About me.
I'm Matthew Heard, a UX designer from El Paso, Texas. I bring a unique to perspective to design, forged through athletics, international coaching, and teaching. I'm currently seeking a Junior UX Designer role where I can contribute to a team and make a tangible impact.
From Athletics to Empathy
From the adrenaline rush of being a Division 1 football player to the nuanced world of user-centered design, I've learned that growth happens at the intersection of challenge, collaboration, and a deep understanding of human needs. My journey to design is built on more than just pixels and software; it's fundamentally about people. My years as a football player and coach instilled the values of teamwork, discipline, and a constant drive for improvement. Leading outdoor experiential education programs in Taiwan taught me to truly listen to users (in this case, students of all ages), empathize with their challenges, and guide them toward solutions through careful facilitation and thoughtful communication. This experience solidified my belief that great UX is, at its core, a blend of psychology, design thinking, and iterative refinement.
The Power of Active Listening
My transition into teaching required active listening and information processing. It wasn't sufficient to simply relay concepts; I needed to internalize feedback from my team leader and colleagues, synthesize that inuput, and then apply those insights to effectively communicate with students. This mirrors the UX design process perfectly to me, where understanding user feedback, integrating it with design principles, and iterating on solutions is essential. The skill of gathering diverse perspectives, discerning valuable insights, and acting upon them decisively is one I've honed across disciplines and now bring to bear on design challenges.
Outside of
Design.
Hobbies
Boxing, Web3, reading, and Automotive endeavours (Building and restoring vintage cars)
Passions
Coaching! I love to coach the youth, whether its mentorship, counseling or sports coaching. Children & Adolescents have a whole life ahead of them and I want to be apart of giving them every resources they need to be successful adults and have healthy and prosperous lives. ❤️
Matthew
heard