Design Philosophy

The idea is that the intersection of my knowledge of applied design and research through hands-on experiences and the Study of User Experience Design and Research at Purdue fits in similar to that of a Jellyfish. I realized this early on in my education. That is our job to highlight aspects that need improvements and empathize with the user and stakeholders but also to move along the process and leave behind some data points. These data points may be useful down the road, so it's still in your pond water to ride the current back to, you just don't highlight it in the dark.

 

My ultimate goal is to make an impact on a user’s everyday life. User Experience will allow me to do this by combining my love for consumer/product relationships and user empathy. My passion started at a young age with my annual summer visit to my grandparent’s farm. Thinking about the experience with my grandparents, I once described it as:  

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“The human side of things usually gets overlooked when products are being made. In a small town, like my grandparents, the sense of community is unreal. For example, high schoolers would just load groceries for senior citizens, without being asked. This would never happen in a busy city. This reminds me of user experience, in fact. When you are a part of a project, and work for the user’s benefit, instead of overlooking the end-user, you help them ‘load their groceries.”

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This led to some of my core goals of keeping the user in mind first. This can be difficult when working in a corporate world and time constraints are ever-constant. Personas are usually made for this, but truthfully they are overlooked and only used at the last minute to tell stories not for user journey mapping or throughout the process. Thus, keeping the user you are designing for and your morals at heart is key.

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The trips to my grandparents helped develop my passion for being actively engaged with others. This could be seen through my high school and college career when I aided teachers, took leadership positions, and sought out new opportunities. A key example is in my tech class, which built the sets for the annual plays. I also led a team in the analysis of the most efficient plan, design, and cost-effective materials for a picnic table for a local church. I took any opportunity that came my way. One of which included taking college-level classes during my senior year in high school. These provided valuable soft skills, such as communication, cooperation, empathy, presentation, and being an active listener. My involvement didn’t just stop within my high school, though. I was actively involved in the community also.

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When I think back to my Jellyfish and what I have learned so far in the real-world experiences you don't just work with designers, artists, programmers, or researchers. The work includes many more stakeholders. There are not just jellyfish in the pond that swim around you. It's taking that time to listen and understand their pain points and understand that everyone is human. That we all have off days and that it's okay to cry. That taking it one step at a time is how things get into motion. That is how you start to figure out what you can do to help. 

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            My ultimate goal is to make an impact on the user’s everyday life, and there is no doubt I will. If you want to get in contact with me, I can be reached through the following email: sharpeuxdesign.purdue@gmail.com.