Hi! I’m Trace,

I think in systems and create structure from complexity.

People lean on me to help them see the big picture and take action. As a designer, I thrive in unpacking complex problems and designing systems, working in design operations and delivering a range of design solutions, always aiming for a high bar.

I've built an uncommonly diverse skill set with a mix of side projects and client work in fintech, B2B SaaS, and startups.

I also go by Patricia. Currently, I'm designing products and building web experiences at Tiller.

Hi! I’m Trace,

I think in systems and create structure from complexity.

People lean on me to help them see the big picture and take action. As a designer, I thrive in unpacking complex problems and designing systems, working in design operations and delivering a range of design solutions, always aiming for a high bar.

I've built an uncommonly diverse skill set with a mix of side projects and client work in fintech, B2B SaaS, and startups.

I also go by Patricia. Currently, I'm designing products and building web experiences at Tiller.

SKILLS

Stuff I do well

Design operations

End to end UX & UI design for product & web

Workshops to clarify the product roadmap

Design system kits

Custom illustration systems & product visualizations

Design direction

CASES

In my work, I typically start with strategy before diving into execution and helping cross-functional teams reach project goals.

Each case study features a different side of this, from designing operationally efficient systems to carrying out multi-disciplinary campaigns.

How opportunity trees led to a contract comparison tool and an app's first 1,000+ subscribers

How opportunity trees led to a contract comparison tool and an app's first 1,000+ subscribers

How opportunity trees led to a contract comparison tool and an app's first 1,000+ subscribers

How opportunity trees led to a contract comparison tool and an app's first 1,000+ subscribers

How opportunity trees led to a contract comparison tool and an app's first 1,000+ subscribers

How opportunity trees led to a contract comparison tool and an app's first 1,000+ subscribers

How opportunity trees led to a contract comparison tool and an app's first 1,000+ subscribers

How opportunity trees led to a contract comparison tool and an app's first 1,000+ subscribers

Developed an opportunity tree framework to structure customer discovery insights, enabling a data-driven approach to defining the product roadmap for an energy management platform.

product strategy

customer discovery

ux research

From 0 to 15 clients: Driving product discovery and UX in AI for regulatory work

From 0 to 15 clients: Driving product discovery and UX in AI for regulatory work

From 0 to 15 clients: Driving product discovery and UX in AI for regulatory work

From 0 to 15 clients: Driving product discovery and UX in AI for regulatory work

From 0 to 15 clients: Driving product discovery and UX in AI for regulatory work

From 0 to 15 clients: Driving product discovery and UX in AI for regulatory work

From 0 to 15 clients: Driving product discovery and UX in AI for regulatory work

From 0 to 15 clients: Driving product discovery and UX in AI for regulatory work

Led UX research and product strategy that helped a startup acquire 15 enterprise clients in its first year designing an AI-powered research platform for regulatory filings. Defined user workflows, emerging LLM personas and use cases, optimized information architecture, and shaped the product’s early experience.

product discovery

product strategy

AI UX

LLM design

IA

jotson design system
jotson design system
jotson design system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Built a flexible design system and illustration system that streamlined UI consistency, improved development efficiency, and enabled faster iteration for an energy management app helping homeowners optimize energy use.

Design system

Design operations

Product design

jotson design system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Reducing tech and design debt with a structured energy management system

Built a flexible design system and illustration system that streamlined UI consistency, improved development efficiency, and enabled faster iteration for an energy management app helping homeowners optimize energy use.

Design system

Design operations

Product design

helcim smart terminal tap payment
helcim smart terminal tap payment
helcim smart terminal tap payment
helcim smart terminal tap payment

Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees

Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees

Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees

Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees

Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees

Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees

Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees

Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees

As the company scaled 4x in size, I established a design delivery pipeline to streamline operations and keep design work efficient and aligned. This ensured smooth collaboration across teams, preventing bottlenecks as demand grew.

leadership

strategy

design operations

Building a cross-functional fintech design system framework to improve operational efficiency

Building a cross-functional fintech design system framework to improve operational efficiency

Building a cross-functional fintech design system framework to improve operational efficiency

Building a cross-functional fintech design system framework to improve operational efficiency

Building a cross-functional fintech design system framework to improve operational efficiency

Building a cross-functional fintech design system framework to improve operational efficiency

Building a cross-functional fintech design system framework to improve operational efficiency

Established the first design system framework for a fast-growing fintech, creating a structured scaffolding that scaled across product, web, and marketing while improving brand cohesion and workflow efficiency.

