About Sam

Hello! I'm a passionate researcher and hobbyist designer dedicated to creating user-friendly products that cater to diverse audiences. I have four years of experience in UX research and hold a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction and Design from UCI. When I’m offline from slack, I’ll be writing, drawing, or creating indie games.

Interested in working together? Feel free to connect with me either on LinkedIn or through my email samstephc@gmail.com.

Short Story: How an Anti-business Girl Goes Corporate.

“Never get near a business man or he will want you to buy something. Say no and he will turn bigger and greener and try to eat you unless you buy.” ~Wise words from 1st grader Sam Stephens

Growing up in the 2000s, I had this strong deep-rooted fear of corporations. From a very (VERY) young age I was convinced that all businesses were corrupt. I’m not sure if this came from the cartoon animators who framed corporations as evil in my favorite shows (ex. Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated), or the fact that my dad who was a programmer always had to work late nights for his company to the point where his eyes were more often bloodshot than normal. Either way, my number one rule in life was to never grow up working a 9-5 desk job.

Jump to September 2019 and I’m accepting my first job as a support representative at a financial tech firm. While as a fresh college grad I was grateful for the opportunity, it felt like I was letting my younger self down. I always wanted to be a storyteller, artist, or teacher but instead I was taking calls from customers, each one highlighting their struggles with managing their account.

Interacting with over a hundred frustrated customers each day motivated me to create meaningful change for them. I networked within the company and discovered my niche in the UX research department. Over the next four years, I honed my teaching and storytelling skills to help key stakeholders not only empathize with customers but also feel inspired to take action on issues. It was truly incredible to see customers leave positive feedback about changes that were led by research insights.

Now I no longer feel I’ve let my younger self down. If she were to ask me what I do for a living, I would tell her that as a UX person I help turn the scary businessmen into the good guys and I think she would be happy with that.