TLDR
I’ve worked in the tech industry for 14+ years as a researcher, designer, and leader. Now I lead design and research teams for athenahealth.
About Me
I’ve been working in design and technology since 2010.
Early on I was very active in the Austin startup scene, supporting various ventures just getting off the ground. As a self-taught designer, my earliest collaborators were engineers who taught me the ropes of thinking through how a thing goes from a rough idea into something that actually functions.
Eventually I found my way into the wicked studio scene that was Chaotic Moon. I got to rub shoulders with some truly world class design talent. I was a sponge, learning everything I could from fantastic product designers, design researchers, illustrators, and strategists.
Those were the heydays of mobile apps (“There’s an app for that!”) and IoT, so it was a powerful, hands-on education in how to design for mobile apps, web apps, wearables, and all manner of connected devices.
I got to do research and design for some of the biggest brands in the world - everything from luxury goods, to agricultural manufacturing, the mining industry, government agencies, and many household names.
In my time there, I grew from an Interaction Designer, to Senior, to Lead, to Director, and finally to the IxD and Service Design Discipline Lead for the studio.
Eventually we were acquired by Fjord / Accenture, and slowly but surely our lives shifted from studio-based design/build into business management consulting. That life was fascinating and great growth experience, but not for me in the long run.
I cut over to the in-house product design team of athenahealth in 2018. Since then, I’ve run design for a variety of products within the company, including Scheduling, Network Management, Self-Check In, athena’s Patient Portal, Telehealth, Messaging, and athenaPatient Mobile Apps.
We’re responsible for serving patients, doctors, and the various practice staff that use the EMR every day. It’s a huge space with tons of opportunity for ongoing improvement and re-imagination. And it’s work that matters. We are building tools that help real people get the healthcare they need.
During my tenure I’ve also played key roles in standing up our Patient Design Language System and our Patient Research Practice.
A huge part of my role is managing design teams. I’m incredibly proud of the team I’ve built in Austin with my fellow directors. I’ve got a knack for recruiting and love supporting the career development of fresh and high-potential talent from diverse perspectives.
Before My Design Career…
I have been working continuously since I was 13. I’ve done all sorts of things - floral design, catering, seamstress, mowing lawns, cleaning houses… the list is quite long and largely irrelevant these days. Except that I do believe designers benefit from experiences outside of technology and I have tons to draw on.
I left college with degrees in philosophy, fine art, and independent research. I had plans to go to law school to work in Public Policy, but never could make the finances work. Instead I spent some years working with the lawyers of the Children’s Law Center. There I researched and drafted policy improving the plights of children in juvenile detention centers. We focused especially on the factors that drive the high rate at which children who start out in detention for minor issues end up trapped in the system and ultimately wind up in prison.
This experience, especially the research we did, profoundly shaped how I see design and its role in all our lives. Obviously policy is a different “medium” but fundamentally it is systems-shaping-human-societal-interactions and so very much a non-digital form of “software”.
Other Stuff
Outside of work, I garden, write, read, paint, conduct independent research, and much more. I also tinker with vintage cameras occasionally and post about it on Substack.
I currently live in Austin with my favorite human (Josh, a software engineer) and our loud little dog, named Lemon.
Get in Touch
Reach out. Or connect on LinkedIn. I’m always open to chat with other folks in the industry.