Discovering my user career journey

Discovering my user career journey

As a UX/UI design student at Cal Poly, I’ve been given the opportunity to work with hands-on projects with teams of students from both technical and creative backgrounds. Now, I'm looking for next steps to take in my career journey.

Education

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

Sep 2023 – Present

Bachelor of Science, Graphic Communication
User Experience/User Interface Concentration
3.99 GPA  |  Anticipated graduation December 2026

Design Experience

Visual Designer | San Luis Obispo, California

May 2025 – Jun 2025

Cal Poly Political Science Department

  • Designed and implemented the visual layout of Paideia, the annual Political Science journal of Cal Poly, in accordance with preexisting organizational style guidelines.

  • Leveraged Adobe InDesign to create a visually appealing and professional journal layout, optimizing for readability, consistent presentation of diverse political science research topics, and highlighting the students whose articles were selected.

  • Adhered to preexisting style guide and managed the formatting of articles, ensuring consistency in typography, spacing, and citations.

UX/UI Designer | San Luis Obispo, California

Apr 2025 – Jun 2025

Iter8 (Neurocom)

  • Created a cohesive brand identity for web and physical applications for a haptic technology startup.

  • Balanced visual language preferences of multiple contrasting target markets and client, implementing interactive elements proven through user research to most effectively draw in website viewers.

  • Showcased the use cases and features of haptic technology while being mindful of classified engineering information.

UX/UI Designer | San Luis Obispo, California

Nov 2024 – May 2025

Hack4Impact (Creek Lands Conservation)

  • Designed and implement new website features for Creek Lands Conversation including a user portal, event management platform, and local waiver-signing functionality using Figma.

  • Iterated upon low- and mid-fidelity designs in response to feedback from client, designers, and developers to ensure a smooth transition from Figma to a functional website.

  • Conducted research regarding the legality and practicality of creating local waiver-signing tools for adults and minors with different language preferences, technological literacy, and user preferences.

UX/UI Designer | San Luis Obispo, California

Jan 2025 – Mar 2025

Iter8 (PurpleTie)

  • Redesigned the PurpleTie laundry and dry cleaning service mobile app using Figma to ease customer onboarding processes, modernize the interface, and improve company transparency.

  • Analyzed current app state, conducted usability research, and reconstructed user flows for the “@Home” ordering process using data and client specifications to improve core functionality and navigability.

  • Worked with cross-disciplinary team of designers and developers to ensure a successful product launch.

Leadership Experience

Shift Lead | San Luis Obispo, California

Jun 2025 – Present

Scout Coffee

  • Assume the position of manager to settle customer disputes and close in a timely manner.

  • Delegate tasks to staff during operating hours to maintain efficiency and product quality.

  • Take on various staff roles as needed to ensure employees are able to complete additional duties.

Treasurer | San Luis Obispo, California

Jun 2025 – Present

Cal Poly Astronomical Society (CPAS)

  • Secure funding from ASI and renew CPAS’s annual organizational status before the beginning of the next academic year.

  • Increase club funding through coordination with local wineries to host “Astronomy Nights” as fundraising events for quarterly club camping trips.

  • Ensure members of CPAS who purchase goods or services for the club are reimbursed within the parameters of the refund documentation and tracking process from ASI.

Jr. Events and External Affairs Coordinator | San Luis Obispo, California

Jun 2025 – Present

Iter8

  • Create and lead educational “bootcamp” sessions for 100+ regular Iter8 attendees on Figma and other UX topics, including Framer, designing for React with Materials UI, and more.

  • Plan professional and social developments with other organizations to foster community and enhance career readiness for members through existing alumni network and external connections.

  • Coordinate logistics for events including room reservations, scheduling, guest speaker arrangements, corporate tours, conference opportunities, and more.

Skills

  • Web: Figma, Framer, HTML, CSS

  • Adobe: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom

  • G-Suite: Docs, Sheets, Slides, Gmail

  • Microsoft: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook

Awards

  • Placed 2nd in the regional bracket of the annual Xplor International University Communication Design Competition and attended the final bracket in Orlando, Florida in September 2024.

  • Placed 4th in UX Fest SLO’s 24-hour mobile app design-a-thon contest in January 2024 as decided by a panel of industry professionals based on a set of technical and aesthetic criteria.

  • Achieved the “President’s Honors List” title for the 2023–2024 and 2024–2025 academic years, meaning maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or above for at least three of four quarters of the year.

Involvement

  • Design Clubs: Jr. Events and External Affairs Coordinator for Iter8, the Cal Poly UX design club, member of Hack4Impact (connects developers and designers with local nonprofits), participant of UX Fest SLO (annual UX design competition).

  • Other Clubs: Treasurer for the Cal Poly Astronomical Society, member of Horticulture Club

  • Hobbies: Physics, astronomy, science communication, cooking, photography, custom apparel design, hiking, longboarding, beekeeping, and plant propagation.

Interested in connecting?

Want to talk UX design, give me music recommendations, or send over a new bread recipe? Feel free to reach out!

Interested in connecting?

Want to talk UX design, give me music recommendations, or send over a new bread recipe? Feel free to reach out!

Interested in connecting?

Want to talk UX design, give me music recommendations, or send over a new bread recipe? Feel free to reach out!

Copyright 2025 by Nate Posner

Copyright 2025 by Nate Posner

Copyright 2025 by Nate Posner