Hey, I’m Dawson

A Product Designer, specializing in UX/UI, Product Development, and Visual Design.

The Design Process

If I could share a visual representation of my perspective on the design process, it would be this clip from Everybody Hates Chris—Fake ID’s episode.

And here’s why: The "Good–Fast–Cheap" triangle perfectly illustrates how I view the design process. In UX, "Good" represents the user experience rooted in research, testing, and iteration. It’s where the real data lives in understanding user experiences, but it takes time.

"Fast" relates to UI, which allows for quick development of wireframes and prototypes to test functionality and flow. “Cheap” relates to visual design not because it lacks value, but because it’s often the easiest part to replicate, template, or outsource.

This framework reminds me that you can’t have all three at once without sacrificing quality, time, or resources. Great design requires intentional decisions, clear priorities, and an understanding of what truly makes a product successful.

"Good–Fast–Cheap" Triangle

One of the toughest challenges as a creative, is finding your creative identity. For me, it happened unexpectedly in 2019.

  • Growing up, I was always curious about how things were made. Shows like How It’s Made and Unwrapped fascinated me in to wanting to know how thing are created. That curiosity sparked my desire to learn how to create things myself.

    Along the way, I discovered the art of graphic design and its ability to impact and influence environments, communities, products and you. Graphic design is the bridge that connects ideas to tangible products that provide real-world solutions. My goal in life is simple: to live everyday doing something I love. That’s why I chose design.

  • I joined a group of talented designers to compete in the AIGA Recycle Runway competition in Miami, FL. The challenge was to create sustainable fashion inspired by a specific era in design history. Together, we designed a Bauhaus-themed collection—and we won 1st place and had our work featured in Riverside Times magazine. That experience exposed me to love product design.

  • In 2020 during my sophomore year in college, I created a Pop Smoke Tribute Sweatshirt on Tik-Tok after the rapper passing. While working on this project my social media blew up! Over 600k views. Users left and right requested if they could purchase my product. While the clout was fun, a question sparked in my head, How could I reproduces this sweatshirt for someone to purchase? And this question is what exposed me to my passion, printing designs on clothing.

  • In 2022, I had the opportunity to teach computer science and graphic design to high school students at CSH. Helping them develop digital literacy skills sparked my love for teaching design. This experience inspired me to pursue a master’s degree so I could teach at the college level. For me, design is all about adaptability and being dynamic. Environments like education challenge designers to keep learning and refining their skills, which is what makes it so rewarding.