Inside DigitasLBi XD: Matt Amyot, Associate Director Experience Design
Inside DigitasLBi XD is an interview series of the Boston XD team’s “Unicorn of the Month.”
Where are you from?
Originally I’m from a tiny village that no one has ever heard of, in upstate New York. Boston became my home in college while studying design.
Why design?
My path to a design degree and career wasn’t fully planned out. I had to try a few other things before ultimately deciding to focus on design. I realize now that I had a multi-disciplinary attitude even back then.
My draw to design stemmed more from technical creative disciplines like photography versus more traditional fine arts endeavors like painting. I find a mix of creativity, problem solving, and technical proficiency to be fun and interesting. Being an experience and interaction designer lends itself pretty well to that type of mix, since we have to be analytical, strategic, well researched, AND creative.
What led you to Digitas?
Early on in my career I did do some print work, but my background is strong in digital. I’ve worked at a newspaper, smaller agencies, a startup, and I’ve done some freelance work as well. A friend recruited me to check out Digitas, and I particularly liked the vision that was outlined for a growing XD practice and team here. Everything from processes, to how we go after new business, to future-forward expectations for the work won me over. I also like the opportunities Digitas XD provides me in terms of maintaining a broad ‘full-stack designer’ skill set. Being able to draw from a range of skills and tools is important to me. I’ve found that the generalist/unicorn mentality hasn’t always been valued or promoted elsewhere in the industry, and so by comparison Digitas appeals to designers like myself who are looking to perfect many skills while being surrounded by brilliant peers who also do more than one thing.
What do you like about working at an agency?
I think the variety of projects and clients can keep the agency environment fresh and interesting. Also, there’s the opportunity to meet a wider range of creatives, whereas at a smaller place, you can find yourself in an echo chamber. At Digitas, I have access to a larger pool of people and perspectives.
What are your goals? What are you hoping for?
An ongoing goal of mine is to continue making high-fidelity prototyping a staple in the experience design process. Helping other designers get comfortable and adopt prototyping and coding tools as part of their creative toolbox is a big part of that goal.
What are some of your favorite tools?
– Sketch
– CodePen
– HTML / CSS / Javascript
– Slack
Favorite sites for inspiration?
What do you like to do outside of work?
Play guitar, climb mountains, eat sushi, and drink ciders. Sometimes all in the same day.
Want to join our team? We’re hiring! See our open positions
The views expressed in this post are that of the authors and may not reflect the views of the agency or company.
