What's up, fam?

My name is Ali and I'm a designer who loves interaction design, product strategy, animation, and cats.

I'm currently a design team manager at BNY Mellon. I enjoy mentoring other designers and building scalable and positive digital experiences.

Enough about me. What brings YOU here?

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Selected Works

These are some projects that I picked for my portfolio. You'll need a password for some of these projects! Feel free to reach out if you don't have it. (You can also access these in the top navigation.)

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A little bit more about me

I'm a product designer with over eight years of experience, based in the incredible New York City. I work at BNY Mellon, where I currently lead the User Experience team for Global Operations and Technology.

My design journey started in 2015 as a User Experience intern at BNY Mellon. My placement in the User Experience team seemed extremely random at the time. At the time, I was studying Computer Science at NYU and I was hyper focused on expanding my technical skillset. When I was placed on the User Experience team, I was both a little annoyed and confused. I had no idea what UX was. However, I quickly fell in love with the work.

I love User Experience design because it enables me to be at the intersection of creativity and technology. I also enjoy talking to people and figuring out how to improve their digital experiences. I like to ask questions and figure out why things were built the way they were, and if there's a way to improve those things.

I am also very passionate about the concept of the next billion users, and I want to position myself to help ensure that these incoming technology users are welcomed with open arms.

I specialize in interaction design, user experience design, and product strategy.

My skills include:

User Research

I've spent countless hours immersing myself in users' day to day operations, to really emphasize with them and understand what their true needs are. I have sat with users to understand their pain points and frustrations. In addition to this, I've conducted competitive analysis and surveying.

Usability Testing

I've spent a lot of time conducting usability testing across multiple projects. I have used tools such as Userzoom and Maze to analyze experiences with tools such as heatmap analysis. I've also done simple surveying and interviews to understand how users are using applications and how their experiences can be improved.

Ideation

When it comes to finding optimal solutions, I pride myself in being a creative problem solver. I use different methods such as brainstorming, storyboarding, and crazy 8s. I enjoy sketching ideas out to ideate quickly and think through different options efficiently.

Wireframing

I have created wireframes in Balsamiq, Sketch and Figma. I use wireframes to get feedback and iterate quickly on concepts.

High Fidelity Prototyping

One of my more solid skills is having a strong eye for detail. I love to prototype in high fidelity because that's when I can get really creative with animations, colors and components. I also love to nerd out and learn how to get really good at using tools like Sketch, Figma and Axure.

Design Systems

I've created and maintained design systems to manage design at scale by reducing redundancies while creating a shared language and visual consistency.

Mentorship

I've managed and led multiple teams of UX designers in the past 4 years. During this time, I've mentored these designers and helped them grow and learn new skills.

Public Speaking

I genuinely enjoy being in front of a crowd to present ideas or to talk through concepts. I love to give presentations and answer questions.

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Contact Me

If you're trying to reach me, you can email me or reach me on any of these other platforms: