CV

About me
and my design process

I’m a California-based product designer, UX strategist and creative producer with a passion for innovation and product user advocacy, a lifelong learner, curious, explorative, creative in work and life and a bit of a dreamer, future thinker.

I didn't set out to be anything in particular, only to live creatively and push the scope of my experiences. I made several transitions along the creative path: visual artist, creative writer, digital artist; photographer, graphic designer/illustrator.

In 2000 I shifted into UX and product design after post-grad studies at University of California, Irvine.

Creative producer, UX Design

Since it's early inception and chaotic evolutionary wave, human-centered design opened up a wide range of possibilities. My creative and collaborative efforts have spanned a wide variety of clientele and user experience design practicum.

Whole-product design
Design thinking
Content strategy
UX Writing
Digital marketing and analytics
Product hypothesis, customer journey, visioning and road-mapping
Iterative UX research
Product management
Coaching, workshops and facilitation

Design philosophy

My design philosophy is to first focus on users, their current workflow or problem solving strategies, then choose the right problem to be solved - areas where UX design might add positive impact, especially a fresher, simpler, more delightful product experience. My designs are clean, minimalist, and adhere to the "FABU Principle" -- the quintessential formula I defined years ago, which stands for Familiar, Accessible, Beneficial and Ubiquitous. Maintaining clarity of vision, core values, and relevancy are also key design principles for value-driven products.

I'm a great admirer of modernist design principles of minimalism and purism, as much as the classical and universal theories, such as sacred geometry, color language, Gestalt principles, and the experimental-evolutionary approach. As process goes, Antoine de Saint-Exupery captures it best:

"Perfection is achieved not when there Is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

Educator, coach, mentor.

In August 2020, I transitioned into the role of educator, coach and mentor, specializing in UX design workshops and immersion courses; training and coaching individuals with limited or evolving knowledge of design thinking, research, product design and product management and design processes.

I coach design students to excel in creative practice, process, in turning ambiguity into solid, sustainable design ideas, and in optimizing screen interaction designs around real world experiences.

Post-graduate studies, plein air painting

The educator position afforded the the opportunity to further my graduate work at Cornell University's Samuel Johnson Graduate School of Management, along with a lifelong dream to pursue watercolor painting, illustration, and field sketching.

I look for the beauty that life has to offer everyday, new horizons, new people, new experiences. With every adventure I look forward to the going, into the open gap, the anticipation between being here and being there -- it's the best feeling ever.

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