Go to the profile of Krissy Kimura
Krissy Kimura
international development professional | UXDI student | linking the best of both worlds

introduction to UXDI-9 DC

Hi! I’m Krissy and I am part of the upcoming UXDI-9 at the DC campus :D

I came to DC about 2.5 years ago from California via Pittsburgh, where I got my Master’s in Public Policy from Duquesne University. Prior to that I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania for two years. Since moving to DC, I have been working for a government contractor in the field of international public health, something I always thought I wanted to do.

In April 2015, I was thrilled to be chosen for a short term nine month post overseas, back in Tanzania of all places. I was back “in the field” doing work that I loved, but while I realized I had checked off a lot of boxes — job in international development, living overseas, etc. — I wasn’t happy.

life is rough…hanging out with red colobus monkey’s in Zanzibar!

It took speaking with a career counselor for me to understand that my focus had been misguided. Where I was trying to find satisfaction in working with certain groups of people within international development— women, underserved and disadvantaged groups, orphans, refugees, etc. — my focus should have been on identifying what job functions — training, project management, award compliance, etc. — brought me joy.

While it was easy for me to identify what I disliked in my current position, it was much more difficult for me to identify functions I did like. Part of what helped me was taking GA’s Front End Web Development (FEWD) part-time class. As it was my first introduction to coding, it forced me outside of my comfort zone and into a new way of thinking/problem solving. While I enjoyed the class, I realized I would not be happy to sit at a desk coding all day.

Which is where UX came into play. My goal has been to find a career that would enable me to be analytical and rational, but also creative and fun! While browsing the GA website, I came across the UXDI class page and decided to do some follow-up reading (that included purchasing the Design of Everyday Things, which turned out to be a win-win). The more I read about UX and the actual functions performed by UX designers — wire framing, user testing, story boarding, etc. — the more I want to learn.

The best part is that once I finish UXDI, I can go back to the field of international development to serve communities in need as part of a job that I enjoy.

So here I am. Looking forward to the first day of class :D

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Here are some things I’m looking forward to:

  • Meeting my classmates — everyone will be coming from different backgrounds so it’ll be an interesting mix of people
  • Learning from our instructors and all of their different experiences
  • Figuring out how to mesh UX with international development
  • Meeting the future me on the last day of our course — October 21!

I know there will be some stumbling blocks during the cycle of change, but right now I’m a little anxious about:

  • My design skills — or lack thereof. I’ve already been told (several times) that I don’t need to have a background in design and that most students won’t, but this is a fear
  • The pre-course work — am I doing it right? Am I spending enough time on it?