jenny cerullo

  • LoveBug

    2026
    Project: Cross collaboration design sprint.
    Timeline: 4 days
    My Role: Research synthesis, ux/ui design
    Team: Ubong Udoekwere (Data science), Maritz Buchholz and Kathy Yeung (Software Engineering), and Eric Opoku (Product Design)
    Tools: Figma, Figma Make

    LoveBug is a personality-first dating site that doesn’t just find your match, it shows you why they’re right for you, and gives you everything you need to make it real.

    The Problem

    Task given: How might we help distributed teams turn AI-generated outputs into trustworthy actionable decisions without losing human oversight?

    Chosen database: “Cupid’s Algorithm”, a dataset of 100,000 profile pairs, enriched with personality traits, lifestyle, and communication styles to predict compatibility.

    Insight statement: Dating apps prioritize addiction over connection, leaving users confused about why their matches matter.

    Findings

    When it comes to online dating, primary and secondary research led us to the following three themes:

    Low Trust in Match Quality

    Matches feel superficial, photo-driven, and algorithmically opaque

    Swipe Fatigue & Burnout

    Endless swiping is draining, leading to breaks and disengagement

    Friction vs. Depth in Onboarding

    Short onboarding feels shallow, long onboarding feels tedious

    Proto-Persona

    Based on our primary and secondary research, we created a proto-persona to help guide us through the problem space.

    Goals

    • Find a meaningful, long-term relationship
    • Understand himself better, and gain an idea of who he is compatible with

    Pain Points

    • Matches feel superficial and appearance-driven
    • Low trust in dating algorithms

    Behaviours

    • Selective swiper who uses apps in short, focused sessions
    • More likely to message when clear common ground is visible
    • Takes breaks due to frustration and burnout

    “I don’t just want more matches. I want to understand why someone is actually right for me.”

    KPI’s

    • Match explanations are clear and easy to understand
    • Ice breakers feel natural and reduce first contact pressure
    • Onboarding feels relevant and frustration-free
    • Date ideas feel personal, not generic
    • Users feel safe sending and receiving messages

    Leveraging AI

    I used Lovable AI to help me visualize the layout of this site. I fed the AI a mood board of UI inspiration, my chosen colour scheme and the following prompt.

    After this, I went back and forth with the AI to make it more to my liking. In about 30 minutes, I created the following site:

    Click to try it out!

    Final Outcome

    Onboarding

    Just 14 questions, 2 minutes, and Lovebug has everything it needs to find a match that actually fits:

    Output

    The system outputs compatible matches:

    Key Features

    Here are our stand out features that people like Jordan LOVE.

    Users receive info on themselves and the character traits they would be compatible with, so they can apply this knowledge in every-day life.

    Personality-driven recommended matches show predicted relationship longevity, calculated by Lovebug’s data driven system.

    Matches are accompanied by a short blurb on WHY they are compatible.

    No addictive swiping features encourage mindful deliberation.

    Lovebug turn users onboarding answers into personalized and tailored date ideas, so you and your date are at your best.

    Mitigating Risk

    Dating can be scary, here’s how Lovebug makes things a little more comfortable.

    • Ice breakers keep first contact light and low-pressure, so both sides feel comfortable from the start.
    • Exact location stays private, with only general proximity shared for a safer experience.
    • No photos, no profiles, just conversation and connection.

    The Data Side of Things

    We trained a machine learning model on 100,000 simulated relationship pairs to learn what actually makes two people compatible. Not what they think they want, but what the data shows works.

    Trait Alignment: You vs Compatible Partner Average

    • Scores you against 30,000+ unseen profile traits
    • Shows how your personality aligns with your ideal partner trait
    • Ranks the traits that matter most for you specifically
    • Tells you your compatibility likelihood by career field, love language, and location
    • Shows how long compatible pairs tend to last

    BeFriend. (2025, December 29). The great deceleration: Why dating apps are losing trust and what comes next. BeFriend. https://befriend.cc/2025/12/29/great-deceleration-dating-apps-losing-trust/

  • Current

    2026
    Project: E-commerce website design based on a set of brand adjectives.
    Timeline: 4 weeks
    My Role: Research synthesis, flow redesign, wireframes, and prototyping
    Tools: Figma, Figma Make, ChatGPT

    Designing an e-commerce website based on three adjectives provided by a client.

    ‘Futuristic’, ‘Sleek’, ‘High-tech‘

    Project Overview

    The goal of this project was to develop a fully realized e-commerce website guided by three core brand adjectives: futuristic, sleek, and high-tech.

