What Others Say About Me
“Andy has shown ongoing initiative, leadership, and dedication over the years by working closely with all department leaders, including Sales, Operations, Compliance, Legal, Marketing, and fellow Technology teams. Throughout the years, he excelled in facilitating group discussions, as well as helping to drive new ideas to continue to grow and improve our core products. He tackled anything thrown his way and went above and beyond expectations.”
A Little About Me
I love coffee.
A Lot About Me
My love of coffee led me to my first career in store management at an up and coming business called Starbucks. After earning my BBA in Marketing at OU (Boomer Sooner!), I dove deep into the world of coffee.
Not only did I learn about the nuances of coffee tasting, I learned how to lead people, make quick decisions in a fast-paced environment, manage time, maintain budgets, and a whole lot more. If you can lead a Starbucks store during a holiday season, you can do anything!
Getting Into Web Design
In 2010 I became interested in understanding how websites work. While still managing a store, I entered the SMU Web Development program and studied HTML, CSS, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and more. On nights and weekends I honed my newly acquired web skills by partnering with small businesses to build their web presence. I learned that the best way to get better at something is by doing it.
In 2014 I started my first full-time web development gig at Hisun Motors. I managed the company website that was built in a CMS called X-Cart. Having Wordpress experience, I was able to quickly figure out how to operate it. In my experience at Hisun, I used web design and development, print design, photography, oversaw trade show logistics, and managed a project that introduced a digital platform for product specifications and part ordering.
Finding & Using UX
Shortly after I started my job at Hisun, I came across the concept of User Centered Design. I was intrigued and started to learn more. I began incorporating User Experience principles into my work and saw great business results.
In my most recent job as a UX/UI Product Designer of over 5 years, I helped create better products that were more intuitive and easier to use. Platforms that I designed for included a consumer facing web app, a B2B native iOS and Android app, and custom Salesforce dashboards and enhancements.
My top design influences at the moment include the book Don’t Make Me Think! Revisited by Steve Krug, the UX Collective blog, and @AdhamDannaway on Twitter.
My particular set of skills are:
Design Tools: Adobe CC including XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, AE, & PP, Figma, Sketch
Prototyping Tools: XD, InVision, Axure, Figma
Accessibility: WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
Handoff: Zeplin
Content Management Systems: WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, XCart, Salesforce (CRM)
Web Technologies: HTML/CSS, Bootstrap, Google Analytics
Even More About Me
When I’m not working I enjoy cheering on the Dallas Mavericks, biking, watching movies, listening to and playing music. I’ve been in Big D for over 15 years and have a wife, two kids, and two Great Pyrenees pups.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.