With previous careers as a business analyst and project manager, Danielle Gardner had a strong background in research, data, and problem-solving provided a strong foundation for GA’s User Experience Design Immersive course in Denver.

“It surprised me how UX was rooted in research and data, and that it is about how things work and solving problems,” says Gardner, who brings fresh skills from her UX design training to her role as a product designer for execution management software GoSpotCheck. “I’m introducing design thinking to the organization. Instead of just focusing on the features they want to deliver, I am trying to bring insight into the real problems their users have and how we might be able solve them.”

Discovering that UX is relevant everywhere transformed the way Gardner approaches day-to-day grievances. “Whenever I hear someone complaining or trying to implement a solution, I try to dig in deeper and find the actual problem,” she says. “Many times once you bring clarity to the problem, you’re able to find different solutions to address the issue.”

Read more about how Gardner is making it in UX.