About Tommy
Background
I studied architecture, then marketing, taught myself to code, and fell into design. After sharpening my teeth on graphic and web design, I was able to dig into interface and experience design which proved to be an incredible, creative way to solve puzzles and problems that actually benefit others.
My background in small companies and entrepreneurial ventures has given me wonderful opportunities to try many things. I’ve created and run big events, I’ve executed traditional and digital marketing, I’ve done social media, dabbled in HR, front-end development, I’ve done graphic design, web design, interface design, and product design.
I live directly between the Salt Lake Valley and the Utah tech hub of Provo/Lehi with my beautiful wife and three awesome kiddos. I started playing indoor soccer when I turned 30 and have played back-to-back seasons ever since. I like board games and Italian sandwiches. I also invented a foosball spin-off sport called Twosball. We should play sometime.
Focus
Broadly, my current focus is on user experience design. Specifically, I'm focused on interface design and development.
Tools
We live in a wonderful time; there are so many great avenues for bringing ideas to life. The tools matter less than the outcome, but the outcome frequently depends on teams being able to work together. That's what makes the tools matter.
My latest tools of choice (in a loosely preferential order):
- Photoshop (after 12 years, I just haven't been able to give it up)
- Sketch (definitely growing on me — there are things in here that really speed up my work)
- Illustrator (nothing can touch it for real vector work)
- HTML5 / CSS (obv.)
- SASS (I learn new stuff that make this more awesome every week)
- Invision (the product is pretty good and it's what I'm familiar with, but I also really dig the company)
- IconJar (icon management — simple, and simplifies my life)
- Sublime Text 2 (for writing the codes)
- CodeKit (code compiler for Mac)
- FileZilla (fav FTP client)
- LastPass (seriously saves me 30 min a day not looking passwords up... and I feel safer)
- Slack (how I keep up with the UX peeps and coordinate side projects)
- HipChat (day job dev team IM platform of choice)
- Evernote (notes, brainstorms, journaling, etc)
Some tools I'm exploring (maybe I shouldn't put this here since it's constantly changing...)
- Framer
- Bourbon
- Cordova / Ionic
- Zeplin
- Adobe XD
- Adobe After Effects