I’m a UX Designer, based in NYC. With awareness of my own idealism, I attempt to infuse tech with humanity by simplifying experiences and stewarding knowledge exchange through products, services, and organizations.
user flows, prototypes, proposals, product roadmaps, team charters, tech specs, etc.
multimethodology of both the quantitative and qualitative kind, e.g. community-led service design, stakeholder workshops, analytics tracking, surveys, mental model mapping, and usability testing.
But, the goal of this portfolio is not to prove proficiency in the fundamentals, though absolutely essential, but to share some of the human nuance of me as a design thinker and a developing transparent leader- how I solve problems, make product decisions, craft stories, navigate ambiguity, and cultivate teams that put “people over process.”
Growing up in the blue skies of New Mexico meant endless days lost in imagination. Though I hardly knew what a designer or engineer was, my childhood cultivated a mindset of continuous discovery and honed ability to recognize anomalies and patterns in my world both near and far.
Many families in my hometown have lived there for generations, there are many distinct cultures, and few people choose to leave; all these dynamics, and people in general, have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. I guess it seems only natural that I chose a Psychology major and studied abroad in Nanjing, China.
My first “real” job! I worked in the San Francisco (“Hello” tech world) County Jail. From these colleagues and clients, I learned how to prioritize humanness, even when circumstances are at their most stressful. The experience I gained from leading group therapy sessions and open-ended interviews shaped who I am as a researcher.
It was an incredible time to land in the tech scene of Beijing! A period well-known for its unprecedented speed in tech development. During my New Media Master’s program, I was immersed in the study of the China (and global) digital ecosystems and the evolution of communication tools throughout human history. This foundation drives my perspective on human-computer interaction as I seek to gain more understanding of how digital products reflect and impact past and current society, and about how might we not replicate past mistakes in the future.
I was employee #2 of this startup! I took part in its naming, branding, and App development. I also grew the marketing and non-app design teams.
While leading the transition to a fully Beijing-based marcom team as the Communications Director for a historical center in Beijing the need for a new website arose. Working side-by-side with the (UX agency) development team, I discovered the profession of UX.
I moved to that agency and eventually began directing projects from proposal to design with clients from around the world in industries ranging from government and academia to multinational e-commerce and gaming.
In 2021, I moved to NYC, and began reassimilating to life back in the US. I was terrified of being asked to design “dark UX,” but instead, I was met with amazing mentors and leaders in the Civictech world who showed me the importance (for both business and society) of accessibility and putting humans – and humanity – at the center of the systems we design.
Currently, I’m pursuing an EMBA to better understand the world’s systems, and I have my eye on emerging tech (Thanks AI for assisting in this copy). As for the human experience…we have a lot of information to filter, a lot of knowledge to share, and many decisions to make. I’m excited about the future that you and I will build!
