Influential Women Recognizes Alaina Hornibrook As A Product Designer And User Experience Consultant

QUEEN CREEK, AZ, UNITED STATES, August 26, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Transforming Complex Enterprise Systems Into Intuitive Digital Experiences Through Design, Resilience, and a Commitment to Work-Life Balance

Queen Creek, Arizona — Alaina Hornibrook is a Product Designer and User Experience Consultant specializing in complex enterprise platforms and large-scale digital systems. Throughout her career, she has partnered with cross-functional teams to transform ambiguity into structured, intuitive, and scalable experiences across industries including logistics, fintech, healthcare, retail, and internal enterprise operations.

Her work spans enterprise platforms serving hundreds of thousands of global users and supporting millions of transactions annually, with a consistent focus on clarity, usability, and systems that can scale. Through her experience across sports, technology, and digital consulting, Alaina has developed a career centered on solving complex problems and creating experiences that work for the people who rely on them.

Alaina began her professional journey in graphic design within the sports industry, spending four years working for college athletics, an MLS team, and USA Track & Field. Her early career allowed her to build a foundation in creative work while working within fast-moving environments connected to sports and live events.

When the pandemic halted live events and resulted in a layoff, Alaina faced an unexpected transition. Rather than allowing the setback to define her career, she used the experience as an opportunity to explore a new direction. She enrolled in a six-month UX design bootcamp, an experience that reshaped her career path and opened the door to product design.

Following the bootcamp, Alaina joined Zebra Technologies, where she designed custom Android-based applications leveraging barcode scanning and RFID technology. Her work supported logistics tracking, grocery store mapping, patient care systems, and other enterprise tools that operate behind the scenes of everyday life.

The experience gave her an opportunity to work on complex systems with practical applications across multiple environments. It also strengthened her ability to think about how technology, people, and processes come together to create usable experiences.

Today, Alaina works at Perficient, a digital consulting agency where she leads design efforts across website redesigns and internal enterprise applications spanning web and mobile platforms. Her client work includes financial services, healthcare, retail, and B2B organizations, with engagements ranging from fast-paced eight-week projects to long-term initiatives lasting more than a year.

One of her favorite projects was the redesign of the Jockey website as part of a major anniversary rebrand designed to reach a younger audience. Alaina contributed throughout the process, from early discovery and competitive analysis through stakeholder workshops, UX strategy, and the development of a full design system.

Alongside her work at Perficient, Alaina is launching Right Align Studio, her freelance web design business. The venture is focused on helping small businesses access thoughtful, high-quality design solutions without enterprise-level budgets, supporting their growth through clear and effective digital experiences.

Building a Career Through Resilience
Alaina attributes much of her success to one simple principle: keep going.

Her career has included more unexpected transitions than she anticipated. COVID and subsequent tech layoffs left her without a job more times than she ever thought would happen. Yet each transition reinforced her belief that better things can be ahead when a person finds themselves in a difficult situation.

She believes people can always find something positive, even when they have to transition or take an unexpected path. Her current position at Perficient is the result of the experience she has accumulated and the network she has built, but she recognizes that neither would have happened if she had not been willing to get uncomfortable at times and continue working toward finding the next best and right opportunity.

For Alaina, perseverance has meant continuing to move forward even when circumstances were outside her control. Her layoffs were not a reflection of her ability to do her job, but rather the result of circumstances within the broader industry, including the pandemic and the technology layoffs she experienced.

Now, feeling comfortable and secure in her role at Perficient has given Alaina an appreciation for the path that brought her there.

Learning That Success and Balance Can Coexist
Work-life balance is another principle that has remained central to Alaina’s professional philosophy. She learned its importance early in her career from her first full-time boss, Jeff Keiser.

Jeff taught Alaina how to produce high-quality work while still prioritizing personal well-being. He wanted his team to deliver high-level work while maintaining balance, and he demonstrated that philosophy through his own actions.

That example had a lasting influence on Alaina. She continues to make time for breaks when she needs them and prioritizes working out and taking care of herself physically and mentally.

The lesson has remained one of the most important pieces of career advice she has received. Alaina still maintains a strong relationship with Jeff and continues to value the example he set early in her career.

She has also received significant support from her husband, Brian Ward, throughout the last eight-plus years. Both have experienced challenges in their careers, and Alaina considers having someone as solid and supportive as Brian throughout those experiences incredibly meaningful.

Her family has also played an important role in supporting her career and creative pursuits. Her parents, Claudia and Jamie, both work in healthcare, while Alaina and her sister, Kenna, are more involved in creative fields. Her family has consistently supported her goals, doing what they can to help even when they may not have been able to directly assist with the specifics of her work.

One of her favorite examples of that support comes from her mother. During finals, her mother would tell her, “I can’t help you study because I don’t know what you’re doing, but I can make brownies.” During Alaina’s first semester in college, her mother sent her a package with homemade brownies.

Having a sister in a creative field has also given Alaina someone with whom she can exchange ideas and perspectives.

At Perficient, Alaina has similarly found a collaborative professional environment. Because the agency is consultant-based, projects involve different teams and designers, giving her opportunities to work with many people across different engagements. She has also worked under several different leaders through organizational changes and reorgs, and she describes the people she has worked with as incredible people and designers.

Supporting Women in Male-Dominated Industries
Having worked in both sports and technology, Alaina has experienced environments that are often male-dominated. Her transition to agency work has brought a different experience, with more women represented within her current environment.

Supporting women in male-dominated fields is something Alaina is passionate about. She believes women do not always receive as much of a say in a room, even when they have valuable perspectives to contribute.

For Alaina, networking with like-minded women is one of the most important ways to create support and opportunity. She believes that as her network grows, her personal brand can grow with it.

Her own career demonstrates the value of building relationships, remaining open to new opportunities, and continuing to develop skills through periods of transition.

Finding Renewal Through Change
Outside of her professional work, Alaina has embraced change in other areas of her life as well. She has moved several times in recent years, largely because of her husband’s career as a tennis coach, and they have lived in several different states.

While moving can often be viewed as stressful or disruptive, Alaina sees it as an opportunity for renewal and growth. Because she works remotely, she has the flexibility to continue her career while relocating.

She believes even small moves can be beneficial, providing a fresh perspective and an opportunity to reset in meaningful ways.

An active lifestyle is also an important part of Alaina’s life. She loves working out and running and has participated in numerous races, with several more scheduled for the fall and winter. She also enjoys spending time with her dog, particularly playing and walking together.

Sports remain another major interest. Having worked in sports and always enjoyed it, Alaina continues to follow sporting events closely. If she is not at the gym or out running, she is likely watching some kind of sporting event.

For Alaina, both her career and personal life are shaped by resilience, movement, relationships, and balance. From transitioning out of sports during the pandemic to building expertise in UX and product design, she has continued to move forward, even when the path has changed unexpectedly.

As she continues her work with Perficient and develops Right Align Studio, Alaina Hornibrook remains focused on creating thoughtful digital experiences, supporting women through professional networks, and maintaining the balance that has helped shape her journey.

Learn More about Alaina Hornibrook:

Through her Influential Women profile, https://influentialwomen.com/connect/Alaina-Hornibrook or through her website, https://www.alainahornibrook.com/

Influential Women

Influential Women provides a platform where women from all backgrounds can connect, share their perspectives, and create content that empowers themselves and others. Through storytelling, thought leadership, and creative expression, Influential Women amplifies voices that inspire change.

Editorial Team
Influential Women
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