I crashed a UX standup and stayed.
I'm Louis. I started out in sales at a virtual-events startup, talked my way into its UX team, and I've been designing B2B SaaS software ever since. Away from the screen I bake, build bicycles, and ride with my puppy, Fibi, an eight-pound Shih Tzu, in a doggy-backpack.
How I got into UX
I found UX in 2019, just before joining a startup selling virtual events - think the Metaverse meets Second Life. The team was new, with no tools and no established process, and perfect to learn the basics by applying them. I looked for problems I could solve with what I had, mostly Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms, and distributed small tools and fixes to my sales team.
A few months in, the company brought in a dedicated UX team. I used every excuse to work with them. I badgered my way into their daily standup where over a few months I proved my value by identifying problems from my sales calls. And once I grew frustrated with sales I let the UX Manager know I was ready to move on to any other position, and he officially invited me to transition from sales to his team. That is where my career started designing B2B SaaS software.
Louis joined our group because he earned it through pursuit of UX knowledge and experience in his off time while working in our Events Department. He showed great promise due to his eagerness to learn and willingness to experiment and just give anything a shot.
Outside of work
I love food and it's a big part of my life. I worked as a professional French baker, making croissants, baguettes, and other sweets at a French bistro, and once upon a time I ran a small business making allergen free pastries out of my apartment in Santiago, Chile. It's something I love for me but also because I love sharing with others.
I also cycle and work on bicycles. I'm an amateur mechanic and have built several bikes from bare frames. I also raced for a bit, then decided I would rather be a commuter and a mechanic than a proper cyclist.
And there's my family. My partner Cami is from Santiago, Chile, and works as an editor. We met studying abroad in Buenos Aires, where I lived for a year and she for two, and after university I followed her to Chile before moving back to the USA in 2019. Then there's Fibi (pronounced Phoebe), our eight-pound Shih Tzu, who's been a key family member since we adopted her in 2022. We've got a little backpack that she sits in for when we ride our bikes around Chicago, and a hat to keep the sun out of her eyes (I looked for goggles before getting the cap, but her snout was too small to fit any).