About me
📍 Denver resident - 🧘♀️ Yoga enthusiast - 🏂 Snowboarding newbie - 🐶 Love dogs
My Philosophy
In my design practice, I believe in core values that not only guide my creative process but also define the collaborative ethos within my team.
Collaboration, by recognizing that the collective expertise and diverse perspectives of a team yield the most robust solutions.
By fostering an environment of open communication and mutual respect, I ensure that every voice is heard and every idea is considered, leading to a cohesive and impactful outcome.
Trust forms the bedrock of our design critique process, where constructive feedback is embraced as a catalyst for growth and refinement.
Moreover, I am deeply committed to aligning our design efforts with the overarching goals of the business, understanding that our success is intricately linked to the success of our stakeholders.
Through these values of collaboration, communication, trust, and alignment, I strive to create meaningful and effective solutions that resonate both aesthetically and functionally.
Personal life
📍 Denver resident
🏙️ From Chicago
🧘♀️ Yoga enthusiast
🏂 Snowboarding newbie
🐶 Bode - Bernese Mountain Dog
📚 Reader
🥾 Hiking
✏️ Life long learner
My story
My one passion in life has always been to help others. I am thankful for my time as a teacher and I dedicate a lot of my design strengths to when I taught. Especially working as a special education teacher in high trauma areas and focusing on so many different student needs.
Empathy
One of my strongest skills as a designer is being able to empathize with the user. In the classroom I learned to do this with 30+ students, all with different needs and backgrounds, and being able to do this on the fly. Some of the strongest behaviors can easily frustrate you, but I learned to understand and empathize with every student I encountered. I use this skill in my designs by making sure I understand the user process, making sure I am designing for all users (visually impaired, cognitive disabilities, deaf or hard of hearing, and many more), and making sure my designs are WCAG compliant.
Curiosity
A skill that has always been a part of me has been my curiosity. I am a life long learner, and will always be learning new information. I use this in my designs to drive my excitement, and push me out of my comfort zone to ensure that what I am designing is exactly what the user needs.
Presentation Skills
I am very comfortable giving presentations and talking through designs with stakeholders. After teaching and being in front of an audience all day, it has taught me many skills on how to give presentations.
Problem Solving
Another strong skill of mine is to actively problem solve. I thrive in environments where I can collaborate with others and brainstorm ideas on where to go next or how to move forward. As a teacher I learned to problem solve in very timely situations that could make or break what was happening in a classroom. This allowed me to learn how to analyze situations quickly, analyze peoples behaviors, and form a solution to move forward. In my designs I am thankful for this skill as it really allows me to understand what users need and how I can best help them. Collaboratively problem solving together is something that excites me about my job!
Personal Skills
I am a very positive person who is always excited to design. I will be the one who can motivate a team because I am eager to and ready to work.
I have a very strong work ethic and will always put in the extra time for a product and company that I believe in.
My future
I have worked very hard to transition my life to design, and I am so excited to be continuing on this path. I love gathering data, learning new things, and putting these to the test. Since I taught special education, I love focusing on the user experience and making sure all users are being represented.
I am constantly looking for new opportunities, new ways to engage design, and new ways to challenge myself. Please feel free to email me so we can connect!
(His name is Bode, and he is a Bernese Mountain Dog!)