My Design Journey
The first full-time job I ever held was as a copywriter for a website. My responsibilities were to make sure users could find the website via their search engine of choice, and learn something new while they were there. I enjoyed the job, but I remember clearly thinking: "the words I write down are important, but shouldn't there be more to a digital experience?"
Determined to find out, I studied web development in order to have an understanding of website building blocks. I taught myself HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and secured a B.S. in Computer Science with a concentration in Human-Computer Interaction. Eventually I moved onto a job as a front end developer, and began exploring the concept of "creative coding" - designing layouts to be set up purely with code. I was embracing responsive design, with the added bonus of faster load times.
The more I was encouraged to follow my fellow front end web developers into full stack development and databases, the more I realized I was happier designing than I was coding. I knew how to execute well-written code, but as I was given chances to speak with users and analyze survey results, I learned that people were connecting with the visuals of products first. I wanted to learn more about user experience and interaction, and the chance for me to do so came up shortly after, in the form of a website redesign project. From then on, I was a UX/UI designer, and truly I think I always was.
Now, I am continually working to expand my skillset, all the way from design basics to UX methods. My preferred design programs are Figma and Adobe XD, and I have strong interests in branding, iconography, and typography. Above all, I want to use what I know to help improve user experiences everywhere, because life is too short to spend frustrated at the products you use.