design operations

design system

brand identity

Redesigning a queue management platform, driving a 30% increase in engagement

Redesigning a queue management platform, driving a 30% increase in engagement

Redesigning a queue management platform, driving a 30% increase in engagement

Redesigning a queue management platform, driving a 30% increase in engagement

Redesigning a queue management platform, driving a 30% increase in engagement

Redesigning a queue management platform, driving a 30% increase in engagement

Redesigning a queue management platform, driving a 30% increase in engagement

Refined the brand's visual language and restructured the web experience for a queue management platform, improving product storytelling, strengthening lead conversion, and increasing organic web traffic by 30%.

brand identity

web design

art direction

50% built

Helping an energy management app hit 1,000 users with a Contract Comparison Toolkit

Helping an energy management app hit 1,000 users with a Contract Comparison Toolkit

Jotson’s Contract Comparison Toolkit was designed to help users make smarter energy choices by comparing plans and identifying cost-saving opportunities. By aligning product strategy with customer insights, this feature became a key driver in surpassing Jotson’s goal of 1,000 subscribers by the end of 2024.

PRODUCT DESIGN

UX

CLIENTS

Some of the awesome teams I’ve helped

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

Trace is incredibly dedicated and often goes above and beyond to make deliverables or create the best product. She is a very strong leader and has immense skill in leading client workshops, especially in the UX and CDR space.

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

Trace is incredibly dedicated and often goes above and beyond to make deliverables or create the best product. She is a very strong leader and has immense skill in leading client workshops, especially in the UX and CDR space.

STAGES

How Design Enables Brand and Product

HELCIM DESIGN FOR TECH TALENT TUESDAY, 2023

Mobility First: DANxGoogle Mobility Workshop

GOOGLE X DENTSU, 2017

Social Media Marketing at #LODITalks

GMA PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 2017

STAGES

How Design Enables Brand and Product

HELCIM DESIGN FOR TECH TALENT TUESDAY, 2023

Mobility First: DANxGoogle Mobility Workshop

GOOGLE X DENTSU, 2017

Social Media Marketing at #LODITalks

GMA PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 2017

STAGES

How Design Enables Brand and Product

HELCIM DESIGN FOR TECH TALENT TUESDAY, 2023

Mobility First: DANxGoogle Mobility Workshop

GOOGLE X DENTSU, 2017

Social Media Marketing at #LODITalks

GMA PUBLIC AFFAIRS, 2017

Working with Trace has been a delightful experience that made me grow as a leader.

If I had to point out at one of her strongest skills, that would definitely be the ability to look at a design piece, understand that something is off, and turn that vague feeling into an objective and actionable feedback.

This ability to effectively deliver feedback has brought a lot of value to the team output and increasing their work quality.

RODOLFO FERRO CASAGRANDE

FERRO CASAGRANDE

HEAD OF DESIGN, Helcim

Working with Trace has been a delightful experience that made me grow as a leader.

If I had to point out at one of her strongest skills, that would definitely be the ability to look at a design piece, understand that something is off, and turn that vague feeling into an objective and actionable feedback.

This ability to effectively deliver feedback has brought a lot of value to the team output and increasing their work quality.

RODOLFO

FERRO CASAGRANDE

HEAD OF DESIGN, Helcim

At Jotson, Trace made a lasting impact across multiple fronts. She was instrumental in our product design efforts—collaborating closely with Michelle, our in-house designer, to deliver a clean and scalable design system that made development smooth and efficient.

Her customer discovery work—designing and administering surveys—helped us better understand our users and informed our roadmap in meaningful ways. She also has a fantastic visual sensibility and brought real polish to our product through her thoughtful approach to iconography and visual design. Her ability to balance design thinking with practical execution made her contributions incredibly valuable from both a product and engineering perspective.

SHELDON MANABAT

SENIOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, JOTSON

At Jotson, Trace made a lasting impact across multiple fronts. She was instrumental in our product design efforts—collaborating closely with Michelle, our in-house designer, to deliver a clean and scalable design system that made development smooth and efficient.

Her customer discovery work—designing and administering surveys—helped us better understand our users and informed our roadmap in meaningful ways. She also has a fantastic visual sensibility and brought real polish to our product through her thoughtful approach to iconography and visual design. Her ability to balance design thinking with practical execution made her contributions incredibly valuable from both a product and engineering perspective.

SHELDON MANABAT

SENIOR SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, JOTSON

Working alongside Trace at Helcim was an absolute pleasure—I genuinely miss our collaboration! Her ability to carve out a clear path forward in complex situations is impressive. If I had to highlight one of her many strengths, it would definitely be her talent for identifying solutions where none previously existed. Her approachability and support made challenging scenarios much smoother, and I was genuinely grateful to have her partnership.

