Amazon Design

Gabriela Gonzalez is UX Designer with a background in visual design. She leads Amazon's Creators storefront; dedicated to empowering influencers to share their favorite products and expand their reach and impact. ?? What’s your favorite thing about your job? My favorite thing about my job is getting the opportunity to solve real-world problems creatively. I love the challenge of designing experiences that not only function well but also look beautiful. It's incredibly rewarding to see my designs come to life and make a positive impact on the lives of our customers. ?? Tell us about your background, and how it led you to design. I grew up in Venezuela, a beautiful country full of amazing nature. From mountains to beaches, I was constantly surrounded by breathtaking natural beauty. And I believe, all that beauty definitely inspired me to be creative. I was always exploring and dreaming up new ideas. ?? What’s your favorite creative tool? While Figma is a total game-changer in the digital world, there's nothing like having a giant canvas to really let my imagination go wild. That's where the magic happens! ?? How do you generate creative ideas? Curiosity fuels my creative process. Spending time in nature, exploring new places, and immersing myself in the world around me inspires me to pay attention to the smallest details. These observations become the seeds for new ideas. ?? What recharges your creativity? Surrounding myself with nature's beauty is my ultimate recharge. It's a constant source of inspiration that helps me refresh my perspective and approach challenges with renewed creativity. ?? Share a dream project you're working on or dreaming about. I've been itching to dive into a personal project for ages now. I'm wide open to ideas and super excited to find something that truly sparks my passion. Interior design has been calling my name lately, but who knows? I'm ready to embrace whatever creative journey comes my way! ?? What did you want to be when you were 10? Are there any parallels to what you do now? I knew from a young age that I wanted to do something creative. I thought about becoming a photographer or an architect. I was interested in capturing moments and also shaping spaces. Design ended up being the perfect blend of those two interests. ?? What’s your design superpower? Transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary is my design superpower. Finding beauty in the unexpected and translating that vision into captivating creations. ?? Tell us a fun fact about you that isn’t on your LinkedIn profile! I have a passion for bringing spaces to life through paint. I’ve created murals for a yoga studio and restaurant, but now I’m focused on large canvas paintings.

Tyson M. is a Principal UX Designer at Amazon. Check out his career journey and perspectives! ?? How did you become a designer? When I was young, I was extremely curious. I was always asking questions and wanting to understand how things worked and why. I was also very creative, so I was constantly drawing and creating things from my imagination. As I grew older, I realized that those qualities of curiosity and creativity combine perfectly for design. I still constantly ask questions, but now I get to use my creativity to create innovative solutions for millions of Amazon customers. ?? What did you do before Amazon? I feel incredibly fortunate to have had such a diverse career. After university I was recruited to work at a research and development team at Disney that taught me how to combine design with emerging technologies to strategically create innovative products. I used those skills throughout different career paths as a designer, a leader, and an educator, and across different industries, from TV and video games, to advertising, automotive, and AI. I also taught design in Japan, ran a creative studio in LA, and co-founded a successful startup that worked with international governments, and gave me the opportunity to travel around the world for several years. Recently I was leading design teams at Google, and now I’m at Amazon working with our partner studios on Prime Video, helping to bring new and amazing content to the world. ?? What’s different about design at Amazon? There’s really a passion to innovate and help people that’s combined with the right mechanisms and principles that empower teams to succeed. That allows design to innovate, take risks and try new things. I’ve rarely seen a company encourage design to take the lead and create a vision of the future the way Amazon does. ?? Share your design superpower! I studied art for several years while living in Florence, Italy, and that background in fine arts is something I draw upon constantly. Fostering your creativity allows you to continuously develop your imagination, which in turn gives you greater empathy for your customers. It allows you to imagine things from another point of view, and create innovative solutions to real world problems. We all see the world differently, but it’s creativity and imagination that connects us. ?? What advice do you have for designers? Never worry about making mistakes. I know a lot of designers that feel the need to make their work perfect, but that’s not realistic. It’s never going to be perfect, but you can always learn from it. And the more you learn, the better your work will be. Make mistakes and push yourself to take risks, embrace failure, and learn from it. Then go make something awesome. ?? What do you do after work? I still love to travel, and create artwork, music, and writing whenever I can. Anything creative makes me happy, but I also have three young boys, so most of my time is spent chasing after them!

