Biography:
As a U.S. – German dual citizen, I want to be part of the global future of interaction & experience design. I am currently a second-year graduate student at Indiana University, studying Human-Computer Interaction & Design (HCI/d).
I have several passions & life goals: something I think about often is the health of humans and the environment. It is frustrating that poor health and chronic disease are plaguing our comparatively wealthy nation. My interest in the environment may have developed from growing up in a forest in the Olympic Mountains, and through Boy Scouts. I was active as a scout for seven years, finishing with the Eagle rank. Another passion is interactive gaming. I’ve been a game enthusiast my whole life, and have even run a few niche fan-sites for an online MMORPG. I built and operated massive MySQL databases containing thousands of “PvP death instances” and developed statistics that ranked the most ruthless player-killers worldwide. I plan to design an independent, interactive game and have it developed by the year 2017.
I’m striving to become a worldly individual and to experience life to the fullest. This year I spent four months abroad as a user-experience intern for SAP AG in Walldorf, Germany. I believe that traveling and working abroad are experiences that help open eyes to different cultures and raise awareness of world issues, resulting in greater tolerance and a more global understanding of humanity. In my spare time I engage in rock climbing, music, arduino, gadgets, sketching, DIY and amateur photography.
I love design because it has the power to influence people, emotions, and the world. Good design isn’t static, it moves as we move, and I want to be there to move with it.
Work experience:
SAP – Walldorf, Germany - user experience intern
- Initiated an alternative design concept for the SAP Business ByDesign product
- Built and presented hi/low-fidelity prototypes and wireframes for navigation alternatives
- Translated design documents and video scripts from German into English
Raidious – Indianapolis, Indiana – user experience intern
- Created, tested and updated content for new and existing websites including marsh.net
- Utilized powerful tools to manage mailing lists and create aesthetically pleasing newsletters
- Coded and tested HTML / CSS files and used content management systems on a daily basis