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 to fine-tune my skills and gain professional experience.

Education

B.S. in Graphic Communication, UX/UI concentration

Graduating Fall 2026

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

  • 3.99 GPA, Dean's List: Fall 2023, Winter 2024, Spring 2024, Summer 2024, Fall 2024, Winter 2025

  • Involvement: Hack4Impact (UX/UI design for local nonprofit organizations), Iter8 (UX design club), UX Fest SLO (annual UX design competition), Astronomy Club, and Horticulture Club.

Experience

UX/UI Designer

Nov 2024 – Present

Creek Lands Conservation (via Hack4Impact)

  • Design and implement new website features for Creek Lands Conversation including a user portal, interactive calendar, and event sign-up functionality using Figma.

  • Iterate 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.

  • Conduct research regarding the accessibility of touch targets and text legibility for a range of audiences.

UX/UI Designer

Jan 2025 – Mar 2025

PurpleTie (via Iter8)

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

  • Analyzed current user flows, conducted usability research, and reconstructed general user flow to increase clarity and improve user experience.

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

Shift Lead

Nov 2023 – 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.

Ongoing Projects

  • Professional Project: PurpleTie App Redesign (currently in development)
    Designing and prototyping a new-and-improved mobile app for a local laundry/dry-cleaning delivery service company to improve user flow and overall aesthetics.

  • Academic Project: Amazon Mobile App Redesign (case study construction in progress)
    Modifying the existing Amazon mobile app to prioritize the experience of users by removing instances of misleading design, consolidating menus using progressive disclosure, and improving overall transparency.

  • Professional Project: Creek Lands Conservation Portal Creation
    Working with Creek Lands Conservation to design and implement new website features including a login portal, interactive calendar, and event sign-up functionality.

Past Projects

  • Club Project: Quickie App Redesign
    Redesigned a formerly operational Cal Poly food delivery app to add user-requested features such as search filtering, live delivery location updates, and a delivery driver chat. Conducted user research and user testing which led to streamlining the overall app experience for both customers and drivers.

  • Design Competition: Yesbank Mobile App Creation
    Competed with a team in the annual Xplor International University Design competition to best redesign a bank statement and its accompanying digital experiences to fit technical, aesthetic, and practical specifications.

  • Design Competition: CookCraze App Creation
    Created a mobile app design with a team that connects college students through by facilitating local cooking events and similar experiences. Conducted research, prototyped, tested with potential users, and created a final mid-res clickable prototype, all within 24 hours. Placed 4th of 22+ teams.

Skills

  • Proficient in Figma, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Indesign, and Microsoft Office.

  • Strong understanding of user-centered design principles.

  • Ability to conduct comprehensive user research and usability testing.

  • Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.

  • Comfortable stepping into a leadership role and navigating interpersonal team dynamics.

  • Proficient in Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and Framer.

  • Strong understanding of user-centered design principles.

  • Ability to conduct comprehensive user research and usability testing.

  • Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

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