Thrilled to be moderating a panel discussion with Amazon's Design Vice Presidents Kamyar Keshmiri, Hyun Yeul Lee, Matthew Menz & Byron Merritt at Amazon's Internal Annual Design Conference, Conflux, on the Main Stage in Seattle this week. We'll be taking a deep dive to discuss a variety of things from what they're most excited about for 2024 and beyond, and what we can expect to see in the future. #amazon #design #amazondesign #primevideo

??

Hector Calleja describes his work as designing how we interact with our mobile devices, saying, “Take a look at your mobile phone. Everything on it functions in a certain way—from the home screen layout to how you share content or adjust settings. Someone has carefully thought about how all of that works.” Calleja ties his work to Digital Humanism and User-Centered Design, emphasizing that the best user experience designers are driven by a desire to improve lives and create sustainable human ecosystems. Check out his story! ?? How did you get into design? I've been passionate about design, technology, and art since childhood. Initially, I wanted to study Fine Arts, but my interest shifted to Psychology during my teenage years, leading me to graduate in Sociology. Afterward, I spent a decade working with non-profits, supporting teenagers at risk of social exclusion. I took a year-long sabbatical to explore design and frontend development, which eventually led me to my first UX job at a startup with a team of brilliant and crazy people. Since then, I've focused on continuously learning and refining my skills through various roles, including freelancing, working with consultancy firms, and design studios, both as an individual contributor and a manager. It’s been an incredible journey, and I am deeply grateful to everyone who has trusted in me and provided opportunities for growth. ?? Tell us a fun fact about you that isn’t on your LinkedIn profile! Starting at 18, I worked as a pizza delivery driver for four different pizza chains while also studying—an experience you won’t find on LinkedIn! I’ve held various jobs before finding my path in design, including roles in cleaning, warehouses, and sales, among others ??. ?? How do your side interests align with your work? I have a deep passion for teaching, which is closely linked with learning. This has been a central part of my life, both formally and informally, since my early twenties. As a Manager at Amazon, coaching and learning from others is a fundamental aspect of my role. ??How does Amazon Design surprise you? Amazon is vast and complex, and the Design community reflects that diversity in perspectives and sensitivities. The talent and mentorship available here are virtually limitless. ?? What advice do you have for designers? Consider the activities that make time seem to fly by for you—those moments when you’re deeply engrossed and lose track of time. Reflect on what truly brings you joy and fulfillment. Identify the tasks and experiences where you feel most engaged and alive. Once you’ve pinpointed these passions, explore ways to integrate them into your career. By focusing on what genuinely makes you happy, you can find a path that aligns your work with your personal satisfaction and well-being.

Savannah K. works on the Books Team at Amazon. Her team researches how to make reading, writing and publishing easier for all. She came to Amazon from the healthcare space; pivoting to Amazon’s transportation and receipt experience team. When a role became available on the Amazon Books team, she jumped at the opportunity to help others in an area that is a true passion of hers - literacy and reading! Check out her perspectives below. ?? What do you love about your team? I work with the BEST people in the world. The researchers on the Books team are some of the smartest, effective, and bold people I’ve ever worked with. They’re not afraid to push new ideas and put themselves out there to support really important initiatives. ?? What has Amazon taught you? Amazon has taught me more about myself. It can often be seen as a “tough” place to work. I feel like a lot of people feel they need to change who they are to succeed, but once I found my team, I knew I was in the right place. That’s why I ALWAYS advocate for people to move teams - it’s such a “peculiar” thing to be able to change teams and I think we should take advantage of it! ?? How do you express yourself at Amazon? There’s so many wonderful opportunities outside our day to day work that Amazon affords us, affinity groups, volunteer programs, trainings - but what I really love is helping others! Two of my favorite programs I’ve engaged in is Class Chats and the UXDR Apprenticeship program - I love speaking and teaching and that’s how I express myself best - by ACTIVATING and educating others! ?? Share a fact that isn’t on your LinkedIn profile! Thanks to my career in med device design, my hand is cartooned and in MANY an instructional document for medication delivery systems. ?? What do you do after work? I love traveling, going to new places and exploring is one of my favorite things. The best way to travel is to just walk everywhere. When my husband and I travel, we walk 8-10 miles a day, immersing ourselves in a city and really living in it! ?? What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned in your career? That so many people will try to tell you to change who you are, and if you don’t, you won’t be successful. For those people I say, HARD NO. ?? What inspires you? I’ve always been intrinsically motivated. I’ve never needed outside motivators to push myself - I’m really lucky for that! But one thing that drives me is my motto, “I just hope every body has a good time”. Life is too short to be angry or upset - I hope we can all not take ourselves too seriously and just have a good time!

