Xi-cite Open Day: User Experience Design and Service Design

Amanda Ventra is making her debut as a junior user experience designer after tackling career change while raising two children. Coming from a Graphic Design background, Amanda was keen to understand her users more and therefore made the decision to study with Academy Xi to help with the transition. Amanda has a keen interest in all things creative but is currently enjoying the worlds of UX research and writing.

Hello, I’m Erika. I’m a freelance designer with 2 years of experience in UX/UI and a background in visual comms. I advocate for design done right and think a lot about the consequences of when it’s done otherwise. I have applied human centred design at Bupa and Dellis Furniture and done digital work for Che Proximity, AGL Energy, MYOB and others.

Being fascinated by people and how they think is what motivates me to observe and learn from as many experiences as I possibly can, that’s why I run The Conversation Club, a project that promotes connection through conversation.

My name is Reece and my passion is helping people. I’m 6 months at VASS (Ventilation Accomodation Support Service) as the Educator and part of a team who recognise and support our clients as the decision makers. At VASS we do what Human Centred Service Design is all about: we listen, hear and act on what our residents decide, from what time they have their meals to the clothes they wear each day. We are the hands, arms, feet but they remain the brains and hearts.

I’m a Registered Nurse with over 30 years of experience across a range of clinical specialties including Paediatrics, Neurology and Emergency. I started my career at a time when occupational choices for women were limited to Teaching, Secretarial or Nursing - and I decided to take the Nursing route.

Since then, I've held a variety of roles, including Clinical Lead, Telehealth, Senior RN, Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) and Nurse Unit Manager (NUM), in both city, rural hospitals and practices.

Shimona garnered experience in psychology, education and music before her love for tech, and curiosity for all things human prompted her to explore the world of user experience design. Currently a UX Designer at award-winning education technology startup, Mindsets Learning, on some weekends, she can be found swinging up a storm with her jazz band Shimona & The Cat's Pyjamas.

Ben Gilmore is currently the User Experience (UX) Design Lead Instructor at Academy Xi. He has over 17 years experience in UX Design and four years of experience in managing Design teams across various industries including telecommunications, health, and education. With a strong passion for his work and a deep interest in Design methodology, Ben’s enjoys Agile and Lean UX and the overall process of product and service delivery.