alex at work

calligraphy of alex @ combined with serif font of work; name calligraphy by Megan Dang, @work logo by Alex, serif font is Silvana.

personas met along the way

Some of the user archetypes I've researched, designed for, and worked with over the years.

  • app developers
  • business intelligence seekers
  • cloud engineers
  • design students
  • doctors
  • educators
  • engagement managers
  • entrepreneurs
  • executives
  • farmers
  • government contractors
  • health care administrators
  • home healthcare therapists
  • IT administrators
  • jewelry buyers
  • library administrators
  • logistics analysts
  • microchip developers
  • military veterans
  • middle-aged nostalgia seekers
  • music fans
  • nurses
  • patients
  • pet owners
  • pharmaceutical executives
  • product managers
  • project managers
  • retail sales
  • RFID engineers
  • tech sales makers
  • shoe buyers
  • store managers
  • telecom engineers
  • transportation
  • warehouse leads

roles

Many of these titles shared job descriptions, but some stretched me and made me better.

  • analyst
  • chief design officer
  • content strategist
  • copywriter
  • graphic artist
  • front-end developer
  • information architect
  • interaction designer
  • knowledge engineer
  • principal product designer
  • product owner
  • project lead
  • prototyper
  • sys admin
  • taxonomist
  • teacher
  • team lead
  • user researcher
  • ux manager
  • ux writer
  • visual designer
  • web content manager
  • webmaster
  • writer

tools i love

Pretty much living in Figma the past few years, but who isn't?

  • Airtable
  • Balsamiq
  • Bootstrap
  • CSS, CSS3
  • D3
  • Figma
  • HTML, HTML5
  • Illustrator | Adobe
  • InVision
  • JavaScript
  • OmniGraffle
  • Photoshop | Adobe
  • Sketch
  • Sublime Text
  • Trello
  • XD | Adobe

all about alex

how i work

I solve problems with design, using whatever building blocks are available. My goal is to foster better understanding by making data usable - in other words, to convert data into useful information and knowledge. I measure my work by the people on the other side of the screen (see the partial list of personas I've supported, above).

Things I love working on include data visualization, information architecture, interaction design, user research, content strategy, information design, accessibility, and the evergreen cycle of learning, mentoring, and teaching. Mostly I enjoy transforming big, complicated problems into straightforward solutions.

Currently writing Usable Color for Rosenfeld Media, due out in 2025.

what people are saying

One of the...

…best designers I have ever worked with.
—Jennifer Ehrlich, PhD, Usability Researcher

…best product owners I have worked with.
—Geethika Gummadi, Senior Project Leader

…most analytically sophisticated managers I've ever worked with.
—Greg Sawyer, BI Architect

…most supportive co-workers I have ever had.
—Nansi Hall, Writer

…most detail-oriented, self-sufficient and motivated UX professionals I have met in my career.
—Jim Machajewski, Director of UX

visualizing a full-stack design career

This Google Charts Sankey diagram of my skill stacks is adaptive but not responsive (it will load to fit your viewport, down to 300px, but you must manually reload if you change window size). A good overview of how different roles made use of my areas of expertise. Coded by yours truly.