Ken Martin | Artist Turned UX Designer Sketches Way to Startups

Ken Martin is a UX wizard and recent graduate of General Assembly's full-time user experience design course. You can find Martin sketching new ideas to life (like his latest indie role-playing game), captivated in code, or chatting away at meetups around town. This ambitious artist is ready to dive into his next challenge, so drop him a line if you think he'll blend in with your company's aesthetic.

What's your current role?
I'm a recent graduate of General Assembly's User Experience Design Full-Time Course.

What startup/tech projects have you worked on?
I currently spend most of my days reading, networking with other designers, and working on an indie game. The indie game is a passion project of mine that I'm working with a small team on. It's for a startup founded by a friend and me, which has been a ton of fun and a great learning experience.

Also, as part of my user experience course with General Assembly, I completed a client project with Moxie USA. Out of the 5 projects, we completed, this was my favorite. My team and I successfully envisioned and delivered our solution for a virtual reality shopping experience.

What tech/tools are essential to you?
Photoshop and Illustrator have been my favorite tools for a long time. I've made some additions, like Axure and Sketch, but they are go-to tools in my design process.

How do you stay informed & on top of emerging trends?
Quite a few different ways. I have a lot of subscriptions that make it into my inbox. Hypepotamus, Creative Bloq, Smashing & UX Pin's studio - to name a few. I spend hours upon hours watching webinars, reading, attending Meet Ups and meeting new people in the UX community.

Being part of the General Assembly community is also quite helpful. There are a great deal of interesting people on campus at any given time, so it’s always a great place to be.

What are your best technical or creative skills?
My best skill is my ability to bring my ideas to life through sketching. It's my base for communicating any solution and has been a lifelong skill.

What's next on your list to learn?
Coding is definitely next on my list. I’m fascinated by the things that can be created with it. Though I'm familiar with HTML and CSS, I want to push my understanding and then get started with some Javascript.

Why the interest in startups and technology field?
I believe that technology's role in improving our world is crucial. The considerable amount of digital solutions out there is proof that other creators share that sentiment. I want to contribute to the community because it's where I can apply what I've learned to important causes. Whether my design work helps a corporation or one person, I'm ready to help make a difference.

Interested in working for a startup, mid-sized company, or corporate giant?
I'm open to all sizes with the condition that learning is a part of the company culture. I always look for ways to improve what I do. I'm also not shy about trying something completely new out because it's interesting. My rhythm of intrigue, research, and experimentation has a profound impact on me as a designer, so I want to be in a place that responds well to that.

How does Atlanta weave into your story?
I'm a positive individual who is always seeking a challenge bigger than my last. Challenges help me hone my skills, and get exposed to new disciplines to dive into. Atlanta is home; it's where I was raised. It’s been such a great place to meet interesting people who are insanely talented and contagiously ambitious.