About
Hi.
I’m Alana McDonald, a senior user experience and product designer based in Salt Lake City, Utah. I've spent most of my life building and creating things out of nothing. Growing up in a small town, I played in fields, built forts and perused ditches for the materials of my next big project. If I was determined to solve a problem I would find a way with whatever resources were available to me. Creative problem solving became my super power.
I spent most of my childhood and early adult life focused on fine art and music, spending countless hours drawing, playing piano and guitar, and attending art classes. I was the Art Sterling Scholar of my high school and studied fine art and psychology at Southern Utah University after graduation, later moving on to a degree in Graphic Design & Visual Communication. I was the first woman on one side of my immediate and extended family, and the first person on the other, to earn a degree in higher education.
I found that my natural talents as an artist translated to the digital world pretty easily. My career began in 2007 in graphic design, spanning various industries. I had played in many local indie, industrial, and metal bands that I had also created merchandise for, designed market reports for major players in commercial real estate, and worked in digital marketing and advertising agencies for years, but I wanted more. I struggled to validate design decisions outside of my own subjective opinions. My job was a soft science and wasn’t valued by leadership. I needed a way to add a metric to my skill set.
In 2014, I was first introduced to user experience design. I worked as a senior graphic designer at a social networking startup when a new department, the UX department, was created. I was totally enthralled by their day-to-day work. I had never heard of such a role. I would watch them as they ran in-office usability testing, sourced surveys, used Google Analytics to back design decisions, and discussed “user motivations.” I was intrigued and wanted in. Little did I know, I would soon have my chance.
Being a typical volatile startup, that entire department was laid off about a year later, and I inherited all of their work. I found myself in the middle of a complete trial by fire, but I knew this was my chance. This was the moment when I shifted my professional focus entirely to user experience and product design, enhancing my skills through online courses, workshops, and books. I furiously learned as I went along with the help of a few local folks as mentors. I’ve made many mistakes intermingled with successes.
Here I am 10 years later, still loving the decision I made to sink or swim.
After leaving the social networking startup, I was brought on to a digital marketing agency as a UX/UI designer. During that time, I worked in just about any industry you could think of: medical devices, medical billing, government, eCommerce, and SaaS. After a few years, I transitioned to my first EdTech position. I have worked in the K-12 SaaS educational technology sector since then. Having recently left my role at PowerSchool in August of 2024, I am ready to explore new opportunities in other industries. I’m ready to solve new problems.
Here’s a little bit about how I work…
To get the most out of me I need to have interactions with other people, often. I like a lot of feedback, positive or negative. I dislike poor communication and a lack of documentation. I excel in fast-paced, social, collaborative, and iterative environments. I struggle in meaty bureaucratic processes, but love intelligent and efficient ones. I like participating in creating such processes. I like being given the space I need to really ponder and understand the problems I’m solving for. I love being given the opportunity to start something new and be creative. I excel at improving existing experiences. I love visual design and have recently tried my hand at motion and animation. I am not afraid to make mistakes. I am resilient and resourceful.
Last important bit…
I really like David Bowie. New socks, snacks, wearing black, and skiing are also important to me. I have two cats, four chickens, and one husband. If you think I sound like a mega good fit for your team, please reach out! I’d love to chat. I’m sure we’ll have loads to talk about.