About me

Lightweight, shorter than average, and fashionable.

 I'm talking about my umbrella. This bright blue shelter that kept me dry from Oregon rain was my prized possession for years. I loved taking it to the park when I'd go with my mom, while my 3 older siblings were in school and my dad was at work; or taking miles-long nature walks with the whole family on the weekends. Even if it wasn't raining I'd be sure to take the umbrella. It wasn't until I was older that I understood why I cherished the blue umbrella so much, even on the days that weren't wet.

The light weight build wasn't too heavy for my 4 year old self to carry on my own, the short and skinny handle satisfied my small hands and toddler height, the method of folding it in was easy to achieve.. it seemed as if whoever designed it knew exactly what they were doing and I was destined to find it, it felt like it was made for me.

The experiences I have with that umbrella are all pleasant memories. Seeing snow fall for the first time, trekking up muddy paths to waterfalls in the Summer, and even posing with it inside my home right after I gave myself a fly haircut(the scene in the picture.) The umbrella binds those memories together because it was the one common factor in all of them. Otherwise, I wouldn't recall those events together since they aren't conventionally related. It's funny because when I was younger I believed the umbrella was the key to what made those memories great, like a good luck charm. Little me believed that wherever my umbrella went, top-notch happiness followed. 

Thinking about it now, I've discovered: that is the power of a well-designed product. It can make you believe it's magic. A well-designed product has inclusive designs, an empathetic touch, and a reliable effectiveness, among a variety of other attributes, that add to its overall charm. These attributes that create a remarkably delightful design can be regrettably overlooked in some design processes and give results that are noticed with ill impressions. My umbrella, on the other hand, provided an experience that made me want to use and bring it everywhere.

Whether talking about a digital product or physical product, it should always be designed with the goal of being easy to use and offering the user a pleasant experience. As a UX Researcher I strive to transform user feedback into digestible insights for satisfying product designs; as a UX Designer I transform those insights into thought-out prototypes and run user tests. Overall my passion is building enjoyable experiences for humans and allowing others to feel as if products are made to fit them- as the umbrella designer did for me.