Name: Nick Richardson
Job Title: UI/UX Designer
What does your job entail? My job is to create the overall product experience for different digital products and services we offer at a QC. I start my day working with stakeholders and sifting through user research to figure out a starting point for an interface. I then take a set of requirements and start prototyping different designs that fit in with the needs and the general feel we want the user to experience. I then go through this process a few times to continue refining the experience and the interface to ensure it's in the best place possible to solve our user's use case.
What inspired you to pursue the career you have today? There’s a Steve Jobs quote that hit me and made me want to become a designer. “Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.” Ever since then, I have been working on trying to change the world, one little piece at a time, through design, to make a difference in people’s lives.
What do you like most about your job? I love working on visual designs and creating interfaces that get out of the way and help people get their work done. It's always rewarding to see someone use the interface and experience you created and have a positive experience. The nice thing about design is the job is never done. There is always something that you can refine and improve.
What is the best career lesson you’ve learned so far? As a designer, you have to learn that you are a team facilitator more than anything else. You can't get attached to a design. If you do, you will find yourself more often than not disappointed with the result. You have to come in with the perspective that the user is first and find ways to be creative within those bounds. That's what makes design different than art. Design has constraints where art is open for interpretation.
What do you like to do when you aren’t working? I am a huge nerd. You will often find me playing video games, doing some design on the side, or hanging out with my little Pomeranian Sophie and my wife. I try to get off the computer and recharge my batteries. It's easy to get stuck in a design rut if you are not changing your perspective daily.
Where’s your favorite place in the world? Favorite place would have to be Lake Tahoe. I love the mountains, forest, and being on the lake. The water is so clear you can see right down to the bottom. And if you are lucky, you will spot a bear wandering around.
