YOU CAN'T HAVE GOOD DESIGN WITHOUT GOOD PROCESS
Emu Study is a startup seeking funding to build an app that provides students a way to study on-the-go. Once users input their course material, they can press play and use voice commands to engage in a flashcards style learning experience. I was very pleased to take on this project because I am inspired by user experiences that actually relieve you from interacting with a screen. Never before could you do the dishes while studying for a test coming up. I think there is a lot of opportunity in rethinking our reliance on visual-muanual interaction to solve problems.
I was the sole designer on this team, and played a lead role drafting out the interaction design, branding packages, research material, and login page to illustrate to investors.
The Grip Designer by TRXN Surf Grip, allows customers to put together a custom package of self-adhesive foam cutouts. These foam stickers provide traction while surfing and are an alternative to surf wax. Part of the value of TRXN Surf Grip, is that surfers can use these stickers to give their boards a personal touch. In order to enhance this value, I created a prototype that allows customers to set the dimensions of their board, and create a layout of how they want their board to look using TRXN's available foam stickers. Once the user is done designing, they can calculate the total cost of the stickers they've used, and click "add to cart" when they're satisfied.
I made the interface monochromatic in order to not interfere with the user's design. I prioritized 'ease of use' and withheld from advanced features because I anticipated abandonment would be high if the learning curve was high.
Requiring people to identify themselves before engaging with a product is a pain point that is often ignored by developers. Logging in often leads to frustration when users get their password or username wrong. I created this interaction to try to make the process surprising and enjoyable. Users are rewarded as they fill out the fields by completing the animation. Log in and sign up screens are often a user's first impression of a product, so it is a unique area to show some personality and set things on the right foot.
Be Native is a mobile app that connects foreign language speakers to accent coaches. It was the winner of a business development competition called Startup Weekend in 2016. Four other teammates and I conducted research, developed the business idea, and put together mock-ups of the end product. I facilitated our original brainstorming sessions and designed the user-flow and interface.
Be Native's value was through human interaction with real accent coaches. Because of labor costs, we needed to design a system that got straight to the point, delivering value without time consuming pleasentries. Users are given a lesson each day and are prompted to record themselves saying a given phrase. Accent coaches give feedback and interact with students through a series of back and forth recordings that resembles a dialog box.
I’m a dreamer, thinker, and doer. I love brainstorming and exploring different solutions to problems. I love putting those solutions to test through research and lean development techniques. I love refining and beautifying these concepts to result in something people find useful and delightful. I’m a team player and natural collaborator but can easily dive deep into solo projects, sometimes forgetting to blink.
