I'm a veteran of this industry. I have built up a wealth of experience that enables me to make decisions fast. My role is to look forward, beyond the day-to-day minutiae, to see where we can go next. To explore how better visual design and interaction patterns can help a company to achieve its strategy more quickly. My philosophy of forward-looking transformation applies not just to my product work, but to the entire design system too.
My career in London started at a small web design agency called Clockwork Web. It was 1997; the Spice Girls dominated popular culture, and Tony Blair was elected Prime Minister. We were based in a squalid office with no windows on Newman Street, just off Oxford Street. It wasn't glamorous but it was thrilling – being paid to do something that was experimental and ahead of the curve. We were a bunch of enthusiasts trying out this new “web design” thing, and somehow managing to make a living.
Since those halcyon days I have worked at BBC Online, lastminute.com, and for many agencies permanent and freelance. I've seen the industry change dramatically; the crash of 2001, the gradual renaissance, the rise of Big Tech, increasing professionalism and then the homogenisation of the process. I've learned a lot about myself – that I work best as an individual contributor, or leader of a small team.
My present role at TotallyMoney is extremely well-suited to my skills and personality. I am the UI lead in the product design team and have been given the freedom to completely overhaul the visual design of the product. I enjoy helping my PD colleagues to upskill, and to assist with problem solving. I've also been afforded the opportunity to architect and build a sophisticated design system from scratch.
The key to longevity in this industry is a willingness to adapt. Embrace change: to tools, devices, ways of working, strategies, people and priorities.
Keywords to describe me are: visual transformation specialist, systems thinker, practitioner, individual contributor, creative, mentor, coach.
The apps I use most often in my workflow are: Figma, Notion, Miro, Slack, After Effects and Principle.