My Approach
Design Philosophy
My approach to design is grounded in a maker mindset, shaped by curiosity, systems thinking, and empathy. I prioritize understanding real user needs before defining solutions, using early prototyping and iteration within real-world constraints to reduce complexity and design systems that are intuitive, scalable, and purposeful.
Exploring the Ship Smart Ecosystem
Foundation in Making
Born on Halloween, I’ve been a maker from an early age, designing and building my own costumes long before I understood what product design meant. Every project begins with a question. For Halloween, it might be, “How can I turn myself into a Venus flytrap?”, “What sea creature could I be that people would recognize but still find creepy?”, and for SeedPOPS! (formerly VeggiePOPS!), it was, “How can I get kids excited about growing vegetables?” That habit of starting with a question shaped how I approach problem-solving.
Product Design
SeedPOPS! (formerly VeggiePOPS!) emerged directly from this way of thinking. While working in classrooms and helping install gardens across hundreds of schools, I saw firsthand how difficult it was to make gardening feel approachable for kids, parents, and teachers. Asking how to make growing vegetables fun, easy, and intuitive became a turning point in my life. That question led me to develop a patented product, guiding it from concept and prototyping through manufacturing, national retail distribution, and licensing. SeedPOPS! became my first deep immersion in product design, shaping how I approach creating solutions that balance creativity, usability, and real-world constraints.
Discovering UX
I discovered UX more formally in product design school, where I was introduced to human-centered design principles. That’s when everything clicked. UX gave structure and language to what I had been doing intuitively, designing with intention, empathy, and purpose, and connected my love of making with strategy and measurable impact.
Hands-On Craft
Over the years, that curiosity has taken many hands-on forms, including jewelry making, woodworking, furniture restoration, sewing, and 3D printing. Each discipline reinforced my instinct to build, test, and learn through experience, deepening my understanding of how complex systems can be made approachable and relatable.
Where Passion Meets Practice
Today, my profession and passions are deeply intertwined through making and creating. I bring that same maker mindset to every project, building systems and workflows that reduce friction, create clarity, and help teams and products move forward with confidence.
