I’m a UX/UI Designer with a passion for problem solving and a love for illustration. Whilst completing my final year at Ulster University I completed a placement year with Fathom who I now work with full time.
My major project was inspired by knowledge gained through my diverse educational background which ranged from electronic and software engineering through to interaction design. Whilst studying I was always aware of the lack of women pursuing careers in design & tech and how few sat alongside me.
The Design & Tech space needs more female leaders. As a female design/tech student, I can relate from personal experience to the struggle women face when seeking female role models. A study by McKinsey conducted in 2019 found that a massive 70% of design graduates are female, yet only 11% reach leadership roles and this is but one of many alarming statistics that come to light in recent years.
Women of Design & Tech ‘W.D.T’ is a diverse and empowering book that celebrates the lives and achievements of females both past and present within the Design & Tech industry. This collection exhibits colourful portraits of female role models, accompanied by a short biography about their lives and what makes each woman a force to be reckoned with. This book aims to inspire women to pursue their dreams and ultimately instil confidence in to pursue a career in Design & Tech.
Creating the W.D.T book has been both insightful and educational. I began by researching women in the design and tech industry, it was a long process and choosing the first 12 women to showcase in the book was difficult as there were so many inspiring stories and achievements worth noting. It was important to me that the book displayed a diverse range of disciplines which was a critical factor in the selection process, along with how much accurate information was available on the woman.
I drew inspiration for the illustrations from many current designers and used this to develop my own style during the first semester. After exploring multiple tools for illustration, I chose to work with photoshop, as I felt this application was the most suitable to deliver my chosen style. My goal was to create vibrant, detailed illustrations packed with personality. When illustrating each woman, I used multiple images for inspiration to ensure the portrait was unique, avoiding issues with copyright. When writing the biographies, they all followed the same pattern, early life, education, career, achievements and where they are now. Gathering information was a long process, and ensuring it was accurate was vital to what I wanted to achieve. At the back of the book, I included a ‘resources’ section which provides the reader with contact information such as social accounts, websites etc for each woman, this feature of the book was added to create a more insightful user experience. Learn more about the process and check out the sample pdf book at wdtdashboard.com
'WDT' exhibits female trailblazers in design & tech both past and present and aims to inspire and encourage women especially young girls who are unsure of what career paths are available and unsure of their own potential. I plan to expand the book further by featuring at least 30 women it will be launched on International Women’s Day 2022. The book is now available for pre-order at wdtbook.com
