Hi, I am Sophia and I work in Discovery, Strategy, and Design for Products and Services.
What Architects do for the built world, I do for the (partially) digital one. Some places call this “Strategic Design”, because I use design methods to achieve business outcomes, in others it is “User Experience – UX”, because the goal is to shape a good experience for the users.
What I’ve worked on
Amongst many other jobs, I spent 6 years at IBM honing my information design skills, 6 years freelancing on the London tech & FS scene, and 5 years at BCG (Boston Consulting Group) directing my UX mastery into product and services strategy, using product management skills and Agile practices to help deliver platforms serving Driller operators, Investment bankers, Heads of Communications, Engineers, Contractors, Portfolio Managers, Citizens like myself, and more.
I have helped to build: Banking and Asset Management internal systems, Hospitality management systems, Government digital services in three nations (downloading texts of the law, getting a passport, completing a census), Statistics and modelling Software, Business intelligence in pharma, Personal credit and credit reports.
A UXer is the person you send to survey the field (made up of humans in their environments and IT systems) to find the sources of problems, spot opportunities, prioritise them, and design you a solution (or five) that will serve the humans involved and the company’s goals the best. A good UXer’s superpowers are empathy, observation, and systems thinking.
I devise experiments to learn what will or won’t work, so I always know if the solution will succeed because I test it with humans when it is just a paper sketch and iterate on it until it does; work, that is.
We prototype, we test, we learn. We move forward.
See what types of projects you could hire me for.
I can promise you…
we’ll have some good laughs, discover things neither of us expected, and make your product or service better for the people buying into it.
A hands-on leader
My usual place is leading the design team. I’ll be the Head of UX in a company or the Lead UX on a big client project. I make sure that products and services meet the needs of profitability for the business, feasibility for the Dev team, and good user experience for the humans. But in real life, I talk to practically everyone…
I specialise in UX
This means I obsess about how and why people do / use / understand things; from mobile applications to doorknobs. I design and help build a human-centred world.
I love…
the projects I can foster from an idea to a finished product, and watch someone using it in real life. I once watched a friend’s father use a part of the passport application service that I designed. It felt amazing!
I am told that I don’t look like…
a geek. I have a technical background, with a B. Eng. in Computer Engineering. I’ve forgotten more maths than the average person ever learns, and I used to love designing digital and analog circuits. I will always love STEM fields. If you’re working with our next generation and want a friendly human techie for them to meet, please get in touch.
I cannot stop…
Designing handbags and dresses, categorising and restructuring information, and writing and painting. If we meet in the wild, you could always ask me about NaNoWriMo.
why “Experience Architect”?
My choice of Experience “Architect” is deliberate, and based on how a (partially) digital service is like a house.
The Engineer is an expert at how best to build a house so it will stand, the Architect understands how it will be used, and by whom, so they can create all the necessary spaces as a prototype, so everyone can see what they’re working towards and debate improvements before a final build, and the Designer gives it personality and refines certain presentational and interactive details.
Obviously, the best real estate – digital or physical – is built by teams of all three disciplines who start working together alongside the people who will use the space as early as possible in the project.
what I believe in
In no particular order: Being on time; Equal opportunity; Pay parity; Doing things right and doing the right thing (not always the same); Using fountain pens; Learning new things; Doodling; Reading; Looking out the window; Not wearing headphones so you can hear the waves lapping at the beach; Making things with one’s hands; Sticking by your decisions (unless you come to realise they were stupid); Researching anything well before committing to it (from a book to a job); Being proud of the work I do; Sharing the knowledge I have collected; Loving like you’ve never been hurt; Being silly; Leading by example; Laughing; Getting up to dance even if the song is crap; Letting go of the things you no longer need; Being prepared for the future, even if that is just by carrying an umbrella for the afternoon’s rain; Sitting in the sun; Smelling the roses; Giving of yourself generously; Writing; Actively making the world a better place, one smile at a time; Drawing by hand; Conversations; Art as healing; Art as inspiration; Fashion as Art; Technology being simple.
Let’s talk strategy over coffee or lunch!
I’ll always make time for a coffee ☕️ if you’re curious about what a human-centred approach can do for your company.
If what you need is not within my skillset, I’ll refer you to someone else or leave you with a short plan of action.
If you want a copy of my CV, portfolio, or have a question about life, the universe, and everything, the easiest way to reach out is on Linked in: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/eurydice13, but you can also use the contact form below.
@eurydice13 on BlueSky |
Linked in CV / profile | @eurydice13 on instagram
I am available for independent consulting work.