DARREN BELGRAVE

WEBSITE PRODUCT MANAGER, HELCIM

Working alongside Trace at Helcim was an absolute pleasure—I genuinely miss our collaboration! Her ability to carve out a clear path forward in complex situations is impressive. If I had to highlight one of her many strengths, it would definitely be her talent for identifying solutions where none previously existed. Her approachability and support made challenging scenarios much smoother, and I was genuinely grateful to have her partnership.

DARREN BELGRAVE

WEBSITE PRODUCT MANAGER, HELCIM

Trace was an amazing leader who genuinely cared about the team. She advocated for us, fostered collaboration, and invested in everyone’s growth.

Her leadership created an environment where we could do our best work and support each other. I learned so much from her about what it means to lead.

GINA GONG

DESIGNER, Helcim

Trace was an amazing leader who genuinely cared about the team. She advocated for us, fostered collaboration, and invested in everyone’s growth.

Her leadership created an environment where we could do our best work and support each other. I learned so much from her about what it means to lead.

GINA GONG

DESIGNER, Helcim

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

Trace's greatest strength is her ability to handle moving pieces within the project.

With my short collaboration with her in one of the projects in the past, there was some inconsistency with what we usually do versus what she has done. She effectively adapted to what we're doing and understood where the devs are coming from!

It was greatly appreciated. I found that not only is she a big advocate for the design team but also for devs in terms of improvement and just making sure things are delivered on time and the handoff is complete.

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

Trace's greatest strength is her ability to handle moving pieces within the project.

With my short collaboration with her in one of the projects in the past, there was some inconsistency with what we usually do versus what she has done. She effectively adapted to what we're doing and understood where the devs are coming from!

It was greatly appreciated. I found that not only is she a big advocate for the design team but also for devs in terms of improvement and just making sure things are delivered on time and the handoff is complete.

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

I appreciate Trace's organized and analytical mind. She communicates clearly and helps add extra clarity to processes that might otherwise be muddy and unorganized.

Trace is also one of the best people I know who can take a problem and get it "unstuck" (e.g., I think that she singlehandedly saved a client case study video. It would have been a trainwreck without her expertise).

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

I appreciate Trace's organized and analytical mind. She communicates clearly and helps add extra clarity to processes that might otherwise be muddy and unorganized.

Trace is also one of the best people I know who can take a problem and get it "unstuck" (e.g., I think that she singlehandedly saved a client case study video. It would have been a trainwreck without her expertise).

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

Trace is a great communicator, and very thoughtful. Trace thinks beyond her role and considers not only the other designers but the dev team as well.

During planning sessions or similar situations, she's always considering how certain design ideas or decisions will affect the work of others and provides suggestions or other ideas.

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

Trace is a great communicator, and very thoughtful. Trace thinks beyond her role and considers not only the other designers but the dev team as well.

During planning sessions or similar situations, she's always considering how certain design ideas or decisions will affect the work of others and provides suggestions or other ideas.

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

I feel Trace's greatest strengths are her design rationale and ability to speak and present eloquently.

I also appreciate her ability to see details and art direct to a high degree of refinement. She has strong rationale for all design decisions and her experience and thoughtfulness are evident.

This has often allowed her to influence client behaviour and decisions and sell work through to clients. It has also allowed her to elevate the work of others that she has collaborated with.

WHAT MY COLLEAGUES SAY

I feel Trace's greatest strengths are her design rationale and ability to speak and present eloquently.

I also appreciate her ability to see details and art direct to a high degree of refinement. She has strong rationale for all design decisions and her experience and thoughtfulness are evident.

This has often allowed her to influence client behaviour and decisions and sell work through to clients. It has also allowed her to elevate the work of others that she has collaborated with.

For clarity and consistency, Trace is used in place of Patricia in the testimonials. Both refer to me. :)

This website is designed and built from scratch by Trace Orozco. All rights reserved.
© Copyright 2025 Trace Orozco

trace orozco

For clarity and consistency, Trace is used in place of Patricia in the testimonials. Both refer to me. :)

This website is designed and built from scratch by Trace Orozco. All rights reserved.
© Copyright 2025 Trace Orozco

trace orozco

For clarity and consistency, Trace is used in place of Patricia in the testimonials. Both refer to me. :)

This website is designed and built from scratch by Trace Orozco. All rights reserved.
© Copyright 2025 Trace Orozco

trace orozco

For clarity and consistency, Trace is used in place of Patricia in the testimonials. Both refer to me. :)

This website is designed and built from scratch by Trace Orozco. All rights reserved.
© Copyright 2025 Trace Orozco

trace

orozco