How I became a Product Designer

My path to UX wasn’t exactly traditional—back when I was in school, no such degree even existed. I actually thought I’d be the next Katie Couric, but after realizing I didn’t love being on camera (at all), I shifted gears to advertising. I dreamed of designing magazine layouts—beautifully curated pages with quippy copy and bold imagery—but convinced myself I wasn’t “creative enough.” So, I played it safe and took an internship in media buying—spreadsheets, numbers, data. Predictable. Practical. Safe.

But life had other plans. I didn’t end up in advertising, but I did find something even better—designing experiences that blend creativity, function, and problem-solving. My foundation in Information Architecture shaped the way I approach design—organizing complexity, creating clarity from chaos, and ensuring that every experience is intuitive and purposeful. Over time, I transitioned from designing solutions myself to defining the vision, strategy, and structure that enable design teams to thrive.

My Philosophy

I believe great design happens when people feel supported, challenged, and empowered. Just as I once focused on understanding users—their needs, frustrations, and goals—I now apply that same mindset to design teams and business objectives. My leadership style is built on guiding designers to think critically, align design with business impact, and push the boundaries of innovation. I focus on setting the strategic direction, fostering a culture of excellence, and ensuring that design is not just seen as execution, but as a core driver of business success.

I thrive in complex, fast-moving environments, leading cross-functional teams to create user-centered, scalable solutions. Whether defining a design vision, streamlining processes, or advocating for design at the leadership level, I’m passionate about building high-performing teams that create meaningful experiences.

While I may have abandoned my dream of being on camera, I now get to do something even more fulfilling—lead, inspire, and shape the future of design. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

What I do when I'm not working

When I’m not in front of my computer you’ll find me completely unplugged— exploring the great outdoors with my family. We love to overland, hike, camp, and hang out at the beach, soaking up nature and making memories away from screens.

When I am home, I’m usually tending to my (still slightly sad, but improving!) garden, taking care of my backyard chickens, or bouncing between kid birthday parties—whether planning them or just chauffeuring my kids to one. My life while beautiful, is often times messy -- but it is all mine to cherish every moment of.

Career Timeline

  • AUGUST 2005 - SEPTEMBER 2006

    I was hired as a Web Project Manager for 3M. At the time, “user experience” wasn’t a thing. But as I received requests to pass on to the developers, I couldn’t help but look at it from all angles and determine if there was a better way and would ask myself “did this make sense”?

  • DECEMBER 2006 - SEPTEMBER 2007

    As an Online Merchandising Specialist for Dell, my focus was on how to market or where place promotions (etc.) within the Dell website for Dell branded products and third-party products. I’m pretty sure I started “sketching” things in PowerPoint to show best placement and potential header, copy and CTAs. But still didn’t know what I was doing was bigger than “product placement”.

  • SEPTEMBER 2007 - JUNE 2010

    This is where my eyes were opened. The PGi web team was pretty much a startup, so my job was very loosely defined. But I naturally gravitated towards some of the same things I was doing previously and thankfully, it was noticed by our Director Of Web Strategy. She took me under her wing and was a mentor to me. She introduced me to this whole wide world of User Experience. I learned about user interviews, user testing, personas, wireframing, interaction notes and so much more. I was hooked!

  • JULY 2010 - DECEMBER 2012

    After PGi, I got to work from one of the top Digital Design Agencies in the world - Razorfish. While there I worked with a variety of clients, both big and small, and really honed my skills and knowledge as an Information Architect. I partnered with some seriously talented designers and watched them take my slightly colorful “wireframes” and turn them in to elegant designs, that I then I would define each and every click, tap, hover, swipe to the developers. But I still wanted to do more.

  • JANUARY 2013 - PRESENT

    Out of all the stops along my journey, working for Dell has been the biggest area of growth for me. I started as a “traditional” UX Architect, doing the whole wireframes and interactions notes thing; but the Dell design team saw the industry change from creatives having “specialized” or specific skills to needing what I’ve heard called a UX Unicorn. Now, I don’t claim to be this unicorn, but I definitely do more than IA these days. The design team transition enabled me to really dig in to many areas of the UX world and put all of past jobs and skills in to one role — UX Designer. I perform everything from research to strategy to design to prototyping to content creation to leading workshops and more. I have done all of these things as a team contributor and as a team lead. I can’t wait to see where my journey takes me from here.