I’m Joshua Roy (yes, I have two first names), but you can call me, Josh! I studied physics at the University of Washington Seattle, got married my junior year, had my first child during senior year, graduated university and commissioned into Navy, had two more kids, transitioned out of active military service and joined the Navy Reserves, then became a User Experience Designer for Booz Allen Hamilton.

You: “Woah that’s a complete 180 career switch.”
Me: Here me out.

My motivation for design was deeply rooted in my personal struggles using outdated devices, programs, and methodologies while serving in the Navy. The world’s finest Navy fleeting with the world’s greatest warships have technology and programs that lack basic functions like multi-select, scroll to zoom, dragging a map, SAVING A DOCUMENT, A POWER BUTTON. It was frustrating.

That aside, I was fortunate to have learned from the Navy that are applicable to User Experience Design (UXD):

• Empathize with your people because they are the vitality and morality of any team or company.

• Efficiency is indispensable in a high-tempo environment. Fluidity is key to an ever-changing environment.

• Every detail counts - in life or death, or pushing a out a product.

• And no one should be denied the right to be heard based on their race, religion, color of their skin, and class.

Everyday is an opportunity to become a little bit better. I take two steps forward, and sometimes I take five steps back. That’s fine - learn from your mistakes and do it again, but better.

I enjoy spending quality time with my wife and three kids, the outdoors, indulging in local cuisine, fitness, photography, reading a book and the occasional video game.