My name is Josh Nelson. I have held various design roles over the past 15 years. I began as a freelance web designer, creating custom WordPress themes for small businesses. I later transitioned into an in-house web designer role where I gained a deeper appreciation for the long-term maintenance of my design work.

Working in-house exposed me to the internal tools that employees used on a daily basis. I previously only worked on marketing websites - "tools", in the software sense, were just things people used to get things done. As a user of these tools, I developed an interest in product design and began to see people as not just "users", but people with goals and anxieties, motivated by forces in their outward environment. I wanted to know how designers made choices that resolved those forces. I began to seek a concrete answer to the question "what makes a design "good"? or "why this design vs that design.

I dived deeper into usability and customer research. I found an approach that worked for me and ultimately allowed me to move into a UX design role, where I had greater access to research and the opportunity to focus on tools.

Today, I'm employed as a UX Designer, working on both the company website as well as tools for our employees.