I care about doing what is right by users.
When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong. - Buckminster Fuller
Focus on the user and all else will follow. - Google
I care deeply about designing products the way I wished people would design products for me: with empathy, competence, and care. I strive to be better at designing no-nonsense systems that users love, and that can be improved upon for years to come. My design process will generally always follow a philosophy of constantly seeking to understand the mental models of users, and using that understanding to fuel iterative problem-solving, simplicity, and innovation.
I am a UX-generalist. I adjust my process strategically to the problem being solved.
My work process will adapt to the types of problems, business needs, constraints, and user needs in the project. These are just a few tools I will "pull" from:
Qualitative User Research Techniques (Contextual Inquiries, Think-Alouds, Storytelling, Story Mapping, Usability Testing, Interviewing, etc.)
Quantitative User Research Techniques (Usability Testing, Analytics, A/B Testing, surveys, etc.)
Brick-and-mortar research and competitive analysis
Synthesis Techniques (Affinity Diagramming, Story Mapping, Personas, Flow Diagrams, etc.)
Ideation (Hand-Sketching, Storyboarding, Wireframing, brainstorming, etc.)
Systems Design (Flow Diagrams, Object Oriented UX thinking, etc.)
Prototypes (Hand-Sketching, Wireframing, Figma, Axure, Principle, Invision, Sketch, etc.)
High-fidelity Mockups and Videos (Figma, Sketch, Principle, Invision, etc.)
I thrive in ambiguity.
Overall I seek to understand problems before testing solutions, and I test potential solutions as a means to further understand problems. I thrive in ambiguity and prefer to observe users in hopes of better understanding pain points, rather than to be handed solutions to execute. My goal is to ensure that we are as close, or closer to designing a solution that solves a real problem for users.
I am used to collaborating with others and can operate autonomously.
The products that I have worked on that users have most appreciated are ones where I worked with great teammates. I believe communication, brainstorms, team-building, and arguments are a necessary part of the messy process of creating great products. I enjoy working with PM’s, visual designers, front-end and back-end developers the most when we are all aligned on working towards creating the best, sustainable solutions for users.
However, I thrive when given a lot of time to work autonomously doing research to look for problems, and coming up with concepts to solve them. (There is research indicating that individuals or pairs develop more promising, and more disruptive insights than larger teams do.)
I find personality tests interesting and helpful...to a degree.
I most recently tested as an INTJ (MBTI), a 5w6 (Ennegram), and a strong C (DISC personality). My top 5 strengths from StrengthsFinder (in no particular order) are responsibility, consistency, deliberative, intellection, and strategic.
I work to live, not live to work :)
I really enjoy reading, puzzle hunts/rooms, gardening, and playing video and board games with my friends! Nic is my better half and my best friend.
I have been serving at my church as a youth counselor to high school aged girls for the past 9 years, and I love it. Teens struggle to figure out who they are, what their purpose is, and what their place is in the world. I find deep meaning in walking alongside them as they figure out their unique gifts, talents, and interests!