About Me
Other than designing, I love to cook (yeah I made that Thanksgiving meal, and did I fall into a food coma? You bet I did), watch movies and hitting the gym - gotta keep the brain sharp!​​​
Favorite food: Can't live without pasta!
One of my favorite movies: You've Got Mail
Favorite TV shows: The Office and Parks & Rec
A designer who inspires me: Dr. Temple Grandin. Her empathy and understanding for cattle is extraordinary, and a perfect reminder to remember to have empathy for the end-user. Her brilliant designs of stockyards, lairages, corrals, races, chutes, and loading ramps are amazing because not only does she solve business problems, but she's also able to improve the well-being of cattle.​
How I got started in UX Design
By accident! I was doing UX Design without even realizing it during my time at Willis Towers Watson (insurance brokerage). I was the Communications Specialist/Technical Writer, and I was part of Innotech Benefit Solutions a subsidiary of Willis. Innotech's branding changed to Enrollment Resources Group (E.R.G.), and I decided I wanted to update the Innotech site.
By working with a colleague, I was able to organize, restructure and rewrite the site content. In order to implement these changes, I worked directly with the development team in Mumbai, India.
Unfortunately, this project was ultimately a failure because Willis merged with the company Towers Watson and became Willis Towers Watson. The site became obsolete and pictures were not added. However, I did learn about responsive web design and how to organize site pages. This project was my favorite part about working at Willis Towers Watson because I had the opportunity to improve something.
What I'd like to improve
My Information Architecture and UX Research skills! Having a solid information architecture makes or breaks a site. You can have the most beautiful UI in the world, but if the site or app is not organized and structured well, users will abandon the site and have a miserable experience. Improving my UX Research skills can help me be a better designer because I want to get better at asking questions and understanding people's frustrations and pain points, rather than jumping into a solution right away.
