Greetings! I'm Matthew Patterson, but you can call me Matt.
Fueled by my passion of collaboration and creatively applying my skills to solve problems, I bring a solid academic foundation to the team—holding a bachelor's degree in New Media with a robust concentration and a completed minor in Computer Science. My diverse academic journey and hands-on experiences have cultivated a versatile skill set, ranging from empathetic UX design to ethical software engineering and development.
I embrace the belief that design transcends aesthetics; it's the art of creating experiences that resonate with people to form meaningful connections. My expertise lies in understanding the perspectives and aspirations of users through rigorous research, iterative prototyping, feedback and data collection, with open mindedness to change. These are foundational skills for project success.
UX Design, for me, is not just a profession; it's a devoted commitment to engineering technology that impresses while upholding the principles of ethics and intuitiveness.
Beyond my proficiency in C#, Unity, and educational VR development, I am also skilled in Python, C, JavaScript, and have familiarity with TypeScript, React Native, HTML, and CSS. My coursework in Computer Science uniquely positions me to seamlessly blend the roles of a designer and developer, bridging the gap between the two.
Understanding each other on a team is just as important as understanding the target user. Having multiple experiences being a part of multidisciplinary teams (ASAP Media Services, IMRE Lab, and much coursework); familiarity with Kanban boards, Gantt charts, version control, Software Requirements Specification (SRS) documents, with regular sprint meetings aimed to share feedback, critiques, and set goals are all things I have learned to appreciate as vital tools for success.
On a personal note, I take pride in being a father of four, happily married, and a passionate enthusiast of various art forms. Whether indulging in board games, video games, music, philosophy, or sharing laughter with friends and family, these moments define a good time for me.
As a first-generation college student, I understand the significance of being a role model for my children—showcasing the achievements possible through hard work, breaking molds, and persistent determination.
First introduced to me in my Designing Humane Tech class in the Fall of 2021, the importance of prioritizing the betterment of the user via UX design was extensively discussed. I have strong conviction to exercise awareness of how UX design choices can influence the user, and to avoid "dark patterns" and malicious design practices.
First exposed to this design method during my role at ASAP Media Services, the emphasis on getting a minimal viable product (MVP) prototype deployed as early as possable to get precious feedback. It is crucial for user-centered design to be able to receive critiques and recalibrate.
I began learning C# with Unity in 2014 by taking online courses and tutorial videos. I would spend several hours a week in my personal time to learn. Then I decided to pursue my dreams of being a developer and designer of video games in Fall of 2019 and enrolled as a Computer Science major at the University of Maine in Orono.
After my work at ASAP Media Services concluded, my boss at the time connected me with Dr. Maharaj to redesign and develop his website to WordPress. Then I worked to design templates for Wild Blueberries of Maine community websites at the University.
First used Twine while working at ASAP Media Services to storyboard interactive experiences for a Paleontology VR project that would be deployed via Unity Engine. Then in my Digital Narrative class (Fall 2022), we used Twine to create an interactive story, which is where the "Edifice" project came from.
I researched job position requirements, and Webflow was mentioned as a need for several UX design positions, and I never used it before. I took the initiative add it to my skill set by learning it and developed this portfolio site with it.
Back in 2014 I worked for a family business called "Bryant's Stove Shop & Music Inc." They had a very dated website and they had me take the existing design and transfer it to WiX to start an e-commerce store and to show up on search results. Unfortunately, in 2020 my grandparents passed away and so did the museum and shop were closed thereafter.
Canva was introduced to me during my Designing Human Tech class (Fall 2021), where we used it to design info graphs and posters. Since then, I have used it to design visual mediums for other academic and personal projects.
I discovered Miro while working on a personal writing projects and game ideas and needed a tool to create mind maps and flow charts. I have used it off and on since then. Then in my Intro to Software Engineering class (Fall 2023), the course had our team use Miro to construct flow & design charts.
I was first introduced to Figma in my Community Collaborator & Development course during my Spring 2022 semester. It was used in a team setting to brainstorm project ideas and to prototype. I have continued to use it for following projects both academically and personally.
