“I’ve kept myself down in the past. I’ve kept myself from growing by not allowing myself to just be vulnerable.”
Alicia Keys
I have been incredibly fortunate in the latter part of my career to find mentors who have been instrumental in my growth. Earlier in my career I would loved to have had the support and guidance to nudge me in the right direction. I want to be the person I needed when I was younger.
This page isn’t to toot my own horn, this is where I get the greatest joy and I want to celebrate what makes me happy.
I’ve been involved in many women's design and tech communities over the last 12 years, from attending meet-ups, to curating and hosting events with clients. Since 2016 I have been a part of Ladies that UX community. Ladies that UX is a network of diverse women, femmes, and non-binary people welcoming all UX enthusiasts across the globe. We focus on building skills, connections and supporting those interested in user-centric design.
As of 2021 I'm now on the global leadership team as the North America Vice Director. Prior to that I was a Chapter leader for a city in England.
LTUX Chapter Leader
As a past chapter leader for over 4 years here are some of my accomplishments :
Restarting the LTUX Chapter in Brighton when it had been dormant.
Partnering with other minority groups such as Codebar to promote collaboration between designers and developers.
Hosting events each year with Spring Forward festival celebrating women in tech.
Introducing UX and the possibly of design to attendees who were career switching.
A number of participants secured jobs based on the skills learnt at the sessions.
Teaming up with a wonderful charity dedicated to tackling loneliness and social isolation of our elders through face to face contact.
LTUX North America
I’m currently collaborating with the N.A Director to develop a roadmap and strategy to increase chapter growth across North America. I’m also in the process of building a hub of information and Wiki for the N.A community to engage with.
We are looking for new chapter leaders across North America, if you are someone that is interested, or know someone that might be, please do reach out.
Mentorship
Over the years I have mentored many people from various backgrounds, ages and skillsets. I’ve helped people at different stages of their career journey, whether it’s breaking into the UX field, portfolio reviews or teaching UX methodologies.
Here are some examples of my mentee achievements:
- Max got accepted into one of the leading Women’s Fashion-wear universities in the world. During the course, they completed a year long internship at Loewe in Paris as well as work selected to be presented at the Balenciaga exhibition.
- Ryan career switched and is now on the Microsoft Leap Apprentice Programme.
- Anna combined her academic training and new UX Research methodologies to receive a job offer from Workday.
- Kiki combined her new accessibly research knowledge to secure a job at Google in the Accessibly team.
Here’s what people I’ve mentored say:
“Hana is phenomenal. I feel grateful that I have been able to meet her and learn from her about the UX and tech space. She embodied what a product manager should be when she led the group of developers, UX researchers and UX designers. She was organized, could tactfully guide the group and our ideas and cultivated a comfortable space for ideas to flourish. “
Ciara Salmon, UX Researcher, Google accessibility
Here’s what people I’ve mentored say:
“Hana's leadership and mentorship skills are unparalleled. Her deep knowledge of product and design coupled with her leadership capabilities render her a fantastic mentor and coach. She also does a fantastic job supporting team members from a wide range of backgrounds, and facilitating collaboration among folks from differing levels of expertise and training “
Anna Knutson, UX Researcher, Workday
Here’s what people I’ve mentored say:
“Hana helped organise my portfolio and prep me for my BA Fashion Womenswear degree interview. She was very clear and helped me be very decisive in how we curated my work to a high standard. Not only did she help with my physical work but she had an amazing formula for how to be a perfect interviewee which gave me confidence with work. I highly recommend Hana for anyone who is looking for someone who wants to be pushed to the highest potential of themselves. “
Max, Womenswear Fashion Designer, CSM