My Story

Lighting Designer turned UX Researcher and Strategist

I have been passionate about design since early childhood. As my love of aesthetically beautiful things developed, so too did my fascination with people, the way they interact, and the tools they use in their everyday lives. These interests lead me to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where I deepened my studio practice and continued my investigation of human interactions.

While at RISD, I focused on the unique material qualities of glass, and specifically how optics, light, and perception impact the human experience. Following school, I drew on these insights to design blown glass vessels and evocative illuminated sculptures. As my work in glass grew in complexity and scope, my creative team expanded. I found meaning and inspiration in my creative collaborations with other artists, metal fabricators, electricians, engineers, architects, and contractors.

This realization lead me to seek out new and interesting ways to collaborate with creative teams and ultimately inspired my pursuit of a new professional direction as a User Experience Designer and Researcher. The more experience I gained in the UX space, the more parallels between that work and my work designing and creating custom lighting emerged.  The decade I spent choreographing people's interactions with objects and spaces dovetailed seamlessly with the user-centered design approach I was implementing in the digital space. My work as a lighting designer continues to inform and be informed by my UX work.