My story begins in 2017 when I started serving for the Republic of Korea Army. Before then, I studied accounting at Purdue University. Through my service, I picked up many disciplinary habits such as teamwork, adaptability, and quick decision-making skills. My military occupational specialty was a special force sniper, and I led my sniper team to multiple division-level and corps-level accolades throughout my time serving for my country.
During service, I quickly realized I was very successful in problem solving in a very short period of time. I was able to make the right decisions for my team, and successfully lead my team to the final goal. My skills led me to be interested in User Experience Design, communicating and leading my teammates to successful projects.
I want my design to NOT be noticeable. I believe what makes a great product are the make-up of parts that nobody talks about, because everything flows the way it’s supposed to. If no one talks about the product, it often means that the product is not flawed. User Experience Design is about making people’s lives a little better and a little more convenient. I fully believe in the words of Jakob Nielsen when it comes to design:
“The system should speak the users’ language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.”
– Jakob Nielsen
The ability to speak the users’ language comes through research. In order to fully emerge in the field, I must be able to approach the users in variety of ways. My education at Purdue University has fully prepared me with many different types of methods. I believe research is the most basic but most crucial part of any projects, and I always invest heavily into it. Every decision and every rationale should be backed up with research evidence.
Other than my love and interest for UX Research, I have a specific interest in User Interaction Design and Interaction Design, which eventually led me into an internship opportunity at LeadSigma as part of the User Interaction Design Team. I am comfortable with Adobe CC programs such as Illustrator, Photoshop, and Premiere Pro. I also have basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. I am bilingual in Korean and English, and able to communicate fluently in both languages.
James Chang's Portfolio 