about — ✽ eden tadesse

Nice to meet you! I’m Eden. 🌸

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about me. I’m a UX Designer from the D.C. area. I’m deeply curious about human nature and passionate about creating a better world. These qualities initially lead me to study political science and law as a means of conceptualizing the world around me and advocating for public good. I believe these same qualities have become unique strengths in my UX work. I strive to center empathy and problem-solving in my work to advance a more equitable world and future.

So Why UX from Law? ⚖️

As we increasingly rely on technology in our day-to-day lives, great UX design is crucial to our connection to each other, and our access to access to services, and to information. In my previous field of work, I observed so many ways in which poor UX design hindered our access to these services. For example, when performing niche legal research on government websites or submitting Freedom of Information Act requests on public interest issues, I found these websites difficult to navigate. Additionally, I’ve observed clients who can not navigate the resources provided to them by their governments websites or apps.
These observations highlighted the real impact of design on our lives and sparked the initial desire to work to improve these products.
As a result, I began to explore a potential career shift that would align more closely with all of the aforementioned skills. I’ve fallen in love with these aspects of UX design and hope to use my previous experience to create beautiful digital products.

My previous work experience has made me a more strategic thinker, a more holistic listener, and a methodological problem solver. I'm eager to leverage my skills to design functional and beautiful digital solutions. Read more about my journey below! 🔽

My Journey to UX Design 🛣️ (And the skills I picked up along the way)

“Studying Government and Computer Science 📚💻
In college, I pursued my two passions: public service and digital creation. I eventually decided coding wasn’t for me and dropped my computer science minor to focus on political science, but gained a foundational understanding of HTML, CSS, & Python
”

— 2013

“Working in Government and Non-profit Spaces for a More Equitable World.

I learned to research, anticipate the needs of my clients and multi-task task in a fast-paced legal environment like D.C.
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— 2015 - 2020

“ Leaning Into Problem-Solving, Process Improvement & Management
I was promoted to from a Paralegal to a Legal Operations Manager. With time I found that I loved being able to delegate, incorporate feedback from my team into my solutions and operationalize our processes between departments. As a result, I began to explore a potential career shift that would align more closely with those responsibilities.
”

— 2021

“A Shift: UX Pro Bono Work, Certifications & Learning 💡

After some research, I decided that returning back to the digital world would be an ideal way combination of both my skill set and passions. During this time, I worked to master Figma, dig into the UX research process, study UX/ UI best practices, and pursue pro bono projects that I felt deeply invested in.
”

— 2021-22

“UX Contract Work 📝
I continued to take on contract client projects, continue my education, dive deeper in to W2G accessibility standards, and take on leadership roles.
”

— 2023

“Blending My Worlds
I would love to the opportunity to apply my background in public interest work to a UX project! I’m so excited to see what the future has in store.
”

— 2023 and Beyond

When I’m Not Working..

You can find me sketching in cafes, traveling with my film camera, hiking with friends, or finding gems in thrift shops.

In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with my family dogs!

Sandbridge, VA Beach. One of my favorite spots to relax