ABOUT

 

THIS IS WHERE YOU LEARN ABOUT ME.

I’m continually motivated by the opportunity to make people’s lives easier by designing satisfying interactions that help bridge the human/computer divide.

I approach design with a hefty amount of curiosity and critical thinking which in my view, sets a design up for success. Before I even think about high fidelity design, I’ve put in a lot of thoughtful work up front.

I think my background in biology/understanding living systems (from the ecosystem-level to the cellular-level), informs my way of thinking about UX. Like biology, UX requires you to find out details about lots of disparate pieces and to eventually connect them to create a larger picture.

I also believe that a good UX designer practices what they preach and are a delight to work with. I strive to balance collaborationleadership and vision together to create great experiences for real people.

I have posted a portfolio on this site, which is password protected, I’d love to share my work with you, please reach out on the contact page.

MY LIFE STORY

(the bullet points)

Education

I studied Biology in Victoria, BC, graduating my bachelor of science in 2012. Some career-relevant highlights include:

  • Learning to tell a story in my science film making course
  • Writing a thesis on sustainable agriculture as my final undergraduate project
  • Developing problem-solving and self-learning skills in classes like biochemistry

Moving to London, UK

After my studies were finished, I moved to London, UK to pursue and explore career possibilities. Some highlights from the first year include:

  • Exploring art and history in the city, while working as a communicator for the first time
  • Successfully launching my career, in a bad economy
  • Using and developing creative skills (in a professional setting) like shooting/editing videos and learning design
  • Gaining major news coverage on BBC News (with an audience of about 1 million viewers) for my organization

Digital Content Project

I pitched a new digital strategy for Rothamsted Research. They made me Digital Content Manager for a year to achieve this feat. Some highlights from the first year include:

  • Launching the new site, writing and designing 13 pieces of science content for the public
  • Designing new visual themes for differing content-types (adding much-needed consistency across the site)
  • Leading collaborative design with senior scientists and managers
  • Meeting David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum in London (at the ‘state of nature’ launch)

Arriving to Montréal,QC

I moved to Montréal, QC in Juin 2014. I hit the ground running and launched into the startup/tech scene upon arrival. Some highlights include:

  • Learning French in a francophone work environment
  • Working in an Agile development pipeline
  • Meeting a lot of inspiring UXers and entrepreneurs
  • Developing relationships with other UX designers and sharing our work on a regular basis
  • Exposure to entrepreneurial spirits

Getting my UX ‘PhD’ in Victoria, BC

I moved to Victoria, BC in May 2015. Learning the full scope of UX, in an genetics-based enterprise software product.

  • Nurturing logic/reasoning skills
  • Redesigning legacy features that people use and depend on
  • Creating a huge body of work with consistent design language/patterns
  • Expanding technical knowledge (science and software) to a new level