Missy yarbrough

As a "child of the internet", Missy began exploring Photoshop in 2003 as a means to understand the online world through Neopets. She went on to graduate from Mississippi State University in 2013 with a B.F.A. degree in graphic design. The world has evolved since the days of ICQ, and Missy is no stranger to making sense out of chaos, having done so at IBM, RapidDeploy, and Virtuix. She has been known to enjoy dabbling in all manners of creativity including photography, cosplaying, and cooking up a storm.

Perks of working with missy

+ Loves investigating available user feedback, supporting research efforts, and exploring quantitative data to understand current situations and desired business goals in order to inform future product strategies
+ Enjoys the benefits of a structured, intention-defined meeting (complete with notes and next steps for follow up). Got feedback? Will document for iterative consideration into the design concepts
+ Believes in the pay-it-forward energy by coaching and mentoring others (having helped establish 20+ friends from Mississippi to Austin and also, guided dozens of product designers through Pathrise's program)
+ Have access to boundless stories from the wonders of being "that person" that strangers love to chat to (yay for active listening!)
+ Flexible to remote-first, remote-flex, or on-site to north Austin locations
+ Will add some weirdness (and a huge heart) to your team :)

Her simple business philosophy: Do right by people. ✨

Feedback working with missy

I really enjoy the thoughtfulness with which you approach design challenges and your willingness to put unfinished and unpolished content in front of other RD teams and customers alike. You bring a lot of warmth to our team, and I appreciate the kindness you show others on our team, at RD, and beyond.
Lucas
Having you on the Team has provided us with so many opportunities to sense check how we're approaching the implementation, allow us to course correct and drive up quality.
Craig
I was blown away by how impressive she was with such a great positive energy every meeting. (after tearful hundreds of rejections, she knew that sometimes just a few words of warm encouragements really hits the spot) I wouldn't have landed my current role without her words and supports.
Clara

design beliefs

- People-ing is challenging, even for the experienced. Always iterate on the ability to communicate—and listen. More possibilities may arise.
- Like user controls, aim for people to have options to grow and evolve. Don't leave them feeling stuck.
- Design proactive experiences for people to weather through the toughest times together so they can witness the brightest moments.
- A simple question that has great ROI: How can we make [x] better?
- Anticipation and preparation of user needs is being a good host.
- Self-perceived differences can be strengths on the right team.
- Sometimes, going back to foundations is moving forward.
- Trust is transparent. The lack of it is opaque.


Missy's work history

📢careercoach.design

Design Career Coach

Empower every client to unlock their full potential, enabling them capitalize on often overlooked opportunities and professional and financial growth.

🎮 Virtuix

Senior UI/UX Designer

Making the launcher experience more enjoyable and engaging for new and veteran players as they move to their heart's desires in VR immersion.

🌊 Dream Con

Logistics Manager (Exhibit Hall)

Cat herding 200+ vendors and artists to have a smooth, dreamy experience at Dream Con since 2022, an event that's grown to 22,000+ attendees!

🌟 Pathrise

Part-Time Product Design Industry Mentor

Mentored and coached other designers through the interview process at Pathrise so that they snagged their dream roles and projects! 🌟

⛑ RapidDeploy

Product Designer

Led and executed efforts to transform legacy systems on RapidDeploy’s cloud native application for 911 call takers, dispatchers, and first responders

☁️ IBM

UX Designer + Visual Designer

Supported IBM Cloud's acquisition of infrastructure company SoftLayer, redesigning the billing and accounts experience alongside support and docs.

🗣 IBM Toastmasters

President + Club Secretary

Guide members to achieve their personal goals of bettering communicative skills.

👓 Gunnar

Brand Ambassador

Promoted and sold Gunnar's blue-light lenses at RTX Event 2019 in Austin

⛰ Greybox Studio

Brand Ambassador

Hyped and encouraged PAX South 2017 attendees to try an exclusive pre-launch demo of Rime

🔥 Curse

Greeter

Welcomed guests to Curse's E3 2016 Afterparty in Los Angeles

🏟 The Trade Group

Runner/Production Assistant

Assisted with the production setup and breakdown of Dreamhack 2016, a 3-day weekend expo in ATX

🦎 GEICO Gaming

Brand Ambassador

Ushered SXSW 2016 Gaming guests to participate in giveaways, feedback surveys, a photo booth, and video game tournaments

🪭FanimeCon

Signage Designer (2010—Current)

Design visible wayfinding signage for 35,000+ FanimeCon attendees to navigate the 51,000 m2 venue in alignment to the yearly brand update.

🏫 Mississippi State

Resident Advisor + Operations Manager

Oversaw the excellence of the housing experience for 26 floor residents. Organized program events to promote diversity, awareness, action, and positivity

🤖 Mu Epsilon Kappa

MSU Club President (2011—2013)

Organized meetings to discuss current showings and present topics of anime culture. Arranged group trips up to 45 individuals to conventions

🌏 Various groups

Pro-bono graphic designer (2009—2014)

Self-taught visual design principles by taking on multiple design requests including forum signatures, websites, and event posters

Storytelling opened my world.
Now I want to create and share stories
that illuminate the world's people.

Born and raised in the heart of the Mississippi Delta in a town mired by a longstanding history of fear-based culture and history, I grew up feeling trapped and powerless as a perceived "outsider." In addition to Asian Americans only making up less than 1% of the 35,000 residents, have you heard an Asian person with a deep Southern drawl? No matter where I went, I felt out of place.

However, my curiosity beckoned me to persist and hold onto hope. After connecting with family in the Philippines, I wanted to understand and appreciate the world's expansive variety of expressive cultures. Even though I was locked away from the world, books and available access to the internet enabled me to explore people's stories.

Inspired by MacGyver's scrappy improvisation and Professor Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture, I exercised design fundamentals through research, experimenting, failing, observing, and adjusting for the next exploration. Not only did I advance my proficiency in HTML/CSS, but I also learned community moderation and remote collaboration with hundreds of people over the course of 5 years throughout my middle/high school years (thanks, Neopets!).

Got an idea in mind? Let's chat!

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