YRT Self-Serve Portal
A knowledge base and ticketing system designed to let riders resolve general inquiries on their own, freeing up the call centre for true emergencies.
8 years designing and managing digital transit products — as the lead designer and the daily rider.
I thrive in the chaos of operational environments, pushing for pragmatic, user-friendly systems that make transit reliable for everyday passengers. Also, I just don’t like driving.
Projects spanning UI/UX design, strategic planning, full-cycle delivery, crisis communication and AI-assisted rapid prototyping.
A knowledge base and ticketing system designed to let riders resolve general inquiries on their own, freeing up the call centre for true emergencies.
Digital transformation of YRT.ca to be a fully accessible, mobile-first website built around real-time trip planning and service advisories from RFP evaluation through launch.
Modernized real-time digital screens at terminals and on buses within legacy hardware limits to make arrivals legible, accessible and reassuring for time-crunched commuters.
An award-winning, system-wide crisis campaign on mandatory health and safety measures in response to the pandemic. Designed in two days, and on the street in under a week.
A 3D narrative puzzle game that used generative AI to create concept pitch trailers and a working prototype within 12 weeks.
Graduate work and detour projects where creative freedom let me test new tools, push my technical limits and just have fun.
Snippets of nice things people say about working with me.
She doesn’t just design for users—she puts herself in their shoes, even taking the bus to see things from the customer’s perspective. That kind of dedication is rare, and it really shows in the quality of her work.
I had the pleasure of working with Viola for 7 years on a variety of projects, like the YRT Trip Planner/Schedule Finder, refreshing the YRT website multiple times, and the PRESTO e-Ticket app. She was also deeply involved in supporting transit on-street applications and led the entire RFP process for web consultants for YRT, from contracts to evaluations.
What makes Viola truly stand out is her focus on the user experience. She doesn’t just design for users—she puts herself in their shoes, even taking the bus to see things from the customer’s perspective. That kind of dedication is rare, and it really shows in the quality of her work.
Viola is also fantastic at managing and coordinating teams. Whether it was working with external vendors or pulling together people from different disciplines, she kept everything running smoothly. On top of that, she’s great at solving problems and handling projects independently, which made her such a reliable teammate.
I feel lucky to have worked with someone as talented, thoughtful, and dedicated as Viola. She’s not just amazing at what she does—she’s also a great person to work with. Any team would be lucky to have her.
Viola excels at coordinating projects with cross-disciplinary teams, demonstrating exceptional leadership and organizational skills.
I had the pleasure of working with Viola for many years and was consistently impressed by her ability to thrive in a fast-paced team environment while inspiring those around her. She takes initiative and self-manages with remarkable efficiency.
In addition to being a website guru, Viola is a highly talented designer whose work is both creative and inspiring.
When presented with a challenge, new task, or opportunity, Viola would tackle it head-on, devising effective solutions and offering innovative ideas.
Viola excels at coordinating projects with cross-disciplinary teams, demonstrating exceptional leadership and organizational skills. Her proactive approach and ability to navigate complex challenges make her an invaluable asset to any team.
I highly recommend Viola for any role that requires creativity, strong initiative, self-management and cross-functional team coordination. She is truly an outstanding team member and wonderful to work with.
Her ability to manage timelines, collaborate with teams, and keep projects on track — all with a positive and professional attitude.
Viola is an exceptionally talented designer and Web Project Coordinator. Her expertise in UI/UX is outstanding, consistently going above and beyond to deliver creative and effective solutions. She is proactive in providing options, solving challenges, and always looking for ways to improve processes and enhance efficiency.
Having worked closely with her on several web development projects, she is a good team player and her ability to manage timelines, collaborate with teams, and keep projects on track—all with a positive and professional attitude. I highly recommend Viola to any organization looking for a skilled and dedicated professional.
I like to read between the lines, of challenges and of people, because not everything is what it seems.
With challenges, that means looking past the obvious fix and breaking it down until I get to the actual problem. I’m often the one who comes at it from a different angle, which is probably why I love strategy and simulation games: nothing trains you to make the most of limited resources and pivot under pressure quite like they do.
With people, I try not to take things at face value, especially when I’m designing for them. I’d rather understand what they need than what they first ask for, and make sure my work changes something for the better for them. That’s the impact I want to make with my design.
At my core, I’m a nostalgic creative who tends to romanticize everything, which is why I wrote and illustrated a children’s book and a farewell short story dedicated to the good old days.
Creative projects I dabble with outside of the 9-to-5.
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© 2026 Viola Hernandez
Human-designed in Figma. AI-engineered with Claude.