    Beyond the visual interface, the primary focus was the construction of a robust, scalable user interface library that serves as the “single source of truth” for the entire digital product.

    Development

    Persona

    Using insights from my secondary research, I developed a detailed persona and empathy map that represents the target audience.

    Designing for Each Adjective

    Moodboarding

    By developing individual mood boards, I was able to turn each adjective into a unique visual, ensuring a clear distinction between each brand pillar.

    I designed three screens for each adjective based on my mood boards.

    Futuristic

    Sleek

    High-tech

    Chosen Design Direction

    Version 3: High-tech

    After exploring different visual directions, I moved forward with the ‘High-tech’ concept because it served as the most effective bridge between brand identity and user expectations.

    It captured the three core brand pillars, futuristic, sleek, and high-tech without sacrificing clarity.

    By leaning into established e-commerce patterns (standard navigation, clear grid structures), I ensured that the ‘futuristic’ aesthetic enhanced the experience instead of complicating the checkout flow.

    This direction allowed for visual innovation while maintaining a low cognitive load for the shopper.

    Typography & Colours

    The typographic system is built around a sans-serif font, chosen for its minimalistic look and readability in various weights. By standardizing this typeface across the UI library, I ensured a cohesive user experience throughout the application.

    Atomic Design System

    To further maintain the UI consistency, I broke down the interface into its smallest components.

    Final Outcomes

    The final iteration brings together my top three concepts. This allowed me to balance bold visuals with functional clarity, resulting in a harmonious user experience that didn’t sacrifice style for usability, and matched the provided brand adjectives.

    Click Here for Interactive Prototype

    Checkout Flow

    How I Leveraged AI

    I was inspired by Apple’s headphone spec page and used it as a blueprint. By using Figma’s AI tools to generate the layout and similar icons, I significantly accelerated my workflow. It handled the structural scaffolding, leaving me with the task of tailoring the text to fit my project.

    I couldn’t find a cohesive catalog of headphone shots that fit my vision, so I used ChatGPT to generate custom imagery. This gave me exactly the look I wanted while keeping the visual style consistent across the board.

    Learnings

    Designing around three specific adjectives pushed me to make more intentional visual choices. I learned how to translate abstract brand descriptors into tangible UI elements, ensuring that every colour hex code and typographic weight directly reinforced the intended ‘vibe’ of the e-commerce experience.

    Next Steps

    For this website, my focus was on the checkout flow and the landing page. To further the development, I hope to dive into various other flows such as the item filters, and the bundle spotlight sections. Additionally, on my quest to improve my full-stack AI workflow, I hope to vibe code the current flow using the Builder.io plugin and importing it into Lovable.

  • Awesome Box

    December 2025 – Current
    Project: Public installation interactive box for Nuit Blanche
    My Role: UX/UI researcher, industrial designer and fabricator
    Team: Rich Loen (founding artist), Zeph Van Iterson (software engineer)
    Tools: Figma, Fusion 360
    AI Tools: Vizcom (rapid rendering), Lovable (vibe coding interaction flows)

    ‘Awesome Box’ fosters positive connections between strangers. When pressed, it plays a fun message or allows the user to record a nice message for the next passerby.

    Brief & Constraints

    I designed the interface and the physical box. Being the sole designer, I had free range for this project, as long as my work aligned with the brief and constraints provided to me.

    Brief

    Create a public-facing installation that compels pedestrians to interact with it. The user should be able to hear a nice message from a stranger and record a nice message for the next passerby. The box should be intuitive to use with as few instructions as possible.

    • Keep the interface as simple as possible. It should be clear to the average person with little to no words.
    • It should have the ability to work with multiple languages. This box can be used anywhere in the world.
    • This box should be tamper-proof, and able to work outside for long periods of time.

    • This box should be approachable. Pedestrians should want to interact with it.
    • There should be visible indications of system status at every point in the flow.
    • The user should have as much choice over the flow progression as possible.

    Interaction Design

    I started off using Figma to design the interaction the user would experience when engaging with the box. I wasn’t sure how many buttons I wanted or how to make the flow intuitive for the average user, so Figma was helpful in mocking up the various options.

    Prototyping in Figma

    I conducted over 10 user tests, using my coworkers as participants, and refined the flow based on feedback and pain points found.

    Vibe Coding a Prototype

    Eventually, I decided on the interaction shown below. Along with my Figma prototypes, I used Lovable to vibe code the interaction for user testing. Since I will likely only make minor changes from this point on, these changes can now be made instantly using AI.

