Design to me is the exploration of ideas, research & data, design patterns and experiences, centered around the user. We are not designing for ourselves after all, we are designing for our target audience.
I originally started as a visual designer, and fell in love with the web as soon as I learned to write my first line of HTML. The beginning sites I designed and built were not pretty, but time went on and I learned how to appreciate the art of writing HTML + CSS. I started studying the masters, learning about standards based web design, flexible grids, responsive web design, mobile first design, progressive enhancement, etc.... (sorry for all the buzz words). All of which I still use today.
Almost five years ago I got hired at a primary ticketing company called Flavorus. At the time, I had no product experience whatsoever. In the four plus years since joining the team, I dove head first into product design. I learned about every feature we had to offer, what our customers and clients thought about each, and researched what our competitors were doing different. I used the product first hand, working on site at events to see it in action, asking questions to our team members in the field. I studied all members of the team, and how they interacted with every feature. I read all the tweets, posts and emails I could get my hands on, to see what the people were saying. And lastly I listened to any comment, complaint, compliment, and suggestion. I took all this knowledge and helped redesign, fix, build and evangelize a product I love. I learned how to take an idea from concept to completion, doing research, sketching, wire-framing, and prototyping to solve complicated problems in a fast-paced development environment. I never stopped iterating.
And now it’s time for me to move on. I am passionate about creating meaningful products and I’m seeking out a new environment to continue my growth as a designer. I am a company I can believe in and that believes in me. I want to contribute to the success of a product, and help push it beyond it’s potential. I want to teach others what I know, and learn what they do. I want to be taken out of my comfort zone and challenged to think different. I want to be proud of the products that I help build.
Interested in talking about design, job opportunities, life, or anything else, send me an email.