My 7 years of working in tech within the maritime shipping industry has shown me that there is much work to be done in the world of UX Research and Design. I currently work with operations to improve various aspects of their software systems, including issues that longshoremen have with their tablets and the UI. Many times, the “out the box” product they are given does not align well with their work process on the ground.

I have found that instead of assuming how these UIs should function, we should start at the source and work with the users themselves to curate a UI that makes sense for them. This has led me to pursue UX/UI design. By empathizing with the end users and explaining the importance of their needs to our stakeholders, I hope to continue improving the overall user experience for company employees, which inevitably leads to improved performance and company culture.