Welcome to Pleasure and Pain — a blog about making technology easier to use
User experience
My name is Whitney Hess and I’m a user experience designer. I make websites, software, mobile applications, and gadgets easier to use by figuring out what people really need and how they really think.
Remember that website where you got totally lost and frustrated and gave up before you got anything done? That was a bad user experience, and it’s my mission in life to erase those from the planet. Instead we’ll replace them with digital experiences that enrich your life and make you smile and allow you to do whatever you do best, whatever that might be.
Why blog
This is the place where I highlight the best and worst experiences I find in the virtual world, and also in the real world. By dissecting what went wrong (or right!), we can figure out together how to create more usable, useful and desirable products. The first step is to demand that things get better. I’m just here to help. But in order for me to learn more, you have to participate!
My credentials
During the work hours I’m on the design team at Liquidnet, an international financial software company that runs the leading electronic marketplace for wholesale stock-trading. Previously I’ve worked at interactive marketing agencies Digitas and Tribal DDB, where my clients included American Express, New York Times, Allstate, Claritin, Tropicana, and EarthLink. I’m proudest of helping to conceive, design and test an innovative card search tool for American Express and am named as a co-inventor on its U.S. patent. If you want to know more, check out my portfolio.
My background
I got started as a computer scientist, but ended up graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University, and soon after received a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction. For the capstone project for my MHCI, I was one of five Masters students to develop Roadcasting, a system that allows drivers to create and share their music playlists with other cars on the road. The project has received press from Wired, MIT Tech Review, Slashdot, BoingBoing and more. Pretty cool.
My play time
Aside from my passion for design and writing, I take lots of photos, ride my bike, knit gifts for friends, go to the theater/movies/concerts, drink every craft beer I can get my hands on, eat at the best restaurants, travel the world and never stop learning new things. I’m an only child, a lefty, a redhead, an ENFJ, and a pretty good rapper. Born and raised in New York City, I currently live in a super awesome neighborhood called TriBeCa. If you’re ever in town, be sure to hit me up on Twitter or by e-mail and we’ll hang out.
Subscribe to Pleasure and Pain
New things are always being posted here, and you can stay up to date a few ways. One, you can just keep coming back by directing your browser to http://www.whitneyhess.com/blog. Or it might be more efficient to add me to your RSS reader if you use one. If you’re not an RSS user, you might want to get new posts by e-mail. Just put in your e-mail address below and presto.