    Made with Lovable AI

    The button is clicked once to hear a message and twice to record one. The light, paired with sound effects, provides the user with visual signifiers on what stage of the process they are at. There is a button to switch languages.

    Before handing my design off to our software engineer, I drew a flow diagram with the different states the box has. This helped me effectively communicate my design into something more software-friendly.

    Physical Design

    I sketched hundreds of shapes to ensure our final choice was our favourite. There were many design constraints I considered while sketching, such as IP and NEMA ratings, interior component sizes and costs, as well as physical manufacturing constraints and ADA/ACA compliance.

    Experimenting with Buttons

    I wanted a “larger-than life” button that would make people want to press it. Trying various 3D printed options, I learned the printed layer lines got in the way of tight outdoor-rated tolerances. I decided to use IP67 buttons rated for the outdoors and millions of presses. These buttons were significantly smaller, and provided me with new design constraints.

    Leveraging AI

    I used Vizcom AI to rapidly ideate and turn my favourite sketches into realistic renders using the materials of my choosing. Bypassing intricate 3D modeling saved hours of work, letting my boss quickly visualize and approve my proposed forms.

    I landed on a yellow and white box that subtly hints at my workplace’s banana logo. The yellow back piece can be bent from mild steel and powder-coated, protecting the inner white 3D print. It appears that this piece is hugging the box, giving it a comforting look that will draw pedestrians in. The action and language buttons form a face, with the microphone hole being shaped as a smile.

    First Prototype

    I 3D modelled my first prototype and zoomed in on features of the box, perfecting them piece-by-piece. Through my first prototype, I learned that my mounting system along with stiff cable conduits makes for a highly tamper-proof, but not easily repairable box. For my next prototype, I will find a middle ground of repairability and tamper-resistance.

    To be continued…

    Next steps: further testing the interface, exploring anti-vandal infrastructure, 3d modelling, and in-house manufacturing!

  • Lululemon Design Sprint

    Winning Design Sprint

    2025 BrainStation x Lululemon
    Project: Lululemon mobile app redesign
    Timeline: 4 days
    Team: Meghan Majeski, Dipani Neb, and Eric Opoku (plus industry partner check-ins)
    My Role: Research synthesis, flow redesign, wireframes, and prototyping

    Redesigning the Lululemon app to turn initial preferences into a tailored, revenue-focused shopping experience.

    The Problem

    Opportunity gap noticed: Guest users and logged-in active users saw nearly the same ‘For You’ page.

    Why it matters: When everything looks “personal” but isn’t, members don’t feel recognized. This generic experience wastes valuable user data and misses easy opportunities to drive higher sales and premium upgrades.

    FigJam link

    Goal 1:

    Maximize purchase intent by implementing an onboarding flow that drives users toward relevant products faster.

    Goal 2:

    Increase average order value by integrating “pairs-well-with” recommendations based on the user’s existing wardrobe.

    Goal 3:

    Strengthen customer lifetime value by weaving tailored perks and benefits directly into their “For You” feed.

    Heuristic Evaluation

    New Users / Signed Out Users:
    Returning/Existing Members:
    No visible difference in “For You” tab for New Users/Signed Out Users (top) and Returning/Existing Members (bottom)

    Principle 4: Flexibility & Efficiency

    Personalization can be provided by tailoring content and functionality for individual users.

    Proto-Persona

    We developed a strategic proto-persona through AI-assisted market research.

    Sketches

    Below are my early concept sketches exploring ‘For You’ features, focused on clearly separating the guest experience from personalized member recommendations before moving into wireframes.

    Wireframes

    Below are frames from our low-fidelity wireframes that map the end-to-end ‘For You’ journey, defining layout, and hierarchy.

    The New Onboarding

    We implemented a short onboarding flow to capture first-party user preferences, enabling us to deliver a dynamically tailored ‘For You’ experience that drives member engagement and purchases.

    The New ‘For You’

    The ‘For You’ redesign transforms the app into a personalized shopping engine. By integrating member benefits into product suggestions, we drive repeat sales and brand loyalty. We also use ‘closet’ data to suggest new items that complement what Kaitlyn already owns, creating a ‘pairs-well-with’ strategy designed to increase purchases.

    Every Day is Different

    Users can jump into a recommended session or select a routine tailored to their current mood. Powered by AI, this feature intelligently maps user preferences to the perfect workout.

