About Me
Imagine with me for a second...
"This is the third time the water pump was found broken this year. This pump is designed to last decades in a harsh environment. Yet, here I am to fix it for the third time.
Villagers were watching me fix the pump, but rather than happiness at a working pump, they looked disappointed. Their reactions made me curious so instead of heading back to modern society as quick as I can, I decided to stay a few more days and keep an eye on the pump.
That night, I woke up in the middle of the night to a sharp noise, some kind of metal pounding sound. I snuck outside to check and I found a village woman holding a brick and trying to break the pump again. This confused me so I decided to go back to bed and seek her out in the morning.
I found her this morning as she was leaving the village to fetch water from the river. She told me that at first the pump was a blessing. But time revealed that blessing to be a curse in disguise. It made her safe from the animals at the river but it meant more time with her abusive husband. The pump gave her more free time but that time was used for hard work where the walk to the river was a time of socialization. Now I'm going home, back to civilization so to speak. But her story has stuck in my mind. We thought the problem was with not having convenient access to water but the problem seems to be something else entirely."
This fictional story is loosely based on reality. On a visit to Tanzania, I learned that situations like this are common. Place yourself in the position of a villager: one day a team of people show up with a brand new tool that supposed to make your life better. No one asked you what you want or need but you are given a product that fixes a problem that didn't exist, causing new ones in the process. That visit to Africa changed my life and my approach to design. I have a passion for first understanding the needs of people and then using that knowledge to help them find the most helpful solutions for their situation. That is my desire.
Charlotte Hackathon
Orlando UX meetup
Ghana Greenwich Int' School Art Class
Work Experience
USAA | Sr. UX Designer
2021 - Present, Remote
• Analyzed problems of complex services and aligned stakeholder's product vision via design thinking workshop
• Assisted stakeholders in coming up with a clear product goal from arbitrary problems by advocating Human-centered design methods
• Lead user research to identify business requirements and user journeys for a home buying process
• Supported a data analyst in creating a quantitative research plan to initiate a validating personas project utilizing customer behavior data
• Oversaw UX/UI design for various projects and provided input to help and guide junior designers in creating compelling design deliverables including user flows, wireframes, prototypes
• Assisted stakeholders in coming up with a clear product goal from arbitrary problems by advocating Human-centered design methods
• Lead user research to identify business requirements and user journeys for a home buying process
• Supported a data analyst in creating a quantitative research plan to initiate a validating personas project utilizing customer behavior data
• Oversaw UX/UI design for various projects and provided input to help and guide junior designers in creating compelling design deliverables including user flows, wireframes, prototypes
Paymentus | UX Designer
2019 - 2021, Charlotte NC
• Delivered low and high fidelity wireframes for a Farmers Insurance payout service satisfying business requirements resulting in saving 10,000 sheets of paper per week
• Validated hypothesis for a payment platform that is built for Amazon and Paypal by leading user research
• Identified complicated use cases and user scenarios through collaborating with implementation teams and developers
• Discovered service problems via HCD(human-centered design) workshop with domain experts and stakeholders
• Validated hypothesis for a payment platform that is built for Amazon and Paypal by leading user research
• Identified complicated use cases and user scenarios through collaborating with implementation teams and developers
• Discovered service problems via HCD(human-centered design) workshop with domain experts and stakeholders
Market Traders Institute | UX/UI Designer
2017 - 2018, Orlando FL
• Provided a creative design vision based on customers' behavior and delivered high-quality features for a SaaS-based Forex trading platform
• Applied usability testing findings and enhanced the trading software transition experience from desktop to a web-based app via wireframes, prototypes, and high fidelity mockups
• Created a new purchasing journey and re-designed related pages in coordination with the marketing department
• Analyzed user data before and after a feature release to inform design decisions
• Implemented an iterative user research plan by closely working with developers, a project manager, and a product owner to support a 2week agile development cycle
• Trained a group of subject matter experts to be able to conduct effective usability testing
• Applied usability testing findings and enhanced the trading software transition experience from desktop to a web-based app via wireframes, prototypes, and high fidelity mockups
• Created a new purchasing journey and re-designed related pages in coordination with the marketing department
• Analyzed user data before and after a feature release to inform design decisions
• Implemented an iterative user research plan by closely working with developers, a project manager, and a product owner to support a 2week agile development cycle
• Trained a group of subject matter experts to be able to conduct effective usability testing
Everylite | Product Designer
2016 - 2017, Orlando FL
• Repositioned the firm by creating a distinct, recognizable brand identity, including catalog, banner, letterhead, business cards, uniform, package, label, website, products, and trade show booth
• Improved UI design and decreased search time by reducing the number of clicks
• Discovered user Interface flaws through extensive, onsite user research and implemented changes that enhanced customer experience
• Provided compelling 3D mockups by understanding business requirements and complicated technical constraints
• Collaborated with engineers in China, sales reps, and a marketing specialist to create unique light fixture designs and launched final products at Vegas International Sign Expo 2017
• Improved UI design and decreased search time by reducing the number of clicks
• Discovered user Interface flaws through extensive, onsite user research and implemented changes that enhanced customer experience
• Provided compelling 3D mockups by understanding business requirements and complicated technical constraints
• Collaborated with engineers in China, sales reps, and a marketing specialist to create unique light fixture designs and launched final products at Vegas International Sign Expo 2017
Daliworks | UX/UI Designer
2014 - 2015, Seoul Korea
• Owned and built a creative icon library for a variety of IoT(Internet of Things) service use cases
• Developed wireframes and prototypes considering multiple user scenarios for an Internet of Things sensor dashboard to support displaying hundreds of different sensor data
• Collaborated with a team of developers and a product owner to create a creative product concept
• Successfully launched new IoT platform (Thing+) in 2015 which became one of Korea’s leading Internet of Things (IoT) venture services within 6 months
• Developed wireframes and prototypes considering multiple user scenarios for an Internet of Things sensor dashboard to support displaying hundreds of different sensor data
• Collaborated with a team of developers and a product owner to create a creative product concept
• Successfully launched new IoT platform (Thing+) in 2015 which became one of Korea’s leading Internet of Things (IoT) venture services within 6 months
New Breed Studio | UX/UI Designer
2012 - 2013, Seoul Korea
• Lead a design project for iOS app that achieved 5th place among free educational apps in Korea in Dec 2012
• Developed wireframes, prototypes, and high fidelity mockups for both iPad app and website
• Implemented research findings by conducting multiple user research sessions with children under age 5
• Developed wireframes, prototypes, and high fidelity mockups for both iPad app and website
• Implemented research findings by conducting multiple user research sessions with children under age 5
Parkiz Architects Office | Assistant Designer
2010 - 2011, Seoul Korea
• Designed and developed a patented solar panel via multiple brainstorming sessions with lead architects and senior designers
• Created user-friendly interior accessory designs to be not only esthetically pleasing but also meet human factor requirements and Korea's fire codes
• Created user-friendly interior accessory designs to be not only esthetically pleasing but also meet human factor requirements and Korea's fire codes