Hi! I am a UX Designer with a background in multimedia production.
My name is Vardan Sargsyan, and I am a UX Design and research Master’s Student at the University of Michigan’s School of Information.
From Media Production to UX
Although I look back fondly at my eight years of experience in multimedia production and visual design, I wasn’t satisfied with the aesthetic-driven approach to making design decisions.
When I found the field of UX, I became obsessed with the various qualitative and quantitative research methods for informing design decisions. I realized that I had already been practicing the early stages of UX design thinking in my branding projects by always considering the users and demographics before etching a single line on paper.
Now, with my diverse personal and professional background, I enjoy undertaking complex information problems to create innovative digital products across any media.
BTS of a film set at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
My Background
A fun fact about me is that I am a citizen of three countries: Armenia, Canada, and the United States. I was raised around very diverse groups of people, and as a result learned about the many ways people's perceptions, assumptions, and values about the world differ.
This formed the backbone of my UX instincts. However, being aware of the diverse perspectives in this world does not make me arrogant about my ability to make design decisions—it does quite the opposite. It makes me acutely aware of just how important it is to conduct the appropriate research on users and eliminate assumptions about groups of people.
To add to my personal background, I have also worked in a breadth of professional industries over the years. Industries include private education, public city planning, international relations, private real estate, religious non-profits, start-ups, and newsprint. I cherish these experiences and bring them with me to any position I work in.