Elevator Pitch
I'm a London-based UX/UI Designer, currently designing the transition to renewable energy at myenergi. I’m also interested in ethical technology design and how society could benefit from more responsibly designed products and experiences.
Previously
I spent 6 years creating digital content for the UK’s largest children’s charity - Barnardo’s. This period was incredibly varied, and I made things like an immersive 360 degree video experience, a 20-episode (and counting) podcast, an oral history project, a script for award-winning actors, the charity’s most successful Tweet. I also wore many hats: social media marketer, content creator, copywriter, live tweeter, podcaster, videographer, interviewer, event organiser, website manager, charity shop volunteer, workshop facilitator, model, meme maker, mascot.*
Why UX/UI?
I was exposed to the world of user research and user-centric design when running a co-design workshop. I was asking children and young people what they want from online spaces, after being seconded to the team redesigning the website. It made me see the importance of getting the clearest possible picture of user needs and experiences. The process was also incredibly fun.
I also made a podcast series following a group of care-experienced young people, who were using a design thinking process to improve the care system - specifically, reducing loneliness and isolation among those within it. Using things like ideation, design sprints and prototyping, they produced a set of recommendations for the Government - who essentially designed a service (the care system) without ever speaking to a user (the young people in it). This project made painfully clear the frustrations of what happens when that’s done.
Love
New notepads, black coffee, documentaries, discovering new music, walking with a podcast, popcorn at the cinema, Wikipedia, boxing, fresh watermelon, talking to weird people, pub gardens, the smell of a new city.
Hate
Adverts, brain freeze, lying politicians, diving in football, clickbait, the price of popcorn at the cinema, morning alarms, hidden unsubscribe buttons in emails, the Youtube homepage, slow walkers, sandwiches with a poor bread-to-filling ratio, rudeness.
Random
My favourite song is Ocean by John Butler, I love backpack travelling (and making videos of my adventures), I played Dr Watson in a Sherlock Holmes play when I was 10, I have been seriously mistaken for Daniel Radcliffe, I have a tattoo of a chicken burger*, my favourite book is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, I’ve been to 5 out of 7 continents, I once purchased a SEGA Megadrive and 12 games for £1, I’ve appeared in the Daily Mail*, my (current) favourite podcast is The Blindboy Podcast, I was once chased by a pack of wild dogs, I’ve never broken a bone.
*Images and explanations provided at interview stage