Nice to meet you!

I'm Andrew Novotny, a user experience designer who has created holistic solutions for startups and enterprise companies. I thrive in challenging and new experiences, and am constantly pushing myself to grow my skillset and advance myself personally. I've pursued experiences working at startups, championing design thinking in engineering focused companies, studying and working abroad in Portugal, and doing design consulting.

I savor tackling complex problems to create effective solutions that allow people to reach their goals efficiently. I leverage my background in design, psychology, linguistics, gaming, and technology to build products that help users and businesses reach their goals. I have a feverous passion for designing products to make people's lives easier, giving them more time to spend on activities they enjoy.

I have experience in many problem domains including cloud software automation, financial technology, healthcare, and communication software. I have a Master's of Human Computer Interaction from a dual-degree program with Carnegie Mellon and Madeira Institute of Technology in Funchal, Portugal and obtained a Bachelor's in Cognitive Psychology with a minor in Cognitive Science from Mississippi State University.

I don't just work

Outside of my work I can be found exploring the world doing activities that help me grow as a designer and person. I enjoy outdoor activities including rock climbing, hiking, and skiing. Each of these activities requires solving the problem of "how do I get from here to there." I love the challenge of pushing myself not only mentally, but also persevering and pushing my body to overcome obstacles.

I also play a lot of video games and adore the storytelling aspect of games. I draw inspiration from games that manipulate how the player interacts with the story of a game in an innovative way, such as Bastion, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, or Undertale. I also have a fascination for the social aspects of larger multiplayer games, such as World of Warcraft and League of Legends. Researching and understanding how these games leverage how humans interact with each other and intertwine game mechanics to create new ways for users to connect and compete with each other is incredibly exciting. Playing while studying how they do it is just a nice bonus on top of it!  

I've always been enchanted with learning new languages and have understanding of some Portuguese, Spanish, and Japanese. Currently, I have been learning Chinese for the past 5 months. The changes in syntax between languages and how that has on an effect on a persons perception and mental models of their surroundings is especially intriguing to me. 

Say hello!

Please check out my portfolio and resume if you haven't yet. I'm always open to connecting with others, so if you’d like to say hello feel free to connect with me on linkedin (leave a note you came from here!) or email me at anovotny91@gmail.com