I'm trained in architecture and graphic design, and have 25+ years of multidisciplinary design experience {print, brand, web}. For the past 12, I have been focused on product design and UX engineering. Some quick facts about me:
I'm passionate about problem solving: I'm 100% convinced that EVERYTHING can be designed better.
- Take me into any bathroom and I'll give you a full teardown of what's wrong with it. I can't switch off the "why was it built this way, and why isn't it actually solving the problem?" reflex.
- Deeply empathetic to users, and genuinely frustrated when design fails them for no good reason. Whether it's a poorly placed handicapped ramp, a hard to read airport sign that makes someone miss a flight, an onboarding flow that loses anyone who isn't fluent in tech, design can always do better by them and that gap is the thing I can't leave alone.
I do my best work, and enjoy the design process the most, when working in teams.
- The best ideas rarely arrive fully formed from one brain. I do my sharpest thinking bouncing off PMs, engineers, and other designers.
- I'm a firm believer in leaving egos at the door and structuring a project's team based on the superpowers that each member brings to the table who is best at each of the tasks. The goal is to always set the team for success.
I'm equal parts confident in what I know as a designer, and ok with raising my hand when I don't have sufficient knowledge and need support.
- "I don't know yet, but I know how to find out" is a complete sentence. Knowing where my expertise ends is part of the expertise.
I welcome criticism: I survived 5 years of architectural school.
- Public crits at 2am build a thick skin and a good ear — I've learned to hear the note under the noise and separate my ego from the work.
- I admit that sometimes I can get stuck with a particular approach and I recognize that I need fresh eyes to help me validate whether that's the right path, or help me understand whether I've missing something in my analysis.
I'm fluent in English and Spanish and have basic understanding of French Portuguese.
Eternally curious + always learning: love collecting skills.
- Motion, prototyping, a little code, a lot of "how does this actually work?" — my toolkit keeps growing because I can't help poking at things.
- New tool, new discipline, new rabbit hole: I treat each one as a souvenir, not a chore.
I'm not afraid to speak my mind and I'm proactive in recommending different approaches.
- I'll champion an idea hard and drop it just as fast when someone makes a better case. The goal is the right answer, not my answer.
- Design is best done in environments with constant brainstorming and discussions that welcome challenging ideas and design decisions.
I'm good at creating engaging presentations.
- I'm particularly good at hunting down for fun metaphors that turn technicalm, boring concepts into easy-to-digest insight.
- Give me a dense system diagram and I'll find the one analogy that makes the whole room nod at once.
As detailed-oriented as any purist Swiss designer. That said, once "form has followed function", I believe in adding an extra level of fun.
- Grids, spacing, and type hierarchy are non-negotiable: I guarantee I'll notice the 2px nobody else did.
- Once the fundamentals are locked, I earn the right to add the delight: the micro-interaction or small surprise that makes people smile.
Adapt fast to new technologies and good at moving among different mediums.
- Web, mobile, print, prototype, whiteboard — I switch mediums without losing the thread.
- I tend to be fast at mastering new software, which helps the medium not become an obstacle to the proces.