I’m a UX researcher who comes from the world of customer service. When I was working in the banking or retail industries, I would ask myself the following questions daily:

What does this customer need? How can I help them? How can I create a positive experience for them right now? And my favorite, how can I learn so much about them that I’m able to anticipate their needs?

My years of customer service experience and academic background in philosophy help me view the world, as well as design, through a unique lens of empathy. Whether it was helping my customer discover the perfect product to fit their needs, listening to their personal banking struggles, or getting to the root of a complex philosophical issue, I listened and tried my best to truly understand the “why”. My background has required me to learn how to analyze and effectively communicate people’s motivations, desires, troubles, and thoughts without letting my biases cloud my work. 

So why did I get into UX?

A few years ago I began to crave a career that had space for me to grow, and that was rewarding, challenging, and stable. I knew that whatever I chose to do had to be based in the human experience. User experience research allows me to understand and care about people and their experiences in a new way. This means leading with empathy in everything I do as a researcher. It also means humanizing the digital products that we use every day. For me, humanizing digital products means creating with intention. I believe that the intention should always be to solve real problems that people are facing and create a better experience for the user. I want people to truly enjoy the products that they use, whether it’s for work or play, good UX can always leave a positive impact on the user.