Amanda Nguyen | About Me

Hi there! It's nice to meet you :-)

I'm Amanda Nguyen, a product designer crafting mobile app experiences at The New York Times (unfortunately no, I don't have access to Wordle hints! ;))

why do i design?

Growing up as a child and grandchild of refugees, I learned quickly that—whether intentional or not—certain products, services, and spaces were not created to be used by certain populations. Seeing my grandparents struggle to use the freshly-installed self-checkout or helping my mom use her new iPhone on a weekly basis made me question why so much innovation and beautiful solutions exist, but none of it seemed to help my ong ngoai complete what he intended to do—and that is sometimes as simple as buying apples at the grocery store.

I want to help them and all users feel taken care of—by creating accessible and ethical solutions rooted in empathy, by advocating for all, and designing solutions that make users feel taken care of ✨

My expertise

* translating user insights to beautifully designed digital experiences
* strategizing product enhancements from discovery through development
* approaching digital product design with a humanity-centered and compassion-first perspective
* building the bridge between solutions and those who need them

My offline expertise

* being an avid hobbyist (i'm currently dabbling in hand building pottery, gouache painting, playing violin in a community orchestra, learning one (1) bts song on the piano over the past two years, and very leisurely training for a 12k)
* completing the NYT mini crossword and half-completing the NYT actual crossword
* falling into youtube rabbit holes and becoming an accidental pseudo expert on a topic I have no business being a pseudo expert in (right now, i'm all about men's streetwear)

My previous expertise

Digital Product Designer @ Allbirds

Lead Product Designer @ Moonai
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Visual Designer @ NECTAR Publications
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User Research Strategist @ Fusion Hill
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Social Media + Community Manager @ Yoga Sol

My design philosophy follows three guiding principles –
*the 3 c's of Amanda, if you will :-)

Curiosity –
‍As someone who is constantly asking questions about the problem space and adding new things to her ‘to learn’ list (up next is Spanish, motion graphics, and how to reach level 100 of Skull Caverns in Stardew Valley), I am deeply passionate about uncovering insights and growing in any way I can.‍

‍Connection –
My favorite activity is connecting the dots—whether that be between two completely different ideas, people within my communities, or people to the solutions they need. Navigating our world can be complex, so I aim to find the connecting thread and help people find what they're looking for.

Compassion –
From my teammates to different audiences and demographics, I aim to instill compassion in all of my interactions. I take the time to thoroughly think through my decisions and designs to ensure that anyone who interacts with what I create feels taken care of.