Coding for UX Design
By Kelley Shanahan
I’m Kelley and I am a user experience (UX) designer for a fintech company in San Francisco, California.
What is a UX designer? Well, there are many different definitions. In a nutshell, I create what people experience when they use digital products. I explore the intersection between the digital and physical worlds and how to produce experiences that are intuitive and easy to use. Right now, I am working on design and product strategy for a personal finance mobile app.
As a UX designer, my knowledge of computer science helps me every single day. At first glance, it may not seem to be that way, but to design delightful products, it is key to understand the technology enabling them.
Because I know how to code, I have a better idea of what is possible to design!
Before I was introduced to coding, I never really understood the value of it but after my first computer science class at the University of Washington, I couldn’t get enough of it. I ended up majoring in Human-Centered Design and Engineering with a focus in Human-Computer Interaction. (I know, what a mouthful.) Ultimately, it was a mixed degree of computer science, design, and psychology. I worked on projects with Google Glass and basketball teams, created a social mapping app, researched rumoring on Twitter, and much more.
After college, I wanted to get into product design/strategy and having a computer science background gave me a real competitive edge. Because I know how to code, I have a better idea of what is possible to design!
So much of our world and our lives touch the digital space. Anyone can learn to code and we are all affected by computer science.
Computer science is a powerful tool outside of programming. This was something that I didn’t realize right away when I learned how to code, and it opened up a lot of possibilities for my career. So much of our world and our lives touch the digital space. Anyone can learn to code and we are all affected by computer science. I’d encourage everyone to try it out and see what they might learn!
What tools and languages do I use?
- Java
- C
- Python
- Swift
- HTML
- Javascript
- CSS
Various design softwares:
- Sketch
- Invision
- Principle
- Adobe creative suite
Kelley loves to swim, bike, and run; she is also an avid skier and traveler. She is passionate about empowering young women to pursue computer related fields and volunteers for Girls Who Code. Check out Kelley’s portfolio!
