Process
How does design work?
Translation has always been a large part of my life. That extends to my work in product design. One is never alone on an island or without constraints, there are always multiple points to consider. Life itself is not binary and thus the power of design to shape that space, that nuance, holds vast potential on many layers.
1 Project work
This is the framework I use for product design focused on conscious craft towards goals of making a positive dent in the universe.
01
Think
Strive to be curious not judgmental. Adopt the beginner's mindset. Be water. Embrace empathy. Whatever it takes to intimately understand the problem.
02
Make
Thinking alone doesn't uncover everything, building products reveals angles, friction + holes. This is where mockups, lofi + hifi prototyping, stress testing all come into play.
03
Check
"Design with people, not for them." Regardless of your methodology, designs, experiments + hypotheses can be de-risked with efficient testing + research.
*I have adopted this framework from Austin Knight, which I discuss more in Process.
2 Initiative work
Initiative work touches all the activities relative to pushing the maturity of a design team. I’m a huge fan. Think of it as kaizen, continually raising the bar of expertise + influence.
01
User Research
"Design with people, not for them." Regardless of your methodology, designs, experiments + hypotheses can be de-risked with efficient testing + research.
02
Design System
'If it's not in code, it doesn't exist' is a popular refrain. M1 founded the Design system Committee (DSC) to lay foundation of governance + establish cadenced communications between design _ engineering leads.
03
Accessability
Thinking alone doesn't uncover everything, building products reveals angles, friction + holes. This is where mockups, lofi + hifi prototyping, stress testing all come into play.
3 Design Ops
Impact, craft + collaboration are what move me. I relish Design Ops with the end game of having creative freedom from a well conceived brief.
Leadership
From training to implementation I have experience in a range of leadership positions including redesigning the IA for a fintech unicorn with $6B AUM to running summer internship programs.
Logistics
From co-leading the User Research side of Viewpoints annual Collaborate user conference (2000 participants)to running UXR programs, to in-house CSAT projects I have a passion for + robust experience in the logistics of maturing design at all levels.
Culture
All work + no play is what computers are for, not people. I believe strongly in developing individual strengths + organization culture for stronger teams. I've lead Study Halls, hackathon teams + my one + only annual Quote of the Year (ask me about it)!