With 12 years of experience in testing medical and marketing software, I bring a unique perspective to UX design. Whether testing or designing, I work with an ethos of user advocacy and constant attention to detail.
I started working in software testing right after college and found that it was a great fit. (I love to find exceptions to the rules.) Usability was always a strength, finding things in the UI that weren't bugs but could be improved. Over time, the field became more and more technical, focusing more on tools and process than representing the end user.
I had always thought that UX design required a specialized degree and artistic skills. But continuing to work with my team's designer and looking more into it, I found that wasn't the case at all. My years of working in the software space, focus on usability, and understanding of the various roles in developing software (including users) actually provided a solid foundation for a career in UX design. With the support of my manager, I decided to commit to the switch.
Hoping to make the change in-house, I took various online courses to acquire the more particular design skills I lacked. After three years, I was able to officially interview and receive a role as a junior UX designer.
My background of working with developers and writing code made me a good fit to work embedded with a team of developers to help form an on-going relationship between their team and the design team, which was very successful. I've also become one of the main members of the team working in accessibility, and I continue to share some of my more advanced or technical knowledge of Figma with the team.
I have no doubts or regrets in this new career. I don't get to spend much time finding bugs, but I do get to spend much more time representing the user, solving problems, and collaborating.
I asked people I've worked with and who know me what their thoughts are on what I value, what my strengths are, and any characteristics I have that stand out. Here are some of their answers.
Being dependable, honesty, quality, doing things right, clarity in communication, organization
Helping, collaboration, organized thought, patience, perseverance, public speaking, curiosity, conscientiousness
Logical, straight-forward, dependable, steadfast
Beyond continuing to develop general UX skills (e.g. visual design, solving user problems), I'm particularly interested in finding ways to more practically use my technical skills (maybe dabble in some code) and going deeper in design systems.
I've been chip carving (a specialized form of wood carving) since about 2014. I sell items online and locally. My YouTube channel, where I share my process and tips for other carvers, has over 1,300 subscribers with viewers around the world.
Against the Grain Chip Carvings
And, as you may have guessed from my home page, I'm also into bonsai (growing trees in pots and training them to look like mature trees). The use of trees as a medium for living art is fascinating, requiring an understanding of horticultural science as it blends with the artistic eye in seeking to create a visually pleasing representation of a larger and older tree.
