Hello! My name is Sarah and I am from San Jose, California. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019 with a BFA in Design and decided to continue my education to explore new environments and to develop my skills. The location, opportunities, network, and innovation of the program was the main driving factor for me. My mentors also believed that New York City would help me grow as a designer and individual. Throughout this next year, I really want to focus my inspiration on NYC. Every city and state that I have lived in has had a different design personality. Since I plan to relocate to Seattle post-grad, I want to delve deep into the culture and style of the city.
My favorite projects…
Mood & Memory Perception
This project centers around how mood affects the perception of a typical day. How does time change perception? Will revisiting memories change how we perceive that particular memory? Will past events become exaggerated or dulled? Originally, the goal of the experiment was to record at least 5 hours a footage from a body camera and archive the information into an accessible platform. The data would be cataloged by different emotions, moods, and significance. Once the pandemic hit, my footage sadly consisted of myself watching Netflix until my eyes hurt. To continue on with my fascination with emotions, I decided to spend the time recording data and analyzing its relationship with time.
Automatic Night Light
For CCLab, I created an automatic night light that would turn on once the box was located in a dark environment. While it is a very simple project, I felt incredibly accomplished once I got it work! I have the brown thumb when it comes to this type of work. For example, on the first day of class, my battery started emitting a smokey smell and I blew out way too many light bulbs trying to replicate the examples. My arduino board was also faulty when I bought it.
Virtual MACover
For the Synthetic Beauty Collab with Estee Lauder, my partner Jessica and I created an application that allows users to give their apple memojis’ a makeover with MAC products. This platform would be present as an installation in stores. Once the user is finished with the makeover, the products that they chose to use will be recommended for them to buy. Promotional items such as stickers would also be available as keepsakes and advertisements.
Tiny Motions
Tiny Motions is a fun project that experiments with size and motion. Each of the videos were shot in a 1 cubic inch paper set. By using lighter objects such as tracing paper and dryer sheets, I was able to replicate elements such as strong wind by just breathing.
One of the most important elements of grad school that I was not expecting was the international diversity. My undergraduate class only had domestic students who have lived in the US either their whole lives or at minimum a few years. The different perspectives that each person had was unique and a challenge to understand. The cultures created different “normals” that needed to be addressed in ways that were new to me.
Another key takeaway from my first year is to experiment and have fun during this program. I initially approached this program as my final push to learn as much about UX design as possible. However, I met a few 2nd year classmates that encouraged me to just have fun and explore because it is the last opportunity I have to mess up a lot before going into the industry. That was a turning point for me, especially when I was struggling to decide what classes to take. I am determined to register for the spring pottery class. I have always wanted to throw my own vase and bowl. I would like to utilize these new skills into my thesis project somehow too.
Over the summer, I was so grateful to be able to intern as a UX designer. My team was focused on the business side of the company and it made me realize how little I knew about the adult world. I plan on being more present and aware of current events to better inform my design. On the contrary, I have approached all of my projects with a very practical eye. I want to let loose and explore a more whimsical side. I was never an abstract and artsy designer, but I would love to experience a piece of that persona. Hopefully my quarantine induced insanity will help produce interesting projects ideas!
