About me
Who’s David?
Hey, what’s up! I’m a full-time Product (UX) Designer living in the Chicagoland area (specifically Evanston) who loves YouTube, sharing funny TikTok videos with friends and family (yes I’m that person), and hanging out with my family.
Why did I get into design?
I got into design one semester into my original major at DePaul University. Before I transferred to DePaul, my mentor and I discussed working in tech and going down the IT cybersecurity career path. Originally, I didn’t have a true passion for cybersecurity or IT work but I strongly knew that I wanted to work in tech, I just didn’t know which vertical.
My first class at DePaul was called Interactive Design & Prototype. This is where I came to find my passion for UX/UI design. It was in this class where I was introduced to the pioneer of User Experience, Don Norman. We read what I call the UX manifesto “The Design of Everyday Things”. In all actuality, I had no idea what any of it meant at the time, but it was something about the invisibleness of how things were made that intrigued me. The level of genius thought behind mundane objects like chairs, doors, forks, and knives to websites, and iPhone apps.
A semester later, I came to a crossroad. The classes where I was able to design and learn about design were the classes I put in the extra effort. I would go to my professor’s office hours to pick their brains about homework and projects. I started to begin to pay attention to things around me that were and weren’t designed properly. I felt alive and happier in my design classes.
The most impactful lesson from my career so far
At my first design job, I was tasked with answering Zendesk support tickets. This gave me consistent a 360-degree feedback loop between our users and developers. This being my first stint as a designer, this allotted me to learn about our product inside and out. I learned what it took to translate user issues to developers and vice versa. Easily one of the best learning experiences of my career thus far.