Mara Kestrel Booking from February 2027

Work

Case studies

Longer write-ups of selected projects: the problem, the research, the design, what changed, and what I would do differently.

5 case studies

  • 01Health · 2025

    Night Ward

    A ward board for night-shift nurses that turns forty competing priorities into one calm list.

    22 → 14 min average handover time

  • 02Climate · 2024

    Tideline

    A public flood-warning service that shows how sure the forecast is, not only what it says.

    3× more residents signed up for alerts

  • 03Transport · 2023

    Northline fares

    A fare finder that leads with the cheapest valid ticket and explains the rules in plain words.

    +18% off-peak tickets bought

  • 04Open source · 2022

    Quire

    An accessible design system I maintain, where every colour pair ships with its contrast ratio.

    48 components

  • 05Agriculture · 2021

    Furrow

    An offline-first harvest log for small farms, designed for wet gloves and no signal.

    2 h → 15 min weekly paperwork per farm

Also

Smaller projects, side projects and volunteer work.

YearProjectKindNote
2026Rota for community nursesClient work, in progressScheduling home visits across a rural area.
2025A type specimen siteFor a friend’s typefaceVariable-font playground with print styles.
2024When are the bins?Side projectOne-question site for my street. 400 neighbours use it.
2023Library opening hours auditVolunteerAccessibility review of a city library’s website.
2022Charity donation flowPro bonoCut the donation form from four steps to one.
Esc
Mara Kestrel
Work
Writing
About
CV
Speaking
Uses
Now
Contact
Night Ward A ward board for night-shift nurses that turns forty competing priorities into one calm list.
Tideline A public flood-warning service that shows how sure the forecast is, not only what it says.
Northline fares A fare finder that leads with the cheapest valid ticket and explains the rules in plain words.
Quire An accessible design system I maintain, where every colour pair ships with its contrast ratio.
Furrow An offline-first harvest log for small farms, designed for wet gloves and no signal.
Designing for 3 a.m. Most interfaces are designed at 11 in the morning by rested people. Some are used at 3 at night by exhausted ones. Here is what changes.
The case for fewer alerts Alert fatigue is a design problem, not a discipline problem. Four questions I ask before any notification ships.
Write the empty state first The first screen most people see is an empty one. Designing it first makes the rest of the product clearer.
Design tokens are a contract, not a palette A token named after a colour tells you what it looks like. A token named after a role tells you what it promises. Only one of those survives a redesign.
What a flood map taught me about uncertainty People trust forecasts more when you tell them how sure you are. Showing uncertainty is a design skill, and a public duty.
Switch theme
Turn margin notes on or off
Copy e-mail address hello@marakestrel.example
Print my CV

↑ ↓ to move · Enter to open · Esc to close