About

Hello 👋, I'm Michael Dripps, a UX Designer in Minneapolis, MN 🥶.

I love to work on cross-functional teams and collaborate with teammates, stakeholders, and anyone else who is interested in improving a design for our customers. I share my work early and often and am comfortable sharing work in progress. I am inclusive, promote transparency and invite developers and other non-designers into the design process. Design can be a messy process with many involved, but when diverse voices are heard and contributions made, the end result can be a well thought through experience. Lastly, I believe shipping a new product should be viewed as the beginning of our learning and the start of our journey with customers.

In addition to UX design, I also enjoy playing piano / keyboards 🎹, backpacking 🏔, and I am a dedicated bike commuter 🚴‍♀️.

My Journey into UX

My journey into the field of UX began in 2009, during my time at MakeMusic. For years I had been pushing for a better user experience for our customers. In the summer of 2009, we embarked on a complete redesign of our flagship product, SmartMusic. To guide us through this process, we collaborated with the renowned design firm Cooper from San Francisco. They introduced us to their persona-based, goal-oriented, user-centered methodology.

During a two-month apprenticeship with Tim McCoy from Cooper, I had the privilege of learning from a top-notch User Experience Designer. Our journey started with qualitative research, including user interviews and observations, which informed our strategic planning and persona development. We then proceeded to create wireframes, document functionality, design visual comps, and conduct numerous usability sessions. It was an enlightening experience to receive such invaluable training from an industry leader.

After completing the apprenticeship, I joined the newly formed internal design team to continue contributing to the ongoing redesign efforts. Since then, I have focused on UX within the eCommerce and Healthcare industries, building upon my previous experience in the EdTech space.

Personal Life

On a personal note, I am a proud father of three amazing kids: Miles, Parker, and Ruby. I am married to my wonderful wife, Yvonne. We also have 2 mini aussies, Tweed and Bird, to herd us and keep us in line. Our family enjoys playing sports like hockey, soccer, and volleyball. We are avid travelers and love camping in amazing places such as The Bighorn Mountains, The Badlands, and The Grand Canyon.

Thank you for visiting my about page. If you have any questions or would like to connect, please feel free to reach out!