Kamille Dyan Fernando interned for Amazon’s Compliance team in the summer of 2022 and returned as a UX designer. Check out her story! ?? How did you get into design? I always loved creative spaces like painting, graphic design, and dance growing up. Ballet and ceramics were my favorite activities in school. While navigating through my undergrad, searching for creative opportunities, I reached out to one of my UX Design mentors from the Google Computer Science Summer Institute. She introduced me to the field of UI/UX design and research. From there, I encouraged myself to join a design consultancy called Berkeley Innovation on-campus, where I learned the foundations of human-centered design. I garnered first-hand experience as a consultant, working with different teams from Adobe and Target. In combination with cognitive science classes covering areas like philosophy, computing, and neuroscience, I also learned more about human behaviors and research. I eventually transitioned into my internship with Amazon, and am now a full-time designer with the company. Every day I strive to learn more as a designer and build delightful experiences for our sellers on the Amazon website. ?? What design challenge do you face in your role? Designing for different regions across the world is a challenge I often face. However, this broadens my perspective to better design for all of our Amazon sellers worldwide. ??What recharges your creativity? I love going to museums and concerts. I recently went to the Takashi Murakami: Monsterized exhibit, as well as the Joe Hisaishi: Studio Ghibli concert. I am always fascinated by how other artists create their work and execute them using various mediums outside of UX or digital design. ?? What do you do after work? I love traveling to explore new places, foods, and activities. Some recent adventures include: touring around the Grand Canyon and venturing around Oahu; Cebu and Kyoto have been my favorite places to visit too. I also love recreating matcha recipes in my free time and practicing photography. ?? What is the greatest career lesson you’ve learned? Never jump straight into the actual designs first. Take the time to understand who it is you’re designing for and why the project matters for them in the long-term. Keep in mind that you’re designing for other people, rather than you or your team members. Advocate for those who will actually be utilizing your designs once launched. ?? What advice do you have for designers? Over communicate your thoughts with your team and always ask questions. When you’re collaborating with team members, it’s incredibly important to understand the project space and their roles. If you’re ever confused, don’t be afraid to ask for support. Everyone is there to help move the project along. It is best to know, rather than assume. This helps you become more comfortable with ambiguity when you’re first starting out. #Amazon #design

Britni Thompson is a UX Researcher at Amazon. She researches how to make Amazon’s payment experience more user friendly. Check out her story! ?? Tell us about your background, and how it led you to design. I have a non-traditional background, as I like to say I have done a little of everything! However, I’ve spent most of my career in customer service roles. I chose to be in the design space because I have always been a creative person, my first medium was expressing myself through styling clothes. That transitioned into modeling, acting, photography, and video production. I was at a crossroads in my life and wanted a change from the role I was in. I found UX design it seemed like the perfect fit for my creative and analytical sides. I chose to pivot into the industry by enrolling into a UX design bootcamp in 2020. Through the bootcamp I started leaning towards research and my customer service background helped me ask the right questions to uncover insights. It was really a case of curiosity, timing and opportunity. ?? Share more about the recent talk you gave on “Democratizing Customer Obsession.” As a solo UX researcher within a large organization, I support over 17 designers, countless product managers, and 20+ products. Given the scale and demands of my role, I realized that empowering designers to conduct research was not just a luxury but a necessity. The central problem I addressed was the overwhelming number of studies that one researcher could realistically manage. By delegating unmoderated studies and enabling designers to conduct their own research, we’ve been able to significantly increase our output and get designs in front of real customers more frequently, without compromising on quality. By doing so, we’ve been able to accelerate the pace of gaining impactful insights, foster greater empathy for our customers, and remain cost-effective—all while operating within the constraints of a single researcher’s capacity. By establishing the right guardrails, your designers can become valuable allies in conducting research. ?? What do you love about your team? I get to work with some of the smartest, coolest, passionate people I have ever met! Everyone brings something unique to the table that helps us innovate in the payments space. It’s great to be apart of a design team that really values research and includes me in the iterative process to help us focus on customer obsession. Especially since I am a solo UX researcher on a team with about 17 designers, countless PM’s, supporting roughly 20+ products. Having their support and willingness to jump in when needed really shows why they are at Amazon. ?? What do you do after work? I love traveling! There is just something about exploring a place I have never been and interacting with the people there, learning about their culture, and getting away for the US. It has helped me understand what is really important in life and when I need that reminder I take a trip.?