    Recommended Items

    Users can discover new arrivals and gear curated specifically for their workout. By analyzing the user’s existing closet and past style preferences, AI suggests the perfect additions to their rotation.

    Below is the final clickable prototype showcasing the redesigned ‘For You’ flow. The redesign makes it easier for users to find items that cater to their taste, and encourages them to make use of their membership benefits. Thus, our results successfully elevated the user’s movement journey and allowed us to win the design sprint.

    Clickable Prototype

    Learnings:

    • Capturing the right user intent early is the most effective way to reduce friction.
    • Users engage with benefits when they feel like the app actually knows their fitness journey.
    • Combining closet data with new recommendations creates a natural path to a higher AOV.

    Next Steps:

    • Use post-purchase behavior to further refine the onboarding questionnaire flow.
    • Integrate a “Trade-In” value estimator to drive sustainability and repeat sales.
    • Conduct live A/B testing to measure the exact revenue raise of the new “pairs-well-with” feature.

  • Sorted

    2025
    Project: An App that Acts as a Second Brain
    Timeline: 6 week class project, greyscale wireframes
    Role: UX Researcher and Product Designer

    Sorted is a one-stop searchable place for your physical and digital world.

    Acting as a visual second brain, this app ensures you never lose a misplaced essential, buy a duplicate, or struggle to find a saved memory or document when you need it.

    The Problem Space

    Many people struggle to keep track of their physical belongings and digital items, which leads to misplaces essentials, forgotten memories, and unnecessary duplicate purchases. How might we create a way for users to easily externalize their memory, organize items, and rediscover items?

    Hypothesis

    By providing a visual second brain to capture and tag belongings, we can reduce the cognitive load and stress for users who struggle to track their items. Success will be measured by user reliance on the app during critical transition periods, such as relocating or inventorying meaningful keepsakes.

    Goal 1:

    Maximize user productivity by streamlining the filtering and search features to reduce the time taken for the user to find the item.

    Goal 2:

    Reduce unnecessary consumer spending by implementing an inventory verification system that prevents duplicate purchases.

    Goal 3:

    Implement a fast “Add-Item” flow that allows users to inventory new items within 15 seconds of app-open.

    Interview Insights

    I interviewed three participants regarding their routines and pain points, specifically looking to learn about their use of apps to stay organized. All participants were within the ages of 20-50 years old and all had unique living situations.

    Interview Structure & Sample Questions:

    1. Understanding Daily Habits
      • “Can you tell me a little bit about your day-to-day and your living situation?”
    2. Establishing a Need
      • “How often do you find yourself unable to find an item? How often do you end up purchasing a duplicate of said item?”

    Contextual Inquiry & Sample Questions:

    1. Evaluating Comfort with Technology
      • “Would you feel comfortable using an app to catalog your items?”
    2. Current Process Walkthrough
      • “What are ways you currently keep track of items? How effective are these ways?”

    Findings:

    After interviewing 3 participants we learned…

    Proto-Persona

    Based on my interview findings, I created a proto-persona.

    Exploratory Sketches

    Early solution sketches were used to rapidly explore ways to make each screen as intuitive as possible, allowing me to focus on core functionality rather than visuals.  

    User Testing

    Five users were recruited for one round of user testing of my low-fidelity mockup, and helped me identify pain points I had not considered.

    Design Prioritization Matrix

    A design prioritization matrix was created to help me prioritize important changes recommended by the users.

    Revised Mobile Prototype

    The revised prototype reflects user feedback, purposeful iteration, and a more refined interaction that supports quick item capture, clear organization, and seamless navigation between different item types.

    Figma Link

    Clickable Prototype Link

    I learned the importance of designing for real user needs rather than going off of assumptions. I also learned that creating consistent components can help make the prototyping process faster and add to a more cohesive look.

    Clickable Prototype Link

    Learnings:

    • I discovered that while streamlining filtering options helps the organization, users need a balance of rigid structure and “free-form” capture to make the app feel like their-own.
    • Improving and reducing the mental effort required to retrieve information weeks later greatly improves user-satisfaction.

    Next Steps:

    • Enhance the filtering system to automatically categorize incoming “brain dumps” based on historical user behaviour, reducing manual sorting time.
    • Conduct additional rounds of usability testing focused on “retrieval success,” that measuring how quickly a user can find a specific item.
    Sources

    Verified Market Reports. “Home Inventory Apps Market Size, Market Insights, Growth & Forecast 2033.” Verified Market Reports, Nov. 2025. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

    “Study Results: The Effect of Digital Photo Organizing on American Families.” EverPresent, n.d. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

    “10 Ways to Use the Power of Photos for Dementia Care.” Alzheimer’s Texas, n.d. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

    Lichter-Marck, Rose. “Point-and-Shoot Memory: How Does Photographing Things Affect Our Brains?” VICE, 7 Jan. 2014. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.

  • Sketches

    2024

    Excerpts from my industrial design sketchbook.

  • Grid Table

    2025
    Project: Personal project
    Materials: Fusion 360

  • Human Table

    2025
    Project: Concept by Rich Loen
    My Role: Design developed by me, fabrication by Cut my Parts
    Materials and Processes: Fusion 360, Keyshot, Powder coated mild steel

    Make a statement in your living room.

    The Human Table is designed to spice up any room, and known to be a great conversation starter. Yes, certain items are removable.

    The concept of these tables was realized by my boss. I was responsible for designing the tables in Fusion360, and exported them as a DXF file for a local manufacturing company to cutout.

    The tables can be customized to what you are comfortable with and come in a variety of colours.

    They also can conveniently act as cup holders.

  • Coin Lilly

    2023
    Project: Personal Project
    Materials and Processes: SolidWorks, Keyshot, 3D printing

    Problem

    Loose change from tips and daily transactions often ends up scattered in drawers or pockets, never to see the light of day again. This makes it difficult to track savings and creates a time-consuming hurdle when trying to use coins for laundry or preparing bank deposits.

    Solution

    A sculptural coin organizer that transforms loose change into a visual display. By integrating precise heights, each stack matches the exact capacity of a standard bank roll.

  • Databells

    Featured on CBC, Citizen, and Apt613.

    2024 – 2025
    Project: Databells is a walk-through musical experience built at Loen.Design, displayed at the Salon des Bananes gallery, and soon to be displayed around different cities.
    My Role: Led the design and fabrication of custom mounts and mechanisms engineered to support and ring over 100 bells.
    Team: Rich Loen (founding artist), Megan Grossman (project manager), Brooke Cameron (shop manager), Zeph Van Iterson (software engineer), Trevor Jones (videographer)
    Materials and Processes: Fusion 360, SolidWorks, Keyshot, 3d printing, plasma cutting, CNC machining, hydraulic press, welding, soldering, electronics

    A statistical symphony.

    See the official Databells.ca website for more.

    (Volume up for the full experience)

    The Problem

    People struggle to understand statistics when they are buried in tables or raw numbers, making it hard to grasp what the figures mean.

    The Goal

    Transform complex statistical data into a visually engaging format that make the numbers easy to grasp. Each bell rings every time a specific event occurs.

    The Tables

    Since we plan on moving this exhibit from city to city, everything has to be modular. The tables fit together in various shapes, allowing the exhibit to shape to the room its in, accommodate users of different heights, and include removable platforms for replacing bells that may need fixing. All of the legs are removable.

    One table per sheet of plywood for easy CNC manufacturing

    Wavy shape allows for tables to conform to the shape of the given room

    Each bell sits on an interchangeable platform

    Painted black to enhance the bells

    The Bells

    I designed mount systems to hang all 100+ bells, ensuring the holders were easy to manufacture in large amounts, replaceable, and secure.

    To standardize fabrication, I grouped the bells into three main sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. Each size group shared a common holder design tailored to its scale.

    All of the bells use one of the following mechanisms:

    Small Bells

    I designed a repeatable system that was able to mount and ring 75% of the bells. When ringing 100 bells of different sizes, repeatability, replaceability and modularity are key. Small 5V solenoids are used to strike these bells, ensuring the circuit is not overcharged. These solenoids have a small range of motion, so the bells have to be secured in place with zero movement.

    Small Bells Process Video:

    Medium Bells

    23% of the bells fit into this category. The medium bells are significantly heavier and larger, so I designed sheet metal mounts for them. These holders are 3/16″ mild steel, cut out on a plasma cutter and twice bent 90° on a hydraulic press. These bells are rung using a drum pedal mechanism, modified for control by a 12V solenoid.

    Large Bells

    2% of the bells fit into this category. These bells are rung using a spinning motor connected to the bell striker on a bearing via a bicycle chain.

    Other Bells

    Some bells required more individualized ringing mechanisms.

    These are all of the individualized CAD models I designed for the bells:

    Opening Night

    I designed launch-night merchandise and created large-scale illustrations for the venue’s projector screens, shaping the visual identity of the debut event.