I was born and raised in Hamilton, New Zealand but home for the last six years has been Edinburgh, Scotland!
My local park last winter with Arthurs Seat in the background 👌👇
Newhaven harbour - just a few minutes from me!👇
I come from a graphic design background, so it was a natural next step for me. The company I was working for shut down because of the pandemic, so I decided to take the plunge and retrain in UX/UI.
I enrolled in the UX/UI Design bootcamp. My goal was to complete the bootcamp and be ready to apply for UX/UI roles and I felt this bootcamp would give the best chance! I first learned of the course by stumbling across Zander on TikTok with his ⚡️supafast⚡️ videos!
I was on the fence about taking the plunge and signing up for the bootcamp so I got in touch with a few Memorisely alumni who all assured me the bootcamp was so worth it.
It’s brilliant! Learning with a bunch of likeminded people from all over the world. Zander’s teaching was always super high energy and engaging. It never felt like we were just being taught, it felt like we were actively learning by doing.
My favourite thing about bootcamp was the live classes. Zander would walk us through each step of creating components etc. It was so cool to see how easy something was once it was broken down for you step by step.
The biggest surprise of bootcamp was how quickly it went by! Trust me - 3 months seems like a long time, but it will fly by!
For me, the biggest challenge is always confidence in my own abilities. I think as designers we all experience imposter syndrome and it can be especially hard when moving into a new area like UX. I’ve learned throughout bootcamp though just to follow the process and by focusing on the user and the problem, you’ll come to the right solution.
What does a typical day look like for you as a student?
I completed the bootcamp alongside studying at college. My day’s were usually filled with online college classes and course work and then at 5pm I would jump onto zoom and start learning with memorisely.
I get cabin fever if I don’t leave the house all day, so I usually try to squeeze a walk or run in somewhere. If I’m lucky, the coffee van might be in the park across the road so that’s always a nice excuse to get out and about! 👇
My partner and I are currently living with her dad as we are saving for our first home, so my “office” is just a corner of the living room at the moment! All of our friends think we live in an antiques shop, but I’m lucky to have claimed this spot as mine. I do have a view out to the shared garden, so in the summer it’s nice to have the backdoor open or sit outside for a wee bit! 👇
Honestly, for me it’s Figma! It just feels so intuitive to use and just makes life as a designer so streamlined! I think the moment it all clicked for me was learning about interactive components! If you’re a Figma geek like me go check out their new store - i’m currently living in my Figma dad cap 😂
Snap of your go-to or "must have" apps 👇
I turned the big 3-0 last year and my partner really spoiled me with a DJI drone! Almost a year later I’m still scared flying it incase I crash, but the images you can capture with such a small device blow me away!
I’m a massive audiobook/podcast fan. My favourite book series of the past few years has been the DI Callanach series by Helen Fields! It’s a series set in Edinburgh that follows Police Scotland as they solve crimes around the city.
If I’m in the mood for music, I’m quite partial to a bit of Little Mix 😂 Fun fact - one of the members lived in my hometown of Hamilton, New Zealand for a few years. One of our only claims to fame!
