My Design F.A.Q.s

with many thanks to Allison Milchling.

What draws you to UX design? What interests you about this field?

In college, I gravitated towards film and television studies which heavily focused on the needs of the viewer as well as the needs of the production. I especially loved a class I took on streaming services; it opened my eyes to how the interface guides the experience. It changed the way I thought about online content forever. I couldn't help noticing what attracted people to certain apps beyond just what was available to stream.

Imagine my excitement when I learned there was a dedicated field to noticing those user habits and making decisions from that knowledge, and that it wasn't off-limits to a humanities person! I found myself drawn to UX in addition to visual design because I want to be an informed user advocate as well as a creative problem solver. The designers that inspire me most have a desire to empower users at the core of everything they do. At its best, UX is a field that empowers users alongside engineers, marketing teams, and managers. I love how this field considers so many perspectives.

How would you describe UX to someone who has never heard of it?

This is how I describe it to my mom: "UX design is designing the way something looks but also the way it feels to use. UX designers work to make a website or app useful as well as enjoyable, and they do that by conducting research on who will use the app before designing and writing code.”

What does your design process look like?

When I identify a possible design problem or challenge, I dive first into primary and secondary research. How are people already addressing this problem? Who's perspective is missing in the solutions that already exist? I tend to spend a lot of time defining the actual problem to be solved and who could benefit from my solution. Structured brainstorming and ideation activities get me out of my head and help me commit some of my thoughts into actionable possibilities.

I start to consider what information is absolutely necessary and what features a user is expecting to see. For example, I worked as a UX designer for a vocabulary flashcard app and identified how students needed to be able to navigate quickly between vocabulary units and different quiz types. Those insights turn into wireframes; I'm a fan of digital wireframing because it's so easy to share with a remote team and make changes without losing legibility.

I then move into refining the visual design, some of my favorite parts of designing: developing the brand, deciding how best to let the content shine, how to communicate a distinct mood using colors, imagery, and type. I tend to develop guiding design phrases to make sure I keep my overall goal in mind and that my choices are accessible.

I like doing a majority of user testing on mockups and higher-fidelity prototypes because they’re easier to present to users. However, it depends on the scope and complexity of the project.

I remain involved throughout the development process and have even implemented my own designs in CSS and JavaScript. Having that perspective means I'm careful about documentation and I can be flexible should any issues arise with translating a prototype into a real product.

What tools do you like to use?

• Figma - my go-to design program for wireframing and mockups. I can get ideas out quickly and have ready-to-export code when needed. There are endless resources for improving my workflow through community shared files, and I got so much use out of Figma even with just the free version.
• ProtoPie - I recently started prototyping on ProtoPie and I really love the sophistication of possible interactions. I took advantage of a free trial and found it easy to learn. I'm used to AfterEffects and I find ProtoPie to be just as powerful for my needs.
• Notion - a designer staple! This is the only note-taking/productivity app I've stuck with, and it's because of the customization possibilities and ease of sharing. I loved using it to nest notes within subpages.
• Visual Studio Code - makes it easy to visually scan files and keep everything organized. I thought I would never understand GitHub! I like using the PowerShell terminal to experiment with different tools and dependencies.

What are some digital products you really love? Why do you like them?

• Ravelry - I talk about this knitting and crochet website all the time because I love how it organizes its database. The search capabilities are incredibly specific and powerful. Despite its thousands of patterns and yarns, it is also fun to browse.
• Apollo - A Reddit reader that makes Reddit into a website I can actually read. Its robust functionality (uses iOS gestures, clear search within a specific subreddit, link previews for images and videos) keep me coming back. I don't look at Reddit on any other platform. It's by an indie developer too!
• Pocketcasts - I recently upgraded to listen on desktop and I'm glad I did. I love the small details, like notes on each show page that indicate if the podcast is active and when the next episode will release. It also has robust listening stats and its layout lets the podcast show art shine.