About
I am a trusted UX Design manager, partner, and doer with an 18-year career that began when I taught myself HTML and CSS. By the seventh grade, I had already constructed three websites, then rode the crest of the dot-com wave until after college.
I've since worked across various sectors, including agencies, start-ups, fintech, and higher education, where I've curated a blend of design and tech skills. Today, I lead a UX team to practice user-centered design.
Outside work, I have two self-published books, and I'm a public transit advocate, family researcher, Pallas cat conservationist, and artist.
Learn more about what I'm doing in my current role!
UX isn't checking a box or cleaning a mess. It's a proven method of solving human problems. Without commitment and empathy, you're just pushing mop buckets.
Nobody's experience is universal. Diversity and inclusion are the foundation of creativity, so a design team should reflect that. Assemble different perspectives and let people express them.
Successful teams have well-defined processes, value, and intentions, so everyone isn't arbitrarily "doing stuff." Defining how to work smarter, not harder, sets everyone in the same direction.
Designers need time and space to live, play, and grow. Unless this is the White House during a crisis, there's no reason why we can't create a safe and inspiring environment.
Daddy chill. UX without users is just design — anyone can do that. When you prioritize human needs, dollars will come.
Proving UX works is no short order. That's why partnering with data, research, product, and strategy teams is essential to make insights-driven decisions and measure success.
MANJI [mahn-jee] · n. Charms and symbols of luck, divinity, and spirituality — often used by Jains and Buddhists of ancient Persia, India, China, and Japan.
"Manji" is defined as an ability to bring luck and benediction to those who use it. In some cultures, it is a symbol of infinity or continuing creation.
The most notable metaphysical beliefs with energetic and elemental principles have roots in ancient China. Historically, Taoist cosmology and feng shui used energy maps called baguas to identify and enhance eight vital areas of life: family, prosperity, reputation, relationships, creativity, career, spirituality, and health.
A series of lines called "trigrams" represent those vital areas and encircle a yin-yang, which represents balance and change. Both must give rise to each other in turn. In some nations, purple represents royalty, nobility, power, ambition, and creativity. Thus, a purple yin-yang governs the cosmic duality of all of those concepts.
All of these ideas inspired the Manji Designs logo and formed the basis of its creative philosophy.The belief that design is a guiding tool essential for profitability mirrors the ancient methods of architectural enhancement and continual creativity. Design is not a janitorial process, but a strategic intention that aligns ambition with creativity.
