VAQUITA DESIGN

CASE STUDIES
Case studies represent my trajectory as a designer. Systems thinker, creator of novel interaction patterns, and deeply embedded with technology.

5 patents. Dual-screen device design. AI-powered semantic search.
Re-imagined enterprise database monitoring. Enhanced editorial workflows with automation and agent integration.

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FEATURED CASE STUDY
From Emotion to Embeddings: Architecting Semantic Retrieval for Editorial Discovery

What: I designed and deployed a full-stack semantic retrieval system for San Antonio Review that translates emotionally complex queries into structured embeddings, retrieves relevant poems from a vector database, and generates thoughtful reading recommendations.

Why: SAR has a large inventory of poetry and traditional keyword search failed in a metaphor-heavy domain. Readers seek emotionally nuanced discovery; editors need structured curation tools.

Impact:

  • Implemented embedding-based retrieval over a controlled emotional vocabulary
  • Enabled emotionally-aligned recommendations rather than keyword matches
  • Reduced editorial curation time
  • Increased reader engagement and session depth

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FEATURED CASE STUDY
Designing for Trust: Building agentic workflows in publishing

What: I designed and built a layered system containing a custom submission and approval workflow and two agents that handle the production work of image creation and social media – things that would otherwise create bottlenecks in the process.

Why: San Antonio Review runs on a lean staff with steady publication pressure. The answer wasn’t to automate as much as possible, it was to map the trust relationships that make the journal worth reading, and build only where automation couldn’t touch them.

Impact:

  • Reduced time from submission to publication by 30%
  • Editors stay focused on what they do best, not distracted by asset creation
  • Improved relationship and community-building with contributors through a more transparent publication process
  • Maintained editorial judgment where it mattered and automated where it didn’t

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ABOUT MISTY CRIPPS

I’m most interested in text and voice experiences, and not because AI makes them trendy, but because we’ve spent decades adapting ourselves to graphic interfaces that have nothing to do with how humans actually communicate with each other. The biggest concern for design isn’t Is AI going to replace me because it can make wireframes?  but that we might not be doing enough to create new interaction models that are leading the way. What does it mean to build technology that operates within a humane, equal, and ethical framework, and are we creating interfaces that further or impede that goal?

© Vaquita Design | Misty Cripps

misty@vaquitadesign.com