Hi, I’m Kim!
an Austinite, born & bred. a Gourmand, Avid Runner, Scuba Diver.
A Bit About Kim. Hi! I’m Kim, an energetic interaction designer from Austin, TX. I’ve spent the last 10 years working in software development, first as a QA engineer, and now as a UX designer and qualitative researcher. I’m a curious and analytical thinker. Deciding to pursue a career path and fields with more social impact, I took a year to train and practice user research, and interaction design at the immersive design school, Austin Center for Design (ac4d.com). Today I work with a team of talented engineers and product as the UX/UI designer to create and deliver new Higher Education products. My best traits are curiosity, observant, active listener, and beaming desire for effective solutions that make the world and experiences better for all (not just most) people.
“Perspective. [Kim] broke it down in a way to give me a clearer perspective when I was clouded by new information. It’s was really hard to think. [She] reframed the situation for me. It helped give me clarity on whether I wanted to pursue my idea or not.”
-- Loan Nguyen, Financial Planner
Before Design. I have worked in a diverse collection of industries including 3 years in software development, banking, education, education services, food services, cosmetology, insurance sales, and even sold a vacuum. My diverse experience reflects my curiosity, and willingness to try new things to gain first-hand knowledge. It’s made me a keen observer, who gets excited to use systems thinking to dissect, analyze, rethink and redesign the world around me for the better.
“When you talk, you always say things from a different perspective. I like that. You always try to understand where people come from. You understand their background... When you talk I say, oh I really need to listen.” -- Team mate
User-Centric. As a designer, the unique perspective I bring comes from listening to and understanding the pains and joys people experience. The most powerful thing I can do is, using what I learn about people, take the technology and services that exist for only a few, and create something accessible and beneficial to the greater population. I am over the moon when I see something I’ve made capture the goals and desires of the people using it.
Goals.
“The future is already here – it’s just not evenly distributed.” — William Gibson.
Learn something new everyday and share it.
Encourage curiosity, and people to try new things.
Make information and resources more accessible.
Lift others out of unnecessary strife.
Have fun with the work I do.
Featured Work
User Research for the local blood donation company called We Are Blood.
UX Research + Service Design Ideation Workshop, 2018
Duration | approx. 4 months
Description | We Are Blood (WRB) is a local blood donation service provider. I worked to conduct qualitative UX research, and process that data using method affinity diagramming to find opportunities for innovation and/or points of friction in their processes to share with the client.
Deliverables | Four presentation decks telling their users' story, research finds, and design recommendations, service slices, a client-facing website of the research findings, and recommendations on how to proceed.
Design Techniques & Tools Used | Contextual Inquiry, Interview Protocol Development, Affinity Diagramming, Service Slicing, Storytelling techniques, Presentation & Meeting Facilitation, Website Development, Workshop Development & Facilitation, Keynote, Google Slide, and Sketch.
A website redesign project for the Digital Marketing and SEO agency, MOTOZA.
UX Research + Website design, 2019
Duration | 106 hours
Description | Motoza's founders were looking to redesign their website in order to attract more potential customers.
Deliverables | User Journey Map, Information Architecture, Problem & Design Criteria Presentation, Mid-Fidelity Wire Frame, Website Content Copy, Custom Vector Illustrations, Assets Collection.
Design Techniques & Tools Used | Contextual Inquiry, Market Research, Provisional Personal Development, Site Mapping, and Audit, Information Architecture Mapping + Redesign, Storytelling techniques, User Flow Wire Framing, Wire Framing, Workshop with the Client, Content Research, Copywriting, User Testing, Sketch, Adobe XD.
A conceptual project that dissects a mobile banking app, takes it through iteration and user testing process.
Bank App redesign + User Testing, 2019
Duration | approx. 3 months
Description | I dissected my mobile banking app, and created a redesign, tested the design updated I made with users. The goal was to learn as much about designing as possible in a short period of time.
Deliverables | Digital Wireframes, User Testing Findings and Design Recommendation Slide Deck
Design Techniques & Tools Used | Information Architecture, User Testing, Design Recommendation Presentation
