Photo credit: SmugMug

Photo credit: SmugMug

Hello! My name is Amy.

 

About me

I’m a design operations professional-in-the-making, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Previously, I worked as a UX designer, facilitating and creating elegant and durable solutions for design problems in a variety of verticals — enterprise marketing, finance, and healthcare, to name a few. After an unexpected layoff, I decided to re-evaluate my career and take much needed time with my two wonderful kids.

My time away has helped me grow and focus, showing me that my true strengths lie in facilitation, coordination, and project management. Now, I’m coming back to my job hunt refreshed, and I’m seeking a role in design program management, adding my strengths atop my background in design. I’ve been helping companies build usable, beautiful, digital products since 2010.

Besides supporting my family, my most impactful work to date was running Hexagon UX at both the global and local levels, facilitating mentoring relationships in the Bay Area, and giving other local community leaders the tools to do the same.

Photo credit: R. George Komoto

Photo credit: R. George Komoto


How I got started

As a kid, I couldn’t decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. I was good at a bit of everything — Jill-of-all-trades, master of none — which explains why interdisciplinary fields like cognitive science and human-computer interaction were so appealing. And now, years later, I’m still striving to work across disciplines, joining my operational skills with my deep knowledge of the way design works within organizations large and small.


What I’ve been working on

My current job has been figuring out what I want to do next! This break from office life to focus has opened my eyes to the sheer amount of work and help it takes to keep a household running calmly. I’ve enjoyed learning and building community on the home front, and I’m excited to use this new knowledge and get back to helping designers do what they do best!

If you’re interested in my previous design work, check out some of my projects.


What I’m curious about

Lately, I’ve been exploring the theme of balance:

  • How can we promote balanced design/engineering/product management triads?

  • Does do we cycle through work and life tasks to prevent burnout?

  • How do we divide domestic tasks more evenly and with less mental churn?

  • How do we care for our families while also taking the time to care for ourselves?

  • How much time in community is needed versus time apart to focus and recharge?


Speaking of community, watch my chat about Building a UX Community with Hexagon UX from 99U Conference 2019 in New York, NY.