"It is that little space between what users want to do, try to do and what they actually can do with a device that I find most fascinating, because at that very point is a design opportunity to improve upon the device and the users experience."
Hi, I'm Val
I am a User Experience Analyst living in Atlanta, GA and currently working with an amazing team at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It really does not much matter what the medium is
as long as the outcome is creative, well-thought out, user-centered, accessible and desirable. I love
observing people and determining what it is that make them tick. I enjoy employing innovative
ways to extract information from people in an effort to provide an optimal design. I love
technology, typography, graphic design, traveling foreign lands, good music, good food, mind
benders, gardening and I am an animal enthusiast.
Now a little about what I've been up to for the past ten or so years...
Career Switch
For as long as I care to remember I had been employed as an Administrative Specialist. First while
enlisted in the US Air Force and then with various local business in Seattle WA, Knob Noster MO,
and Warner Robins GA. During the year 2002, I came to the conclusion that I know longer wanted to
be an Administrative Specialist. At that time I decided to enrolled in the Information Technology
program at Macon State College in Macon Georgia. After attending Macon State for approximately
three semesters I transfered to American Intercontinental University (AIU - Online), where I received
my BFA degree in Visual Communication - Digital Design.
My First Design Gig
Sometime in August of 2005 I was hired by Advanced Core Consulting (ACC) as a Graphic
Designer (this was just 5 months after graduating from AIU). ACC was an extremly small
company and was just getting started. Matter of fact there were only three people in the
entire company; the boss, myself and one developer. My first design assignment was to create
a User Interface for the DoD AIMS Office (not one of my better designs I must admit). As time
moved on I became pretty efficient at designing, developing and maintaing the company webite
and creating a variety of digital content.
Present Day
I've come a long way since that first design gig in 2005. I have been with the CDC for a little over years now, and I must say I have grown by leaps and bounds. Today I contribute to
multiple project teams, and whereas I serve mainly as the end-user advocate (ensuring their
needs are being exceeded) I also enjoy sitting in as a front-end visual designer. In addition
to facilitating end-user workshops (Design Thining and Focus Group sessions), I also split my
time up between Section 508 Compliance Assessments, as well as the development of
end-user/system documentation and instructional video tutorials.