About me
Background
First tech job: writing support documentation and acting as webmaster for Hewlett-Packard’s Network Management Tools group.
Since then I’ve worked as a database manager, intellectual property manager, management consultant, information architect, and ultimately, Sr. UX designer.
I have experience across multiple sectors: digital media, finance, consulting, government, public relations, big tech, pharma and sports.
Educational background: BS – English literature, J.D. – Law. I am the founder of Usergoals, a UX consultancy.
Outside of work
I live in New York City, where in pre-socially-distanced days I did standup and improve comedy and played league pool. I like funk drumming, woodworking, reading, and cartooning. I once drove a scooter from NYC to Savannah, Georgia and back. I’m part of a tenants group here in NYC, advocating for more affordable housing in the city.
Websites, Conferences, Social Media
- NYC Scrum User group
- Interaction Design Association (IxDA) NYC
- Jeff Gothelf’s Twitter feed
- An Event Apart Conference (actual actionable learnings)
- Nielsen-Norman Group
Books I like
Along with the classics “Don’t Make Me Think“, “The Design of Everyday Things”, the Edward R. Tufte books, these books have made a specific impact on me:
- “Universal Principles of Design“: provides a vocabulary and breadth of knowledge for working with visual designers.
- Jeff Patton’s User Story Mapping: breaks an intimidating process into doable chunks.
- “Emotional Design” by Don Norman: teaches that by making users feel better, they will do better
- “Why We Fail: Learning from Experience Design Failures“, Victor Lombardi: Schadenfruede? Shows that allowing a bad company culture to influence your role as user zealot can result in catastrophe.
- “Designing Interfaces: Patterns for Effective Interaction Design” by Brewer, Valencia-Brooks, Tidwell: somewhat dated but great guidance on selecting the right charts for your data