and this is my story...

I’ve spent over four years working at advertising agencies in Account Management/Client Services, with clients ranging from truTV to Bank of America to Mercedes-Benz USA. I truly enjoyed seeing the creative process through, from initiation to implementation, but my intuition told me I was missing something: I needed to be creating day-to-day, not just managing.

Design stole my heart long ago; it was the one that got away. Oh, how I’ve always swooned over fonts and colors and the way things fit and look together... Oh, how annoying I was in the print studio with my detail-oriented comments... But I did not see these elements alone as the key to making my creative dreams a reality. I wanted my designs to not only be beautiful, but also thoughtful and impactful; I wanted to help people feel at ease—not confused—while using a product. I often find myself wanting the know the “why” behind a person’s behavior. What motivates them to make their decisions? Why do they approach scenarios in certain ways? And how can their experiences be improved? So once I discovered UX, I was sure I found my calling: my natural curiosity would get fed, while my empathetic attitude would help to serve people throughout the world.

And with that, I decided to “UX” my life to maximize my creativity and happiness KPIs. I took the leap in resigning my advertising career to sign up for the intense UX Design Immersive program at General Assembly so that I could completely devote myself to learning the craft. There, I honed my skills in human-centered design with a strong emphasis on research & testing. We worked on mobile apps and responsive web, primarily using Sketch for design and InVision for prototyping. With fierce perseverance, I completed five projects in 10 weeks, independently and with teams, and received glowing feedback from instructors and clients on five out of five—successfully maximizing my target KPIs. One client even said, “You made our app engaging in an implicit way. I didn’t even know UX could do that.”

Of course, there are always times when things don’t go smoothly. But that’s often when I learn the most—by taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture…

“What are the missing pieces that will lead users to not just like the product, but be driven to use it consistently?”

“How can I design in such a way that users don’t have to think twice about how to perform an action or what to select next?”

This is what I aim to uncover in every project. I also recognize that while products should be grounded in human-centered design, companies need to drive profits too, and this intersectional reality is perhaps the most rewarding puzzle to solve. My eyes light up when faced with the challenge of balancing key business objectives with advocating for user needs. I think I’ve finally found my niche.

Design was the one who got away, but UX Design is the one that's here to stay.

TL;DR

I am passionate about making a meaningful impact in people’s lives through design. As an empathetic and thoughtful problem solver, following user-centered design principles is crucial in my approach. Additionally, my advertising background has made me a designer who has a customer-centered mindset, meets key business objectives, is an effective communicator, and thinks tactfully.