Every user has a story. Even me.
When I was a kid I hoped to draw comics, and when I grew up “Toy Story” inspired me to want to tell stories through animation…but as the field was still coming into its own in the early Nineties, I was unclear as to which courses I might take. I saw “graphic design” in my school's catalogue, and thought it sounded the closest to “computer graphics” I signed up for Typography, Intro to Photoshop, Graphic Design 101…and fell in love with type, systems, with thresholds and the way ideas could be communicated with—and people could be persuaded by— words and images. I learned that design helps communicates to people who need things…and the best way to find out how to provide them with that was to ask and listen. I’ve transferred those skills from a 2D space into a vast interactive canvas over the years, putting them to work for well-known brands in a variety of industries. And while I’ve always been able to balance them with the needs of a business…I’ve tried my best to put the user’s needs first. I never did learn to animate movies, but as an experience designer I learned the value of telling a good story...and the value of listening to others’ stories, too. When away from design, I enjoy baseball, food and pop culture, and have engendered a career writing comics, novels and graphic novels.
Where do I find inspiration?
“I want to be where the people are” - Ariel, The Little Mermaid
Over the years, I’ve gone from absorbing others' experiences (apps and websites, design books and magazines) to letting other peoples’ experiences wash over me; I find inspiration at malls, stores and theme parks—sometimes listening to people, noticing their concerns and troubles; sometimes watching them interact with a service, carefully noting trials —or triumphs — they may encounter. I do this a lot with my kids—how are they doing their homework? How are they interacting with friends? How are they interacting with the world around them, and what can I learn from it and apply toward the experiences I build and needs for which I’m solving? As a storyteller, I still absorb stories: movies, documentaries, video games and books. How are the creators establishing a theory or challenge, how does their tale or experience solve or broaden it…and sometimes, how am I as the consumer supposed to interact with; how does it change me? I still do download and play with one new app a week. I follow UX and product design social media channels and influencers, and I read plenty of articles. But most of my inspiration these days comes from the world outside our screens…from the people around me.
My general design philosophy.
PUT THE USERS' NEEDS FIRST
The user's need is my solution's north star, and though the end result may conflict with business requirements, I strive to bring both together in harmony via elegant solutions.
CAN MY DAD USE IT?
I always consider: "Can my tech-challenged father navigate this without a problem?" The easiest way to find out, of course, is to put a prototype in his hand. But that mindset has never steered me wrong.
PARTNER WITH TECH EARLY AND OFTEN
Design and Development are two parts of the same shared experience. Thinking about one without implications to the other does a disservice to my process and, of course, my product.
GOOD IDEAS COME FROM ANYWHERE
I try not get hung up on where good solutions come from. A good idea can spring from the most unlikely well — whether from the most seasoned or most junior member of my team.
THE DESIGN PROCESS NEVER ENDS
I can always learn new things about my process and experience, continuing to iterate based on data, feedback, trends, patterns and audience evolution. Test, evolve, test again.
EMBRACE EVERYTHING. LEARN HALF OF IT.
I'm never finished growing as a designer, considering new ways to provide elegant solutions for a range of evolving answers. There's always something to learn—but there's no race to learn it all at once. Listen. Learn. Return.
Want to see how I put it into action? Tap here to see recent solutions.