I'm Amanda,
nice to meet you.
I’m on a mission to solve the wicked problems we've accepted as unsolvable.
I like to see the bird’s eye view of a project, follow the end-to-end design process, and see how the dots connect. My reward? Helping others while making sure they feel like part of the process.
How I got started in UX
I have ten years of previous experience working in the fashion industry, specifically with lingerie - a deceptively technical garment with a deceptively subtle effect on wearers' lives. It was in those fitting rooms where I discovered what has become my career focus and my reason for transitioning to UX: to improve people’s lives by improving the products and services they use.
Check out my Medium article on the Parallel Processes of Fashion and UX.
My greatest strength
Listening to the user with empathy and compassion is something I consider paramount to UX design. I don’t know if it’s my strongest skill, but it’s certainly the one I work hardest at, and one which I value the most.
A user’s experience matters, not just in the context of the product but in the context of their own life. I’m here to improve the product, but my end goal is for that product to improve someone’s quality of life, even if it’s so small an improvement that they never even notice it. Maybe especially if they never notice it.
What else I do
I'm a fashion resaler. It’s about the thrill of the hunt and the triumph of the discovery - but it’s also about keeping clothing in the wear cycle and making a little extra cash. I love digging through thrift stores, antique shops, flea markets, and garage sales for exciting vintage and second-hand items with lots of style potential. Much of what I find gets resold on platforms like Poshmark and eBay - but the majority ends up in my own wardrobe, or cycling through my friends’ closets via my annual clothing swap parties.
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I'm also into making jewelry of my own. I got into the craft of jewelry-making while working for a bead and antique store in Seattle. While there, I was exposed to so many delicious materials that I couldn’t resist teaching myself the craft. I’ve recently leveled up my jewelry game by taking metal fabrication classes, where I’ve learned a handful of valuable techniques so far. I’ve also learned that metal and fire are really, really fun to play with.