During my time as a photo and video journalist, editors often turned to me to cover stories of individuals in vulnerable situations – parents who lost their newborn to parechovirus for The New York Times, people of color suffering from long COVID for The Washington Post, and families getting evicted from their home for not paying rent for the CT Mirror. These story patterns reflect both my personality and professional skills. I excel at building trust with people facing a wide range of challenges, understanding their experiences with empathy, and telling their stories in a way that resonates with audiences.
I still love storytelling, but I’ve decided to pursue a career in UX research. When I find problems, I have a natural tendency to seek ways to improve them. What excites me about UX research is the chance to not only understand challenges but also contribute to meaningful solutions, drawing on my intrinsic curiosity and skills I’ve honed through journalism.
Skills
Research & Design
Qualitative Research: User Interviews, Usability Testing, Contextual Inquiry, Diary Studies, Ethnographic Studies, Heuristic Evaluation
Quantitative Research: Survey Design, Card Sorting, Data Analysis and Visualization
Competitive Analysis, Affinity Diagram, Wireframing, Prototyping, and UX Writing
Tools
Figma, Miro, Adobe Creative Cloud, Excel, Python, NumPy, Pandas, SQL, and Tableau
A Little About Myself
I was born and raised in South Korea, and at 21, I immigrated to the U.S. on my own, using money I had earned to step out of my comfort zone and pursue a career I’m passionate about.
I thrive on the energy that comes from collaborating with a great team. This passion for teamwork led me to play guitar in my band, and more recently, to join a rowing team.
I enjoy intellectually challenging myself and reflecting on life and society. I do this through reading, engaging in discussions with my book club, and writing :) .