Rachel Barnes Lead Experience Designer

OVER 25 YEARS OF UX, UI AND PRODUCT DESIGN EXPERIENCE

ABOUT

Passionate about intuitive, AI and customer focussed design by delivering smart, cost-effective solutions.

Extensive experience designing for both high-growth startups and complex enterprise environments, leading teams and advising as a specialist consultant.

Led the Waitrose App relaunch, delivered to 12 Million + users

Design leadership & scale

Executed 200+ A/B tests at Three, driving data-led optimisation

Evidence-based experimentation

Redesigned Bupa’s claims portal, improving customer engagement

User-centred problem solving

Founding member of BBC News Online platform

Foundational digital thinking

EDUCATION

Master's Degree in Design, N/Ng Certified, Lectured at the Open University on Design.

CASE STUDY - OPTIMISING THE SIM CONVERSATION EXPERIENCE

6.0%

increase in add to basket

5.6%

increase in conversion

Examines the iterations of the SIM Calculator, exploring how its design has evolved over time and how testing has driven measurable improvements.

CASE STUDY - DESIGN SYSTEM & APP

12 million

Users

Design System

Led the creation of a Design System for Waitrose, driving consistency across digital products, creating an in-house design team, and successfully launched an App.

CASE STUDY - BUPA'S GLOBAL MEDICAL PORTAL

1.5 Million

Users

45%

Improved uptake

Revamped a tired interface to create a globally accessible application that caters to the needs of both end users and medical professionals.

OTHER EXPERIENCE

Specialising in iterative design, data-driven decision-making, and continuous optimisation.

Specialise in optimising customer experiences through A/B testing, personalisation, and conversion rate optimisation (CRO). I help organisations by turning insights from experimentation into actionable design improvements.

Rachel is highly conscientious and driven to produce work of a high standard and then delivers, she has excellent instincts and a capacity to deal with any situation. Her rich background means she brings a variety of experience to the role, and is able to call on her knowledge of those industries and add them to her work.

Bob Silver
Director JustEat
(Formally Waitrose)

Rachel's attention to detail and ability to articulate complex ideas with clear and precise annotated customer journeys and wireframes were simply world class.
Everyday Rachel would come to the office with a positive outlook ready to solve the days issues even when the project inevitably got more challenging.

Chris Frost
Head of Digital
Met Office
(Formally Bupa)

Rachel’s consideration and execution when detailing complex user flows and wire-framing was equally impressive. Detailed annotations on IA and interaction made it simple for both the client and engineering teams to understand the solution, transforming what could have been a difficult project into something that felt very smooth.

Matt Myers
Head of Design
The Times
(Formally HeathWallace)