Melanie (me)
A little about me
Why I got into UX Consulting...
Ever since I worked in Tajikistan on a project to create more access for socio-economic change through language learning, I no longer feel content to work on products that make people's lives that are already good a little better - I want to help solve real needs that have a meaningful impact on others' lives. When I came to the Valley I met with many people from non profits and businesses who had many digital needs and problems, but did not have the infrastructure or budget to hire on a whole person to solve them. Thus, I decided to start UX consulting so that I could take on work at the project level and help support many great causes and the local economy.
My professional background:
Through taking on work contracted under the DOD and based abroad as the first woman in a technical role – I have learned a lot about designing with limited technology and user knowledge, along with navigating cultural differences and infrastructure challenges due to working at startups and overseas. Additionally, I have found that because of my technical background I am able to work through the feasibility of a design and maintain good relationships with the developers I work with. Also, at each of these ventures, I have taken the initiative to not only take on increasing levels of responsibility and leadership in my field but to also improve the organization culture, collaboration, and mentorship.
Qualifications:
Completed at VT
Bachelors of Computer Science,
Honor Scholar Diploma May 2017
Completed at VT
Relevant Coursework -Software Engineering, Human Centered Design, Cultures of Design, Research Through Design, HCI Models and Theories, Human Information Processing
Relevant Coursework - Creative Computing Studio, Design of Information, Undergraduate Research, Intro to GUI Programming/Graphics, Intro to HCI, Independent Study
Strengths Quest
A small synopsis of my business, in light of what I do best!
Strategic
Create alternative ways to proceed.
Design is all about choices, and often those are limited because of constraints. Yet, coming up with alternatives in the face of challenge is no stranger to me. Whether constraints were due to limited access to users, programming feasibility concerns, few resources or language barriers, I have always found a way to overcome and deliver value. No matter your circumstances, we can find a way to proceed.
Find it easy to put their thoughts into words.
Communication
Great design starts with conversation and keeps everyone on the same page. Through listening and asking good questions I have led many efforts to understand businesses' and their user bases' needs and values. Additionally, I have had years of experience explaining those insights and their technological impacts to my clients in an accessible way. In our partnership, you can always expect me to be clear and transparent about our work.
Belief
Have certain core values that are unchanging.
Design should be responsibly created and project moral character. I strongly value right living in relationships and communities that propel me to do good in the world. In particular, my faith gives me the courage to live my values both as a business owner and as a person in the everyday. Ethical and moral behavior are two guarantees in my business.
Adept at dealing with problems.
Restorative
UX Design is having the discipline to understand your users and the responsibility to care for them. And this is not only tied to digital designs. As a designer I initiate change to improve the world around me wherever I'm planted - this has included bolstering gender diversity efforts overseas, improving project collaboration on DOD projects despite scaling and project maturity challenges, and facilitating experiences for on-boarding developers to empathize with users. Working together we will not only improve your technology's design but also realize other underlying needs and values that we can address.
Achiever
Have a great deal of stamina and work hard.
Design takes hard work, but I love a challenge. In Tajikistan as the first UX and female programmer at the company, I worked hard to immerse myself in the culture to earn the respect needed to guide the programming team to make important changes to the product to update its user experience. At the DOD, I poured myself into my work such that the research, interaction design and information architecture I produced continues to inform development today. As a student, I fell in love with UX after taking my first class, and threw myself into more classes, research, outreach and teaching that culminated receiving the Undergraduate and Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year. But don't take my word for it - see my recommendations on LinkedIn! You can expect I will bring the same tenacity to work on projects for your business.