MY STORY
About
My Story
From the time that I was little, teachers (from elementary school on) had stated to my parents that I was the most artistically advanced child they had ever taught (at my age) and were blown away by talents. I loved to draw and paint and I still do as an adult!
On a completely different note, when I was 8 years old, my dad gave me an old Macintosh computer. I was completely inspired during this time and I was determined to learn Basic C++ programming. I desperately wanted to understand how some of these programs that I used worked. I eventually taught myself Basic C++ and built a space invaders game. I still have this old mac at my house, today!
I remember when my household got our first internet connection: AOL Dial-up. (You know, the old days, when your brother or sister would hang-up the other phone in the house a few times and knock you offline, so they could call their friend?) I was 12 years old. I was so fascinated by the internet that I started building and designing websites through angelfire and geocities. I taught myself HTML and CSS during a time when my only options for animation was a text scrolling marquee.
After high school, I decided to further my education in art and design. I attended an art university in the Chicago area for about 2 years and took course work in multimedia design and then transferred to Savannah College of Art and Design. At SCAD, I was up against students that were determined to be the top in the world in design, as was I. We all have a dream, right? A lot of people ask me about my experience at Savannah College of Art and Design. I had a positive experience. I was highly-challenged. I enjoy challenging environments and I tend to thrive in them. Also, I was introduced to a lot of very passionate, insanely talented artists and designers from all over the world. Some of which are still very close friends of mine. I graduated from SCAD in 2005.
Following college graduation, I took my design education and my sell-taught programming skills and found jobs leading the design and implementation of big eCommerce initiatives before UX was even “a thing.” Also, before eCommerce platforms like: IBM Websphere Commerce, Magento or Shopify were an option. That's right, these large eCommerce sites use to be built by hand (from the ground up.)
I designed and coded. At that time, I was this unique unicorn that had both sides of the brain and I did both very well. I was the architect that could also build the house.
Today...
I am a Senior UX Design leader/consultant and I have lead eCommerce design and large enterprise projects and implementation on both a national and global scale. It’s been a wild ride and a lot of learning along the way. I have also lead design for mobile applications, internal client-side software for businesses, and in-store custom configurator kiosks that were launched in retail environments like: Bed Bath and Beyond, Lowe’s and Macy’s.
A UX design leader has to be able to design and redesign from the ground-up. This means knowing the traditional ways to utilize HTML, CSS and Javascript, but also knowing when to cut away and implement fresh perspectives. I have a strong portfolio that shows a fluency in Figma, XD, OmniGraffle, Sketch, Axure, Invision and unique ways to create wireframes and cutting comps. While maintaining focus on business goals, I never lose sight of developing a maximized user-centered experience. I’ve worked on an Agile team for the past 5 years. I’m a certified ScrumMaster. I have a strong experience in working with enterprise level eCommerce platforms and I understand the infrastructure well.
I love innovation. I love working with businesses and talking to businesses about the challenges they face in the UX realm, as well as their goals. I love teaching people about UX. I have worked in leading design in technology for brands we all know and love. I am a enthusiastic self-starter and I know how to move forward without a lot of supervision creating exceptional interfaces that are elegant and easy-to-use. I love being challenged with a complex business or design problem and solving it. Most importantly, I love what I do for a living.
I spend a lot of time coming up with innovative proof of concepts in technology and putting these ideas out in the wild to see how people respond to them.
I hope to work with you in the future on your next project. I like building great and meaningful relationships with people. Please feel free to contact me, even if you are a fellow UX’er and you want to connect or collaborate.
Thank you for stopping by!