About me!
Goal: A better world through design.
Let me tell you a little about myself…
My journey has been all about learning how to adapt, and in the process developing a healthy love for adventure. Born in the Missouri Ozarks (yes, like the show; no, I’ve never met Jason Bateman), our family moved a lot growing up. We moved through Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming (with a couple short stints in Utah and Nevada). As an adult, I settled in Arizona for several years before returning to Utah. I now keep a home base in Utah while traveling and working remotely as much as possible!
Landscape Architecture to UX Design:
In 2013, I earned my degree in Landscape Architecture, minoring in Illustration. I was inspired to help bridge the growing divide between people and planet through design. Creating functional, beautiful spaces where people could live, work, and play, and which were also compatible with the natural world, was my passion.
After designing within larger companies for a few years, eventually I opened my own design firm. For my clients, working with a designer for their outdoor environments was very personal. Together, we were designing the spaces where they would be building memories with their families, friends, children and grandchildren. What were their dreams, and how could we create the right space for the realization of those dreams?
These were user experiences - designed in steel, wood, light, fire, water and flora.
Over time, though, the work became less fulfilling. I found myself solving the same problems over and over, and often the work lacked the kind of broad scale impact which originally inspired me to pursue landscape architecture. It felt like “landscaping”, not “architecture”.
It was time for a change.
Enter User Experience Design.
From the moment I discovered user experience design, I knew this was a field limited only by imagination. The more I researched, the more excited I became about combining my creativity, love for learning and solving problems, and ability to connect with people in new ways into a field which could create tangible positive impacts. I took the plunge and enrolled at DevMountain, a full-time immersive boot camp program located in the Greater Salt Lake City area, graduating in February 2019.
What I love about UX:
I believe that understanding human motivations and their resulting behaviors is key to solving many of the challenges individuals and societies face today.
Still aspiring to save the world through design!
It has always seemed backwards to me that a company would produce “cool and new” ideas, and then spend resources convincing the user the idea was cool. People don’t need to be convinced. They need solutions that work.
In UX, the data will support the right answer, and this is my absolute favorite thing. Research, information architecture, and processes are my jam. Making it pretty is the icing on the cake. This is the stuff I can really geek out on!
What else do you do? Do you like fun things?
Plants, cats, exploring, art/art history, painting, astronomy (and astrology!), exploring local wine, weightlifting. I’m pretty good at Tetris. And hanging out with my super cool kids (one son, one daughter, and a soon to be son-n-law!)
What inspires me:
I’m inspired by learning how other people think. It’s fascinating to discover all the different ways we all see the world!
Three people, you’d love to have dinner with:
Neil Gaiman, Leonardo da Vinci, my mom.
Something interesting about you:
According to Duolingo, I am 50% fluent in Italian. Not sure I could actually converse with an Italian though…
I am well-tattooed. Flowers and birds all day.
And I’m funny and eternally optimistic. ;)
One of my favorite quotes:
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood
— Marie Curie
Where else can you find me? If you are here, you’ve already found my portfolio on Medium. You can also find me on LinkedIn! And Twitter at @designingup.
Thanks for reading!
