Now that you've seen a bit of my work,
here's a bit more about me.

How I got started in design

My family loved the adage "Choose a job you love, and you will never work a day in your life." I believed that becoming an artist would fulfill that adage. It turns out, however, that the adage isn't true, and I have certainly worked some days.

I learned the hard way that it is important to have a job that is separate from your hobbies.

I've been a business owner, a graphic designer, a commission artist, a panel-beater, a child-care worker, a salesman, a tutor, a frontline social care worker, and a volunteer as well, but the thing that always appealed to me the most about work was working with other people and making their lives a little better than before. I never stopped wanting to be a creative, though, and was continually searching for a way to marry creativity and compassion for others into something I could call a 'job'.

Becoming a designer came quite easily for me then, because at its core that's what design solutions are all about. As it turns out, you don't need to make grand, sweeping gestures or profound artworks to change the world; Sometimes, little improvements for the people you interact with each day is enough.

I craved a role that would allow me to pursue this work to its greatest capacity, which lead me to User Experience Design (or UX). I closed my graphic design business of nearly five years to pursue a Master's Degree in Interaction Design and Electronic Arts with The University of Sydney, from which I graduated with a Distinction average.

What I've been working on

Most recently, I worked in local government in Australia as the web specialist for a local government area with a population of over 100,000 residents, swelling to 400,000 during peak tourist seasons.

I managed the council web presence across a total of eight external websites, and one intranet, and was the sole developer, designer and tester for the creation of four new websites.

It was an excellent opportunity for me to flex my experience design skills, and I proved its value by reducing customer calls and enquiries to almost zero in the departments I have worked with, as customers are now able to resolve their questions and tasks at the website on the first try thanks to my life-centred design work.

I have since left that position to pursue a new life in Canada, however I hope to continue working in a similarly challenging and rewarding role in future. In the meantime, I am working on rebuilding my website from scratch in a CMS-less platform to further strengthen my skills.

What I'm curious about

Above all else, I want to see how design, technology, art and compassion can be used in unison to create holistic experiences for all people that go beyond a simple fix to a problem and create something with a lasting impact.

I'm a strong advocate for designs that consider the 'Curb Cutout Effect' and designing for the fringe user, and I hope to see those considerations implemented in everything I contribute to. Recently I have been focusing on designing for stress, as stress cases are an excellent example of the curb cut effect in digital spaces.

At some point in the future when I have the time to devote to it, I would love to further the research I completed during my Master's dissertation, and undertake a PhD to explore the concept of 'emotional accessibility' in design.