How I got here
I’m equally passionate as an artist and storyteller, experimenting with visual expression, as I am expressing my inner Dana Scully when I’m investigating, analyzing, and solving problems. My path was not the most direct of paths, but it was inevitable that I would discover UX research and design and claim it as part of my path.
Growing up, my two passions were math and art (and history and science and languages and…virtually anything I could be endlessly curious about). I’ve always been analytical and intuitive, and as early as 2nd grade I was immersing myself into my math workbook—already the deep thinker I am today. And before I even knew how to write, I was stapling together fully-illustrated picture books and orating the tales to anyone who would pay attention (my mom).
Prof. Marcela’s critiques and interrogations taught me that everything in a design must be purposeful.
In 2011, when I was in my sophomore year at Wesleyan University, I was drawn to a class called “Design and the Performative Space,” taught by Marcela Oteiza in the school’s Theater Department. This class was my first formal exposure to design and design methodology—including research, references, sketching, prototyping, critique. And most importantly to design for the audience at every stage of the process! (No pun intended.)
I have never been asked the question why? so many times in my life; being challenged to carefully consider my every creative choice and the intended impact on the human at the center of the experience was exciting.
I thought what I aspired to do in my heart didn’t exist.
After college, I knew I wanted to do something called “experience design,” which only existed in my head, and which I dreamed about at the time as creating immersive experiences for perhaps festivals, or… I didn’t know what I was looking for. Theater set design taught me human-centered design, but I hadn’t yet learned the vast applications.
It took years of experimenting, such as trying professional dance, working at art museums, teaching, learning to code, and even considering becoming a therapist, before I discovered UX. In 2018 a friend who worked at Adobe suggested that with my experience as a tutor, working closely with students to understand their needs and provide them with tailored solutions, I might really enjoy something called UX research. I took a weekend workshop at General Assembly on research methods, where I learned about paper prototyping, card sorting, and A/B testing. What I loved about UX research was working with people to get to the bottom of finding out their true feelings and motivations, in fast, efficient, and, especially, tangible ways.
Navigating a master's program taught me that I can learn anything and do it.
I was familiarizing myself more and more with the power of technology, as I was enjoying Python and Java classes at the time. I was fascinated by programming and was even a natural, but I missed the creativity of design.
When the pandemic hit I had a lot of time to focus on myself. So I took a certification course in UX research and design at San Mateo Community College from 2020-21, where I developed practical skills and knowledge of design patterns working on independent case studies. I then deepened into systems thinking, experience design theory, research methodology, and product strategy during my Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction and Design from University of Washington, graduating in 2023.
My workload had me simultaneously juggling multiple priorities, teams, and types of work (e.g. writing papers, running studies, sketching wireframes, and creating presentation decks) at any given time. The wins were hard won and worth the sweat simply because of how rewarding it was to create things that helped move my teams and projects forward.
What I love most is getting my hands dirty working on generative projects alongside talented individuals.
If you, like me, are excited about building something new, please get in touch! Some of my work-loves include addressing opportunities in situated contexts and journeys and conducting research with stakeholders. I believe in an ethics of service, inclusion, and play, as well as applying systems thinking, evidence, and critical optimism in my work.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out at angela.goldberg@gmail.com if you are interested in working together or simply having a chat.
About me, in brief
For me, research and design are hand in hand at every stage—that they are two sides of the same coin—because no matter whether I’m iterating on a prototype or trying to answer a debate about layout, understanding the problem is key to delivering the right design.
I enjoy working with teams, and am excited by leading team discussions, providing structure to work processes, and conducting whiteboard and ideation sessions. I believe in the power of collaboration and inclusion to produce great results.
I have my Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction and Design from the University of Washington.
In my spare time, you can find me teaching myself German using chatGPT, running my Seattle-based book club, trying a new cookbook recipe, or designing fonts.