A decade. It's crazy to think it has almost been that long. Back then terms like ‘product design’ didn’t exist. It was a wild west and we were just starting to understand what we really did. Terms like User Experience were buzzwords. Twitter had yet to go public on the NYSE. Instagram had just been purchased in the largest acquisition to that point, $1 billion.
Now, a decade later I can look back and see the growth that has occurred in the industry, but also the growth that’s occurred in myself. I’ve gone from Director of User Experience at a three person startup to a Product Designer at Facebook. That move isn’t that strange in today’s world of UI/UX design, but it’s something I couldn't have fathomed 8 years ago.
I got my first Product Designer position before I knew what that was and figured it out as I went. Thanks to mentors who took a chance on me I have continued to grow in the thing I'm most passionate about, solving problems.
What you find here is not a portfolio of Dribbble shots that will be changed out with the waxing and waning of trends. It is not a snapshot of my career as I search for my next job. It is an enduring documentation of how far I’ve come and how far I’ve yet to go.
My name is Alex. And I’m a Product Designer.
My passion for flying and a unique experience over my birthday lead me to rethink the current layout of the cockpit and how we might look ahead at the future of user interfaces, emerging technology, and changing aviation trends and imagine a world of safer, more connected flying.
See Case StudyIn my product designer role in Facebook’s Ads and Business Platform, I work at the intersection of data and advertising. My focus since I joined has been on how to take our complex advertising interfaces and simplify it for the next generation of growing businesses, while finding scalable solutions for existing customers.
Case Study Coming SoonSee All Previous ExperienceWhat started as a way for a designer and a few developers to have some fun on the side has grown into a vehicle for continued learning, exploring new ideas, and working with interesting clients. We've been able to help non-profits reach more people, train up freelancers learning the industry, and explore other creative outlets like apparel design and videography.
I started bartending in between stints in college. When I started working full time, I missed being behind the bar slinging drinks. Instead of going back to that, I started teaching my friends how to make their own drinks. And then their friends. Before I knew it, I was teaching the city how to drink.
Even though we're in the middle of a pandemic, I'm (thankfully) still working full-time, devoting time to other projects, and spending quality time with my family. I will be working on this over time. If you're interested in seeing things as they progress, sign up below and I'll do my best to keep you updated.