Hi, I'm Leah, an HCI designer in Austin, Texas. 

In the early 90s, I learned how computers worked by watching my Father tinker endlessly for years on his Apple computer. He also took me to the printing facility he managed where I watched Pantone paint get mixed and added one layer at a time to a large copper press. At the grocery store, he showed me the glued results, and I realized then at a young age that there is a hidden world of people who make things and influence our world, and I wanted to know more. 

In middle and high school I joined Tech crew, and crewed performances for major plays 2-4 times a year. From this experience, I learned that, in the technology world, if you're doing your job right, nobody will know you're doing your job at all, because the experience of technology should be natural and invisible. All the while, I practiced drawing manga, hoping to one day draw and tell stories that are meaningful to me. 

In 2010, I graduated with a degree in Art and Art Studies with a minor in Horticulture, certified in Permaculture design. This strange medley of studies came together as a bigger, wholistic understanding of who people are and the world we live in. Understanding that is the driving force behind my work, and how I am able to put the user first. 

I am inspired by and constantly keep up with emerging technology, trends, world news, and scientific and anthropological discoveries. Forward thinking, I question the status quo and design the future. I enjoy creating something that no one has thought of before and watch it take life. 

During my professional career I have accumulated a variety of skills. The key strengths that I offer include:

• I have successfully designed, developed, and supported websites and applications that are used by hundreds to hundred of thousands of users on teams such as IBM Verse and IBM Watson and for individual clients. 
• I have 7 years of experience creating and presenting storyboards, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, high resolution mockups, and more centered around user needs and business goals to product teams and executives.
• I have experience working on design problems at a portfolio level, unifying brand guidelines, design patterns, and agile practices among different disciplines. 
• I am the first designer hired by IBM Design and have experience working in a start-up environment within IBM 6 months before the first bootcamp. 
• As an Operations manager for IBM Watson, before transitioning to a design role within the organization, I have experience in the design hiring process from writing job postings, candidate correspondence, portfolio reviews, interviews, hiring paperwork, and on-boarding. 
• I have knowledge of front end technologies and experience collaborating with professional developers. I continue to develop those skills by learning full stack JavaScript. I also have experience in learning and excelling at new technologies as needed.