A lifelong passion for learning and discovery drives my love of product design.
I began my design career in New York City for beauty brands Estée Lauder and Origins, where I created brand design across global skincare and holiday markets.
Upon relocating to Austin, I founded an
e-commerce stationery business, designing and shipping modern invitations for hundreds of clients, alongside intermittently continuing my design practice, creating branding, web and mobile designs for e-commerce, SaaS and
non-profit brands.
While building my stationery brand, I became deeply interested in the field of UX Design.
I learned about implementing user experience and saw firsthand the impact it had on both sales and customer happiness. Later, craving new challenges beyond the stationery business, I completed a certificate in Product Design and found a new passion for design thinking.
I love digging into a complex project, deep-diving into the “why”s, finding the core of a problem and hypothesizing potential solutions. That moment when everything gels into a workable solution or testable prototype is still a spine-tingler for me.
(Psst - Check out my Rexly case study for some fun prototypes)
What I offer
Curiosity
An inquisitive spirit driven by a passion for research, I relish the initial phase of a project, and embrace new findings throughout the journey.
Empathy
Finding common ground, practicing active listening, and helping others rise to their best level is key to supporting a project team.
Experimentation
User testing, exploring iterations, and staying open to unexpected solutions drives design breakthroughs.
Problem solving
I’m well-versed in the fluidity of business challenges. The ability to pivot, and to communicate changes to a team, are essential skills in my toolkit.
Visual design
My visual expertise is an asset across the design process, allowing me to create high fidelity, polished designs quickly.
Viable, not perfect
Striking a balance between a shippable product and an experience that’s compelling for users is the goal.
Let’s chat.
Think I’d be a good fit for your role?
Want to nerd out on design? Got a recipe for amazing cold brew? I’d love to hear about it!
ashley@helloashleyaustin.com