There are so many different ways a project can start.  It can be handed to you from someone else, it can pop into your head while you’re driving down the highway, or it could have its origin in a completely unrelated thought, that develops into something else.  Tools such as affinity maps and card sorting allow us to explore and develop these ideas, and explore what other revelations they could hold.

The users are the main focus of any good user experience designer.  They are who we really work for, and their needs and wants should be paramount.  However, it is possible to fall into the trap of creating what you think your users want, instead of what they need in actuality.  To avoid this, user interviews and testing as frequently as possible throughout the process, will help keep the project on track and keep it user centred.

A well informed project will have a great deal of data behind it.  Gathering this data has a lot to do with knowing what questions to ask, and what tools will give you the information you need.  Interpreting and analyzing this information, increases our ability to empathize with potential user and create what they need before they know they need it.

Design’s purpose is to solve a problem.  Good design’s purpose is to solve that problem easily and gracefully for the user.  Problem solving is a skill that is cultivated the most by experience.  Having been an entrepreneur in a client based business for over ten years, I’ve had to wear many hats and solved a variety of problems.  This experience has taught me to think creatively and critically when solving unique situations.

Reiteration is responsible for the refinement of the user process.  It pushes each version to be better than the last, and gives us insight into how the product or service will be used.  Reiteration lets us compare what we thought we knew, with what we found out. It expands our understanding of the user, and allows us to approach the next attempt with greater empathy.

I began my career as an entrepreneur at the age of twenty two.  Over the last ten years, I have had to fill many roles, which has given me skills in an assortment of different areas.  I have developed skills in marketing, accounting, customer relations, web development, distribution as well as others.

The soft skills that have come with this experience are even more valuable, as they have shaped how I approach problems and challenges.  I have learned how to relate to people who are nothing like me.  I can take a complex process, and break it down into understandable steps, as well as adjust those steps based on how someone learns most easily.  I can prioritize my time, when I have eight hours of work in a two hour window, and I can self teach myself whatever I need to know to get the work done.  I have also learned to keep perspective, which allows me to stay focused in stressful situations, allowing me to produce my best work.