About
My journey into UX field isn't a traditional one. I started just designing because I was inspired by what I saw in life. I didn't go to school for any of it. It's a painful process at times when you don't know how to do something, but passion and persistence help. I taught myself how to code (HTML, CSS + presentational JS) the stuff I was designing. That process of working with people and clients morphed into my career as a Product Designer.
I do scrappy really well. Some orgs/teams sometimes need someone who can operate laterally within a discipline, as well as feel comfortable outside of their core competencies. My focus is to help the team or company deliver, instead of saying that's not my job. I've PM'd my own projects, I've helped dev teams tidy up their CSS code base and I've helped the shipping department with the holiday rush ;). This type of responsibility usually works best for startups or small, fast-moving teams.
This doesn't mean I can't work vertically. My core competencies are rooted in UI & UX design. I scale my processes based on the project itself. Sometimes you need more user research or testing, other times the problem space and solutions are less ambiguous, or the timeline dictates what can be achieved.
When I'm not online, I can be found designing and building stuff at home. I love getting away from the screen to walk, hike or even doing yard work. I'm one of those life-long learning types, and these days I'm into encaustic painting and hydroponic farming.
I've worked with lots of good people over the years. Here's what they have to say about working with me:
His work couples a strong sense of design with business strategy and just the right amount of humor. The result is a very thoughtful design process and final product that was not only fantastic, but fun to work towards.-Price Eberts
Jason completely overhauled the look and feel of the Conenza platform, improved customer satisfaction with our sites, standardized to look and feel of various features and developed standards for future development. In addition, Jason contributed to the product management function by researching the current state of the marketplace, interviewing customers, developing requirements and designing the user experience workflow for new features. Jason worked collaboratively with both the development and customer success teams and interacted professionally and efficiently with our clients.-Michael Ensminger
Jason designed and managed the implementation of an award-winning new website for the Virginia Mason Institute; laid the groundwork for a new intranet guided by user feedback he solicited across the organization; became a sought after expert for the social media team. Through all his hard work Jason was a constant pleasure to work with. His patience, expertise and good humor made him an excellent team player who was well liked and respected throughout the organization.-Isaac Puga-Phillips
Jason is one of the most hard working, dedicated individuals I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He frequently goes above and beyond what is required projects to ensure the work is done to the highest standard. Jason has a valuable blend of creativity and business acumen that is hard to find. I always enjoy working with him for his keen eye for design, but the skill I most appreciate is his ability to work in a team. He is just as comfortable and effective as a leader or in a support role, but any team Jason is a part of is always stronger because of him. I certainly hope I have the opportunity to work with Jason again.-Ben Anderson