Melissa Schaff
I majored in Art History with a double-minor in Journalism and Communications at the George Washington University. After learning what I didn't want to do, I heard the term "UX" and had a realization that I found my calling.
Full of creative energy, I balanced my day job in SEO and digital marketing with my personal pursuit to be the best user experience designer I could, learning everything about my passion. Eventually, dedication paid off, allowing me to create my own UX team of one.
My approach to design—no matter the problem—is to make the solution meaningful for the user. I strongly believe in iteration, collaboration, failing fast, and changing people's lives through well-designed, meaningful solutions. For these reasons, and many more, I was drawn to civic tech, where I felt I could do the most good for the most people and embarked on a fulfilling tenure at the U.S. Digital Service, working across multiple Federal agencies.
When I'm not devising design strategies, interviewing users and creating wireframes, I enjoy exploring NYC by foot and slices of pizza, mixing (and drinking) whiskey cocktails, reading, and spending time at the ceramics studio.