UX Design by Rebecca LeVine
HELLO! I'M REBECCA, AND I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO WORK FOR
I'm UX and Product Designer, and I really love to read.
I also really love to connect people with books that will change their lives (or just make them laugh, provide an escape, look at things from a different perspective, etc.) Back in the days of taking the subway regularly, I was the person who'd spot someone reading something I'd enjoyed, and say, "If you're liking that, you have to check out ______."
It probably isn't surprising, then, that I adore Book of the Month...and have checked periodically over the years to see if there are any job openings that might fit my skills and experience. I was absolutely thrilled to see that BOTM is currently looking for a Product Designer.
Me in my natural habitat.
My approach
Collaborative and independent.
I believe the best work happens, from ideation to execution, when people work together. I love collaborating with other designers, as well as with stakeholders across multiple teams: it's the best way to understand every facet of a problem and come up with the most innovative solutions. At the same time, I'm a self-starter comfortable owning processes, working autonomously, and taking initiative.
Agile and iterative.
The best way to solve a problem, in my view, is to find what seems like a great solution—then be proven wrong as many times as necessary. By iterating quickly in an agile environment, I'm able to identify pitfalls and address them immediately, thereby avoiding putting excessive time and resources into a flawed idea. I take pride in my work, but I'm not precious about it: if user research or stakeholder feedback says "kill your darlings," that's what I do!
Big picture- and detail-oriented.
I don't miss the forest for the trees—but I also take really good care of the trees. I believe great products come from big ideas, but they also require detailed to-do lists and pixel-perfect design documents. Achieving this balance can be tricky, but I'm confident in my ability to do it.
Inclusive and accessible.
Empathy is a huge part of product and user experience design, and that means empathy for all kinds of users. I do everything I can to test a product's usability with many demographics, and with people who have many different kinds of needs. Everyone deserves intuitive, elegant, and, most importantly, usable products.
Recent reads
One of the most thought-provoking books I've read in a long time; also wildly funny and poignant. Hard to believe it's a debut novel.
I've loved Melissa Broder since the early days of her "So Sad Today" Twitter feed, and her newest novel didn't disappoint.
I underlined so many passages in this book that my pen ran out of ink. Washington's writing is so beautiful, and he evokes a sense of place like none other.
In summary...
I'm a creative problem solver with experience in business development and marketing as well as in product and user experience design. I love to read, I love to help connect people with books, and I would absolutely love to be part of the Book of the Month team.
Can we set up a time to chat?
Why me?
I'm a UX and Product Designer with a background in business development, so I come to product design ready to address business goals and technical considerations as well as user needs.
I’m well-versed in every step of the human-centered design process, from research to prototyping to testing to deployment. My approach is iterative and feedback-oriented: I look to generate, test, and validate multiple ideas before committing to particular concept—which in turn I'll adjust and revise as needed.
I've worked in and around publishing for most of my career—as part of the speakers' bureaus Hachette Book Group; as textbook coordinator the bookstore Shakespeare & Co.; and in business development at the ebook startup BookShout—so I know the industry.
Side note: I sometimes throw my design energy into book jackets, too.