Siri, Alexa, and Cortana, please avert your eyes.
Hey Google, tell me about Alex Kierlanczyk.
Why are you here?
Don’t worry; I’m not trying to spark an existential crisis.
Because I believe I’m ready to help Google with its mission to build a better design culture.
Here are the roles I’m applying for:
User Researcher
Interaction Designer
Interaction Designer, YouTube
Here’s why I love user research.
I do not believe in designing blindly. Yes, there are popular design languages. Yes, there are certain design principles we should all follow. But all of these things are utterly useless if they are not backed up by sound research. And that all starts with empathy.
Research without genuine empathy risks bias and prejudice creeping into the design process.
Research with empathy will allow you to reveal what users need from your products by exploring and appreciating their behaviors and motivations.
The result? Experiences that feel more intuitive, accessible, and even magical.
Here’s why I love interaction design.
I love puzzles. Great interaction design is more than just aesthetics and flow. It involves breaking something down into its smallest components, seeing how they connect, and putting them back together in a way that is intuitive, accessible, and fun.
Moreover, it’s about communication and collaboration! Communicating with designers, researchers, engineers, and product managers throughout the design process to ensure that everyone values and understands the journey.
When business goals are achieved, user needs are met, and engineering constraints are respected, you get a team that can create magical experiences.
I would really appreciate you taking a look at these three things.
The three case studies within my portfolio.
I recently served as a contractor for an augmented-reality startup, Enklu. While there, I redesigned their mobile app and created an entire design language for them. Before that, I worked as a contractor for Trade Show Internet, investigating and iterating on existing experiences. Finally, Roomalign highlights my experience with end-to-end design.
An explanation of my process and rationale.
I will warn you; this is loooooooooooong, so don’t feel pressured to read it all (there’s a tl;dr). The main thing I want you to take away from it is that I am driven by empathy and collaboration, I like to test early and often, and never move without reasoning justified by user needs, business goals, or engineering constraints.
References from mentors and past bosses.
That’s my brother and I. I’m the one with the big head. I’m showing you this image to highlight that I have not gotten to where I am today without the love and mentorship of some incredibly talented, intelligent, and kind people. I’m very flattered by the things they have said about me and hope that these references will give you a broader picture of who I am.
