Although my work is mainly focused on UX / UI design, I'm a Full Stack designer of sorts.
My multimedia training has taught me lots of cool stuff: aesthetics, web design, graphic design, photography, image and photo editing, illustration, video, audio, post-production, animation, etc. I can do a bit of everything, but my passion, for 20 years now, is designing websites.
Meanwhile, my focus morphed in to User Experience, because - first and foremost, I’m an internet user. And as such, I consider it’s a duty to try to make the web a better place. Or at least, with better usability, accessibility, more beautiful and breathable. I enjoy a good challenge, and can be a bit obsessed with pixel perfection, just saying.
When in the process of conceptualising a web project, I always ascertain the user needs are a priority. A lot of times I wish I could research and test more often with real users. But due to fast-paced development projects, time or budged constrictions, this is something that doesn’t come easy.
So, how did I got here?
In the distant year of 1997, I got (a 33.6k) internet connection, and soon became fixated with the idea of making my own website. Fast forward one year, in a time when Geocities and Altavista ruled the internet, I had multiple websites up and running.
Resources were scarce, I mostly learned by asking people, snatching code, and lots of trial and error. Frontpage, some shady graphics editor, and a FTP client was all you need. Those were fun times!
So, yes… Internet got in the way of science, and I dropped everything to follow that passion.
At the end of 2005 I started working at my dream company, SAPO.. Srly, it was like a wet dream for anyone in the web biz! I worked with very talented people, and learned immensely. I was a part of some seriously cool projects, which made me very proud and accomplished… well, truth be told, I never feel accomplished, that’s what drives me.
In 2016 I followed a rogue team that left SAPO to start something new. Regardless of my fondness for SAPO, the decision was a no-brainer. Also I felt that, after almost 11 years working there, I was in dire need for new ground to break.
Twenty years after I got into web design, things are simpler in a lot of ways and a lot difficult in others.
Not going to lie, sometimes is very hard to stay tuned with the latest trends. Almost everyday we have new tools and technologies coming out, it changes so fast we barely have time to learn and put to use something, there’s always another new kid on the block. I actively try to stand up to the FOMO, but my curiosity and eagerness to keep updated tends to crush the best of my intentions. Also I believe it’s of the uttermost importance that we never stop learning and recycling knowledge.
What else can I say? I deeply enjoy technology, science, astronomy, all those things that lead to killer sci-fi flicks. I also feel a strong pull towards biology, health and medicine. I read A LOT, but not books or fiction per se, Wikipedia has got to be the place on the web where I spend most hours reading. I like to travel, and discover new places and flavours. I enjoy taking and editing photos, and also writing about everything else.