About Me
I became interested in user interfaces while working as an MRI technologist. Fascinated by the capabilities of the electronic health record (EHR) and imaging archival systems, I wanted to learn more about how the interfaces for such complex systems made information accessible and actionable for healthcare personnel. I was also curious to learn how programming was able to make static designs come to life as interactive user interfaces. Driven by this, I obtained my Graduate Certificate in Clinical Information Science from the Carolina Health Informatics Program in 2015.
My work afterwards as an EHR support consultant put me on the front lines between the user and the EHR system. For me, working firsthand with healthcare and administrative personnel to analyze and resolve their questions and issues with the system highlighted the importance of putting the user first in interface design. As part of the application support team, I also deepened my exploration of my interests in the behind-the-scenes, inner workings of the system.
In 2016, I began the Master of Science in Information Science (MSIS) program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to learn more about designing and developing optimal user interfaces. There, I studied web and database development, usability evaluation, and user experience (UX) design. I also gained valuable hands-on experience through projects such as developing an online storytelling library for children, and conducting a usability evaluation of the department website.
After graduating with my master's degree in 2018, I started working as a front-end developer for IBM to help create modern development experiences for z/OS mainframe application developers. While integrating design thinking and Agile principles, I contribute TypeScript, JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3, and Java code and documentation to multiple projects via source code management (SCM) systems such as GitHub and IBM Rational Team Concert. I am a Core Committer for the open source Zowe Explorer project, which is a Visual Studio Code extension that allows users to remotely access and interact with their z/OS server via a graphical user interface (GUI). In addition to my official job responsibilities, I also work on patent disclosure submissions, which have resulted in several defensive publications and one submission currently under IBM review.
My favorite part of my work is pairing creativity with problem solving to build solutions that are both appealing and effective. As I continue to grow, I look forward to learning new technologies and expanding my skills in both UX and software development.