With Empathy, Humor and Data, I help people tell their stories. I am UX designer Nathan Petts.

Hi!

Thanks for dropping by.

The way I see it, connecting with users—meeting them where they are with a spirit of optimism—is the key to making useful software. Most technology is not designed with people in mind. I want to bring a user-centered focus to software creation. That’s why I earned a master’s degree in Human Computer Interaction at DePaul University. One day, I hope to develop an app that my father can use without swearing.

A prototype of the Worthy Words app

Fig. 1 - Learn about Worthy Words, an app I created.

Over the past ten years, I’ve had a lot of practice helping people implement, understand and use technology. I’ve seen first-hand what makes people throw their hands up in frustration. I’ve also seen the light bulbs go on when they encounter well-designed technology. So now I’m bilingual - I speak computer AND human; I understand systems and empathize with the people who use them.

I’m ready. I’ve experienced the problem, I’ve been learning how to solve it and I’m eager to get started. I am excited to do quality work with a strong team. Are you as excited as I am?

Read My Résumé

A Selection of My Work

People Say I Do Good Work

“I fully enjoyed working with Nathan during his internship at Basecamp. He was always motivated, self-directed, and good at communicating his processes and progress. He was also patient and flexible while we debated which problems we wanted to investigate, and he was willing to step out of his comfort zone to explore new methods and tech that he hadn't worked with before. Nathan accomplished a lot in a short time at Basecamp, and I think he'd be an excellent addition to any UX team that's looking to gain a deeper understanding of their users and their product.”

Jonas Downey

Product Designer at Basecamp

“Nathan's professionalism, ingenuity, and work ethic make him a dream collaborator. Our creation of an online game was a brand new experience for me and my company. Nathan was able to not only deliver a product that was user friendly and great fun, but provided clear options, consistent and friendly communication, and researched everything for informed decision making. We would work with Nathan again in a heart beat and count ourselves lucky to have had his expertise on board.”

Sarah Rose Graber

Fulbright Scholar

Adventure Stage Ensemble Member

Circumnavigator Scholar

“Nathan worked for me at Rush University Medical Center in the McCormick Educational Technology Center. We made numerous improvements to systems and processes over the 18 months I was there. Many of these improvements would not have gone so smoothly if it had not been for Nathan. He is very proactive in identifying potential problems and improvements. He does his own research and discovers potential solutions and then makes his suggestions. I always appreciated his willingness to be a strong member of our team.”

Max Anderson

Instructor at University of Illinois at Chicago

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