Journey to becoming a User Experience Professional

From an early age I’ve always enjoyed understanding more about people.  As I grew older, understanding people expanded to include a desire to help people solve problems. This curiosity led me initial into Psychology, Counseling, and then in to UX Design where I am now able to blend multiple areas of interest, from people and their behaviors, to solving problems in an evolving and complex world.

Coming from a counseling background, I learned several important UX lessons without knowing it at first. The first, would be to always have empathy for the user. Secondly, always take into consideration the context that the user finds themselves in. This could include aspects of the environment, or just the narrative of their day to day lives as they experience it. Lastly, don’t be afraid of asking the questions that help deepen everyone’s understanding of the problem at hand.

Fast forward 6 years and I am honored to have worked with so many wonderful colleagues to create better user experiences in a myriad of products and applications. I enjoy creating products that to clean, direct, and easy to use. I understand the reality of designing products within the constraints of time and resources and making sure business goals are reflected in everything that is created. As well as balancing the needs of other teams.

I have worked in the capacity of a UX Designer, Strategist, Team Lead, and even a Product Owner. I enjoy taking on new challenges.