Creativity within constraints
Design has always been at the centre of what I do, even before I called myself a designer. I once wondered why I gravitated toward photography and thrifting furniture over painting. Photography requires working with what you have — the lighting, the space, and even the random person who might completely transform the shot. Thrifting furniture means finding a way to integrate something that once belonged to someone else into a corner of your own home, making it feel like it was always meant to be there.
I thrive on working creatively within constraints. I don't see constraints as roadblocks — I see them as opportunities. They push me to stretch the boundaries of my thought process and ask the question 'How can I work with these parameters and make it the best that it can be?'. Sometimes the end-solution is better than I originally imagined.
Designing for impact
Professionally, I love solving problems for people. This is what originally led me to the environmental policy field as a qualitative researcher, and now to user experience design. I have always sought to address challenges, whether societal or individual, and whether small or complex, with a focus on creating meaningful impact.
While at Nature Canada, I worked on a project to define urban tree equity. After interviewing key informants in the urban environmental space, I conducted a thematic analysis — what I later recognized as affinity mapping.
I used direct interview quotes to capture and tell the story of the communities affected — which in hindsight would make great user personas. As a policy researcher, I found that my work has always closely mirrored the role of a designer, placing human needs at the forefront, while balancing it with complex stakeholder perspectives.
I am now working as a product designer on an agile team with Philly Truce, where I am designing a route management system (RMS) to improve student safety in vulnerable areas of Philadelphia.
© Sharmeena Lalloo. 2024