Got it! I'll keep it short.
My name is Danae (da-nai) and I'm a self-taught UX Designer with a strong interest in user research, design thinking, and writing.
From being a digital marketing coordinator to a user experience designer, I've learned that what I want to do is impossible to do well in isolation—and luckily, design is both communal and inclusive at its root.
30 seconds
Great! With half a minute to spare, I can spill some tea.
I've always felt I was creative, but not in the “traditional" sense. I studied English Literature at UBC while taking visual arts classes
until I realized drawing and painting are not really my cup of tea. Thankfully, I ended up taking one class where
I learned about “design thinking” as a process, and that did some serious rewiring in my brain.
Since then, I've been developing skills in user research, product concept, and design. I still have a long way to go and much to learn,
but I am now very well aware of the patience and creativity that good design demands. All you need is a little imagination and a lot of persistence.
One minute
Wow, a whole minute—now we're talking!
According to a very credible source, the average user can read 18 words in 4.4 seconds. This leaves us with 52 precious seconds,
and now that you are so deeply invested, I'll dive right in.
Alright, she's a self-taught UX designer who studied English Literature, but what else? Who is she?
You ask a good question—one that probably would've sent me into a full-blown identity crisis before—but now?
I welcome it. Sit with it. Maybe even have tea with it.
You see, I'm someone who wants to be a designer-filmmaker-editor-musician-journalist-director kind of artist so it's been a little tricky trying to figure that out.
I've always loved spending time in my mind thinking of new ideas and concepts, but now I'm trying to shrink the gap between ideation and execution.
Here's what I've learned: I'm a multi-passionate creative who feels inspired by curiosity rather than certainty; a designer learning what it takes to craft intentional designs with genuine impact;
and a writer who isn't afraid of a good plot twist. Oh right, my hobbies? Hmm, symbolism mostly, and metaphors, implications, and the like.
11 seconds to spare—wow, she's good.
What I Do
& what I've done
Skills + Capabilities
UX Research, Concept Development, & Strategy
Wireframing & Prototyping on Figma / Adobe
Front-end Development (HTML/CSS)
UI Design, Typography, Visual hierarchy
A/B & Usability Testing
User Testing
Work Experience
Freelance Copywriting & Video Editing / 2022 - Present
Junior UX Designer @ NDD Info / 2021-2023
Digital Marketing Coordinator @ CMarketCoffee / 2021
In honour of the rule of 3 in writing, here are three words which I believe are the foundations
of great happenings.
Who do I want to be in 5 years time?
A truthful answer is a good answer so I won't try to pretend like I have one. Since change is inevitable, I'll strive for a constant: I want to be a person that people trust, and makes others feel good. Someone kind, honest, and considerate.
My Creative philosophy
It's all about the genuine attempts and the genuine failures. If you bake a lot of bread, your kitchen becomes a happy home to wild yeasts.
Even a burnt loaf is not wasted—if anything, you needed to burn it to learn how to make your next one better. I'm no English major or anything,
but that's a good metaphor if you ask me!
