ABOUT RACHEL
I became a designer because I understood the responsibility that we have — far beyond just ‘shaping a discrete piece of software’ — is an opportunity to impact real people’s lives. I wanted to leverage my skills to change the world for the better, and be on the right side of history (even if the planet is doomed, at least I will have never stopped trying).
As I matured in my UX career, I grew other personas that serve me well as a Product Designer:
The Chameleon: I used to think being a ‘jack of all trades’ was negative, but it turns out we call these people 🦄 unicorns in tech. Works out for me because I love learning new skills and having a varied toolkit that I can equip and adapt to different roles.
Elevator Pitcher: Being a consultant and in other client facing roles trained me to present ideas in an engaging way. I also find it fun to craft a compelling story and communicate it in the ‘language’ of your audience (shameless segue to highlight that I can speak 3+ languages 😉). I’m still working on the ‘concise’ part, but I’d make an awesome pitch for a ride up a 100-storey building!
Leader: Not your traditional gavel-striking leader. Instead, I consider myself the diplomat in the room, strategically gathering other experts and harnessing the value of diverse perspectives to find the best solutions. Facilitating dialogue is often what designers spend a lot of time doing, outside of Figmaland/Sketchland, and I’m here for it.
The Advocate: This means being a champion for accessible design (i.e. self-learning then delivering training workshops with my team), representing the user in any strategic product roadmap discussions, and most importantly, advocating for and empowering my mentees to succeed.
Amidst the sea of people trying to be heard, I seek first, to listen. This has helped me in research to understand users' unspoken motivations, informing how I design for them. It has also helped me design with purpose and intent, to critically observe and assess a problem before jumping into a solution. Finally, it means I listen to feedback from others so I'm always improving.
If you’re looking for a team player who’s capable leading design projects and navigating uncertainty or complexity; is relentlessly positive with a passion to do good, you’ve found me!
Some lovely things my colleagues have said about me 🥹...
Looking for my CV 👀? View it below: