Design: Aesthetics and Usability

I focus on creating a great user experience—a balance of visual appeal and ease of use. My skills include graphic design, XHTML/CSS, cross-browser compatibility, and basic programming and scripting (e.g. Java, PHP, and ActionScript).

I am currently a graduate student in the Interaction Design program at Carnegie Mellon University.This summer I'm interning with the Google user experience team in New York!

Recent Solo Work

Recent Group Work

GURU is the result of a semester-long group project for a course sponsored by Microsoft and Motorola, in which we were asked to develop a new social service from the ground up—starting with identifying a market. It is a service that helps teenagers discover and grow creative interests and learn about the vast array of creative careers with the help of industry professionals.

GURU has two components—a website and a browser add-on. The browser add-on recommends careers and professionals to teens based on the content that they are viewing. On the website, teens can explore day-in-the-life stories and other content posted by professionals, ask questions of professionals, and share their interests with friends. GURU is based on an advertising model and is free to both teens and professionals.

My team was chosen by our Microsoft liason and our instructors to present our project at the Microsoft Design Expo this summer, which is part of the Microsoft Faculty Summit. You can read more about the project and my team's process on our blog.

Design Interests

• Web/UI
• Exhibit/Environmental

I like to create fun interactions that help people get the information they need and discover new things.

Education

• Current graduate student in the Interaction Design program at Carnegie Mellon University, expected graduation May 2011
• BA in Art Studio and English from the University of California, Santa Barbara