From freelance copywriter to communication adviser, I’ve written for audiences aplenty. Product manuals, websites, campaigns, EDMs, marketing collateral, FAQs, blogs, presentation decks, speeches…I’ve done it.

I placed Top 10 in Award School, a globally recognised program for ideation and copywriting. Only 100 people make it in a year (400+ apply via portfolio). Cue Ron Burgundy, “[It’s] kind of a big deal”. More ad-world than content design, it stretched my copy and made my mind smile.

I was selected and sponsored by my employer to retrain in UX and UI design in 2021, the start of my UX design career. Mentored by senior designers, I learned HCD and the joy that is the double diamond. And I was hooked!

I tried my hand as a trainee product designer for six months before selecting content design as my path. As a result, I think of myself as a UX designer who can write. My ideal world is working hand in hand with my product design friends to solve problems end-to-end.

But I’m a realist and know it’s not always possible. I’m a confident self-starter who'll work independently with little direction if I need to.

I’ve roots in events, customer service, and sales. I tell you, first-hand experience answering customer enquiries, responding to complaints, and going door-to-door – I know the power of listening to people.

This appreciation sparked my idea to build a panel of customer service staff to help fellow product designers while I was at Service NSW.

I knew we could learn and test designs faster and save our research budget for when we truly needed it. I got buy-in and trained frontline staff to be a panel for designers – experts that we could easily (and quickly) pull in for discovery and rapid prototype testing. The panel continues today, helping product designers get closer to customers.

For zero dollars. Not bad.

With degrees in linguistics, communication, and international studies, you’d get the sense that I love words. I do.

More importantly, I understand that the English language is not the primary language spoken by most and that as writers we should make our words accessible.

In the COVID-19 peak, I worked with translators to get health messaging into the hands of culturally and linguistically diverse communities fast! I learned quickly that simple words save time. And help people.

Six-plus years working in marketing, sales, and promotions – I’m familiar with the shiny.

More importantly, I’ve seen that speaking a user’s language and messaging that connects (and truly helps) is better than spin.

Play the long game. Build trust.

I continue to upskill in user research and user testing. I constantly look for ways to build this skill and learn from the pros. Whether through formal training, pairing with UX researchers or just giving it a go.

Usability tests, moderated interviews, card sorts and highlighter tests. I love trying new ways to understand if what we’ve written helps.

I love chatting with users.

And I reckon I’m pretty good at it.