Teresa Lopes, UXC
Teresa Lopes is a strategic and transformational UX and Product Design leader with over 20 years of experience designing human-centered, accessible, and scalable digital experiences across healthcare, government, and enterprise sectors. She began her journey in technology as a developer but quickly discovered her passion for visual design, having been able to draw before she could write. Over time, she found her niche in designing information systems, focusing on user interfaces and digital workflows. Her career has evolved to leading teams, mentoring emerging designers, and running her own creative design business on the side, allowing her to explore new ideas and maintain a hands-on connection to the craft.
Currently serving as Human Factors Engineer Senior Advisor at General Dynamics Information Technology, Teresa leads high-level government projects aimed at modernizing complex systems. She works closely with leadership to reorganize teams and processes, ensuring user-centered design is at the core of system upgrades. Her efforts focus on incorporating user feedback, establishing KPIs, and transforming legacy workflows into efficient, intuitive solutions. Among her proudest accomplishments is improving the patient check-in experience for a healthcare software company, reducing wait times by 50% and improving accuracy by 60%, demonstrating her ability to deliver tangible, measurable impact.
Teresa holds a BA in Graphic Design and Computer Applications from the University of Notre Dame and has earned professional certifications including AWS Certified AI Practitioner and Accessibility Practitioner. She is deeply committed to mentoring the next generation of UX and IT professionals and actively supports causes related to arts and culture, diversity, education, human rights, and food security. Known for her strategic vision, creativity, and dedication to improving user experiences, Teresa continues to drive meaningful change across the organizations she serves while cultivating the growth of those she mentors.
• AWS Certified AI Practitioner
• Accessibility Practitioner
• Accessibility Policy and Planning
• Certified User Experience Specialist (CUSX)
• University of Notre Dame - BA, Graphic Design, Computer Applications
• Cornell Women's Institute for Entrepreneurship
• Business Associations
• Alzheimer's Association (Annual Mother's Day Weekend Tea Fundraiser)
• Go To Nations
• Hubbard House (Jacksonville)
• Feeding Northeast Florida
What do you attribute your success to?
I've been fortunate to have incredible mentors, starting with my mother. She's a boss in her own right. I grew up seeing her empowered and successfully running the house and running businesses, so it was only natural for me to want to follow her example. Beyond her, I was blessed to have a lot of people pour into me with advise, and some even stuck their necks out for me and gave me a chance when I was just starting out. This is something that I remember when I work with others starting their career. Sometimes, all we really need is a chance. I believe that preparation, hard work and opportunity definitely lead to my success.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Always do your best. You never know who is watching.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You don't have to have it all figured out right now, and, more than likely, you're not going to have all the answers. Take every opportunity to learn about the industry, but also learn about yourself. Volunteer for areas that may feel uncomfortable. Try UX writing, work with large language models. Facilitate a workshop. Serve as an observer in a user research study. Find out what you really like doing and what you don't like doing, but also stay curious. Lastly, don't be so hard on yourself. We all have setbacks in our careers, but during these times, we can learn a lot of great lessons.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The challenge is uncertainty of the future within my field, because there have been major disruptions due to artificial intelligence (AI). Many are trying to figure out how AI will impact them. They want to know will they have a have a job next year? If so, what will their jobs look like? Will AI threaten the types of jobs that their children can have in the future? There is a lot of fear of the unknown. Organizations and leadership are trying to figure out how to best implement AI ethically, while still getting the most out of it. For some it is an exciting time, while others are more cautious. But, I also think that AI will bring new opportunities if we embrace it and start learning a little bit more about it. With anything, having more information about AI, will assist with helping the fear go down.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is most important to me in work and in my personal life. I respect old-fashioned values like saying what you mean and meaning what you say, sticking by your word, being trustworthy, reliable and honest.
Milestone Moments
I recently earned a certification as an AI Practitioner