Randy Rajaram is a UX Designer on the AI/ML team, supporting Amazon Q Business at AWS. When asked what he does, he explains that he takes complex problems, and create simple solutions, using software as the means of communication. He shares more below. ?? Why did you join Amazon? I pivoted from another career. I don’t have a college degree and I’m largely self taught. I was fresh out of a boot-camp, a new Designer facing an impossible job market during the height of the pandemic. My last role before Design was an Auto-damage Adjuster, but there are a ton of parallels between my current role and my past experiences. From working with stakeholders from both B2B and B2C projects, to time management, prioritization, communication, story telling using different mediums, problem solving, empathy, critical & analytic thinking, active listening, and soft skills. I stay because I believe in the LP’s (leadership principles), I believe that we strive to do what’s right for our customers. I believe that the products we create and build empowers and enables customers to do what THEY want. I believe Amazon creates spaces for you to be who you are. I also believe Amazon is trying to figure it out, just like all of us are in our regular day-to-day lives. And it’s we Amazonians, who are shaping the way. ?? What is the biggest design challenge you face in your space? I feel like I’m playing an endless game of Design knowledge catch up, on top of learning how to work as a professional Designer, on top of learning AI/ML. My biggest design challenge is figuring out what to learn next, how and when without burning out. Now, it’s also how might I innovate in the generative AI domain. ?? How does Amazon Design surprise you? We have a lot, and I mean a lot, of Designers that have created or worked on products that have shaped and impacted the world as we know it, spanning decades of inventions and innovations. I think it’s super cool, an honor, and imposter syndrome inducing to know that I get to learn from and work alongside these individuals. ?? What have you learned here? “a lot” - 21 Savage. An important lesson was that my curiosity IS a superpower. Being comfortable with not knowing a topic in a room full of experts, to ask hard questions no matter how stupid I believe it sounds, and to find ways to become knowledgeable about it so I can help build the right thing. So far, I’ve tackled and solved for a lot of problems, and I know there are many more problem areas here at Amazon to fill over a life-time of curiosity. ?? How do you express yourself at Amazon? I’m mostly professional since I feel like this set’s the tone for the environment I want to work in. The “mostly” part is situational, where I’ll inject the different parts of me. Whether it’s slang, a reference, a saying... just flashes of personality. To be honest, I wouldn’t want my doctor, pilot, or police officer to be unprofessional when doing their job, why should I be when doing mine?

Vanessa Perez-Robles started at Amazon as an intern and then came back after she graduated as a full time UX designer. Check out her journey! ?? Tell us about your background and how it led you to design. I entered college focused on Engineering and Computer Science, but a freshman UI/UX Design course had me hooked. I combined my computer science studies with courses in art, psychology, and engineering, deepening my passion for design. I ultimately declined my Software Developer Engineer internship at Amazon to pursue a UX Designer role—and haven't looked back since! ?? What is the biggest design challenge you face in your space? As the only designer on my team, I wear many hats in designing tools for our customers. Balancing the full end-to-end design process, from research and user flows to UI mock-ups and developer hand-offs, can be a challenging. However, this challenge has strengthened my skills and confidence as a designer allowing me to lean into the greater Amazon community for support, and I’m better because of it. ?? What did you want to be when you were 10? Are there parallels to what you do now? As a kid, I aspired to be a neurosurgeon due to my fascination with the human mind. I’m not operating on brains,, but I still use psychological principles to understand customers and improve their interactions with products, shaping their broader experiences with the world. ?? Why did you come back to Amazon after graduating? After college, I sought a company where I could continue to grow. Amazon's vast range of innovative goals offered endless opportunities for skill development and connecting with like-minded individuals. With Amazonians eager to share their experiences, the community has greatly enriched my time here. There is just too much left to learn and discover at Amazon! ?? What’s your design superpower? My design superpower is being able to deeply connect with others. Part of what I believe makes design so special is the ability to understand someone so well that you can make something amazing for them. This drives me to really connect and advocate for customers to make exceptional products for them. ?? What do you do after work? I love going on walks around Seattle. Seems a little basic, but Seattle is such a cool and eclectic city that every walk is a new adventure with endless local gems waiting to be found. It’s a mindfulness moment of appreciation for the city I live in. ?? What’s something you want to do that you’ve never done? As a beach girl from Miami, I never hiked before moving to Seattle and went on my first one last October on Mount Baker. Being from Florida, I was naturally intimidated by a hike, but the views were so gorgeous I didn’t even realize I hiked 6.5 miles until it was over! ?? What advice do you have for designers? Constantly seek out and change your perspective! Be open to outside feedback and if you’re stuck, reframe until things look a little different.