Sense of Any Mess

Nielsen Norman Group

Maze Question Bank

Mobbin — Design inspo

Continuous Discovery Habits

Projects

Open portfolio

H&R Block — AI Tax Assist

Offer comprehensive, intelligent tax support, delivering exceptional service and personalized answers

🔒 Open project

H&R Block — Single Pane Help

A simplified help center with clear support options like AI and Expert Chat, all in one location.

🔒 Open project

Pawsitive Tails (Non-Profit)

Help dogs and puppies find new homes by matching the right dog to the right family

Open project

H&R Block — Reimagining Tax Prep

Wow clients with personalization and dramatically reduce time to complete taxes

🔒 Coming soon

Values

Quality

How can we ensure our designs are well-tested, clearly organized, and delight users?

Curiosity

What makes an experience resonate with and advocate for user’s needs?

Partnership

How do we elevate our designs by learning, growing, and leading together?

Accessibility

How can we continuously create experiences that are usable, inclusive, and evolving?

Communication

How do we foster clear conversations so everyone is aligned on our shared goals?

Vision

How can we build lasting solutions that truly help people and deliver measurable impact?

"Jess is a great example of leadership in design and I admire the way she and her squad have pioneered a lot of processes that exemplify Better Together. I also appreciate the way she stays curious and respects each member on the team and their insight and opinion, regardless of position or status."

— UX partner
"Anyone who has worked with Jess knows she stands out as one of the best. She is consistently eager to deepen her understanding of the customer to deliver the most effective solutions. It’s impressive to see how she engages with stakeholders and colleagues, treating everyone with respect and thoughtfully considering all feedback. Her design skills are exceptional. Working with Jess is truly a pleasure!"

— UX partner
"Jess is generous and helpful to the teams in disseminating her impressive and extensive knowledge. She works really fast and is a prolific designer, which makes everyone else's job easier. She's great to work with!"

— UX partner
"Jess is an extremely big-picture designer with a great knack for the entire spectrum: from the fine print way out to the 30,000 foot level. Her brain seems to think of it all, from every edge case, to how to scale designs, and everything in-between."

— Product partner
"Every time I work with her, I’m certain the Figma is going to be cleanly organized and easy to work in, that she will be open to new ideas, and will be extremely strategic in the way she thinks through her design systems. Any time I'm working on a project with Jess, I think to myself: 'Design is in great hands.'”

— Product partner
"Jess has consistently delivered exceptional results, particularly in areas requiring customer focus, curiosity, and problem- solving. Her ability to understand customer needs, tackle complex challenges, and communicate directly has been instrumental in driving the team forward."

— Colleague
“Jess gets the long-term vision and turns the maddeningly complex into simple interfaces in record time. Users are her #1 priority, and she goes above and beyond on every request to serve them, raising the bar every time."

— Director of Product and Experience

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Experience

Lead UX Designer @ H&R Block
Senior Interaction Designer @ 40Digits
Senior Interaction Designer @ BarkleyOKRP

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts — Commercial Art @ UCMO
Associate of Arts — Graphic Design @ MCC

Clients

Applebee’s — At Home — Ball Canning — Blue Bunny — Cargill — Chick-Fil-A — Dairy Farmers of America — Dice Holdings — Goldieblox — Jay Wolfe Automotive — Kansas City Repertory Theatre — Krispy Kreme — Lee Jeans — Miller's Ale House — Nelson Atkins Museum of Art — Noodles & Co — On the Border — Pawsitive Tails KC — Shelter Insurance — Spirit Airlines — SunnyD — University of Central Missouri — Vanity Fair Lingerie — Wingstop

Industries

Agriculture & Manufacturing — Animal Welfare — Arts & Entertainment — Automotive Banking and Credit Unions — Education — Financial — Food & Beverage — Insurance — Retail & Consumer Goods — Technology & Media — Transportation & Travel