UX, Product, Service Design Leader

About Me

 

sam-poulin-design

[UX, Product, Service] Design Leader

My Professional Life

For the last 14 years, I have helped to simplify complex problems for users. I bring a holistic, empathetic approach to designing intuitive, appropriate solutions. I have worked in a variety of situations and with a variety of diverse teams. I believe in the power of listening carefully and bringing a spirit of collaborative humility to everything I do.

My Core Design Principles

Understanding the Problem is the key to creating effective Solutions

  • Get to know the user and have empathy for their situation. Walk in their shoes to understand the broader context of their lives.
  • Identify your Key stakeholders and collaborate with them whenever possible. Bring them into the process to to build consensus and leverage their expertise.
  • Make sure we are doing the right work the right way! Talk to your users as you go to test and validate your hypothesis.

My Life Life

I am a dad who lives in Richmond, VA with my wife and two wonderful kids. I am decent oil painter and cook. I am a terrible woodworker and gardener (luckily I love learning new things!). I love meeting other designers and creating space to have meaningful conversations.

UX Design

I am a designer who loves to get his hands dirty. I take pride in the craft of design—whether it is Wireframes, User Journey Maps, Presentations, or spreadsheets that seek to make sense of the complex.

Workshop Facilitation

I love working with groups. I pride myself on being an experienced “Cat Wrangler” who can get actionable results from groups of people collaborating to solve real problems.

Communicator

How are we telling the story of the work. Are we explaining the context? What it means to the user? How it will impact real people?