Growing up in the suburbs outside of New York City, I had never seen a compost bin. Throwing paper towels, egg shells, and banana peels in the trash was second-nature to me. When I went to college, I became more in touch with the impact of what we throw away but it wasn’t until I moved to Seattle that I experienced a not-so-rude awakening — my curbside trash bin was the height of small toddler. In adjusting to this new limiting factor, I learned rather quickly: with constraints comes creativity.

Nine million people packed tightly in three-hundred square miles — New York City. When thinking of constraints, I am fascinated by the sheer complexity of the systems that has made New York City a functional and thriving metropolis. When I came across a flyer for the 2019 NYC Food Waste Fair, an expo and workshop series focused on food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling, I knew I had to be there. …

Six tips when getting started with ambiguous design problems

When I first got started in User Experience design, I was a sophomore in college navigating the treacherous water of being an undeclared liberal arts student. In the midst of classes, homework, and staying as far away from the library as possible, I spent a lot of time lamenting over a few (very minor) problems: Why is it so difficult to find off-campus housing? Why does it take forever to find a good meeting spot between a group of friends?

I vividly remember sitting with my friend in the dining hall talking about life, career aspirations, and of course, finding a summer internship. She asked me, “have you ever thought about User Experience design?” At that point, I hadn’t even heard of it. But rather quickly, I realized that it was already pervasive in my life. From the buttons we click on our phones that guide us to a purchase to the dynamic speed limit signs that make drivers slow down, good (and bad) User Experience design is E V E R Y W H E R E. …