Catherine Kim
Product Designer
Duke University - FUQUA School of Business
UC San Diego - B.S. Human Computer Interaction

linkedin.com/in/catherineykim
kimcatherine2297@gmail.com
(916) 712-6166

How Did you Get Into Design?

I always enjoyed art and would win some art competitions growing up. I became interested in design during my high school digital art class where I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop while applying design principles to my artwork.

After high school, I participated in Google's Computer Science Summer Institute, where I learned to code a web app from ideation to development. It was during this program that I was introduced to UX design by one of the instructors who was a UX Designer at Google. After the program ended, I delved more into UX design by reading articles on Medium.

At UC San Diego, I majored in Cognitive Science with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction. Through my participation in design clubs and taking HCI classes, I gained more experience in design and worked on various projects. I enjoyed art, technology, and helping others so UX design was a natural fit for me. I am always thinking about the end user and how to make their lives easier through technology and design.

After graduating, I worked at ServiceMax PTC for 5 years. I served as a design lead for various product lines and a leader in user research. I also worked at various companies in Irvine while pursuing a Master’s degree at Duke. I currently work as the sole product designer at Alleviate.

What is your working style with Product Managers and Engineers?

I actively engage with product managers and engineers in my work.

I enjoy brainstorming sessions and creating flow diagrams with product managers in FigJam. I organize my work in sprints with weekly deliverables and review sessions with product managers and other stakeholders. I am able to help prioritize and strategize with product managers to bring value to products.

In addition, I attend engineering Standups and Grooming sessions to collaborate with engineering teams. I am detailed in documenting the design process and handoff using Jira to ensure timely releases. With experience in computer science courses and coding, I enjoy discussing technical constraints and collaborating with engineers.