I think we as humans were meant to build something. At our core, I believe we're all builders, and when we create something that makes someone pause, take a breath, and smile, that's when we truly feel happy.
It's the moment when you've built something and then watch someone use it. In hindsight, I think that's why I learned just enough design to shape the experience, just enough engineering to bring ideas to life, and just enough product thinking to focus on the right problems. All of it, so I can build. I work at the intersection of these three disciplines because that's where the work becomes meaningful and the choices truly matter.
How I got here
I studied computer science, but I was consistently drawn toward user experience. My first job after graduating as an engineer was at Wishbox Studio as a designer. Working on a small team meant that one day I would be sketching flows, the next day speaking with clients, and every day juggling many different things in my head. That was my first experience working at the intersection of disciplines, and I didn’t want to leave.
In 2021, I started working with Womp as their founding design partner. The canvas (pun intended) was wide open. For Womp, I established the initial patterns, made plenty of mistakes, and learned what it takes to maintain product coherence as a team and user base grow. Titles really don't matter to me, which is why I still don't know exactly how to describe my role. My work is to bridge disciplines so the product can continue moving forward without losing its shape.
What work feels like
Most days start with a question, sometimes prompted by a metric, sometimes by a user's comment that sticks with me, and sometimes by something Womp's founder asks. At a startup, you have to be comfortable with change, knowing that every day can look different.
I sketch the simplest path to an answer, then combine the right mix of design, code, and product sense to get it into someone's hands. I enjoy the process: talking to users, collaborating with design, shaping a component in code, observing sessions, refining the details, and repeating the cycle. One of the less glamorous parts of this work is the stress. Even a small decision can have a big impact. In a small team, and with the trust placed in me to make product decisions, there's considerable pressure. I'm not glorifying hustle culture. Stress is simply part of the job, a big part of it, and it keeps things interesting.
A big part of my role is to ship quickly. Womp's advantage as a startup is speed — being efficient and intelligent about what gets built. For example, to keep the team's speed up, I built KookieUI, a design system I forked from Radix and customized for how the product gets built. It provides a single place for tokens, states, and interaction rules, so a change to a Button or a focus ring updates across the product with a version bump instead of creating a task for frontend engineers. By keeping design decisions in the system and application logic in the product, engineers can focus on performance and data while the interface remains consistent.
Navigating through gaps
It's easy to see every problem as the same when you rely on one skill, but every person brings different priorities to the table. The goal of shipping is not always straightforward, and deciding exactly what to ship is even more complex. My job is to connect those differences and help the team move forward. This is rarely simple. Designers want to create work that is beautiful and refined, engineers want solutions that are efficient to build, and the business team focuses on generating revenue. The challenge is to truly understand what users want from a broad perspective and balance those needs. I don't always get it right, but I'm committed to doing this work as thoughtfully as I can.
What I'm learning
I'm always trying to find the right balance. Sometimes the right move is a light, happy-path release to learn whether anyone reaches for it. Sometimes the right move is to slow down and put in more effort.
I want to leave systems that last, that hold together under pressure, decisions that make sense, and habits that make good choices easier the next time. I want teammates who understand the "why" well enough to improvise without losing the melody. And I want products that feel more honest the longer you use them.
