RebeccaLewis

– UX Researcher at Vhi Healthcare

Be endlessly curious and ask lots of questions!

  • Mentoring at UX Tree since September 2024
  • Based in Tullamore, Ireland
Rebecca Lewis

About

“My name is Rebecca Lewis and I work as a UX Researcher as part of the UX Team (Design and Research) at Vhi Healthcare.

My background is a little non-traditional in that I originally trained as a children’s and general nurse in Dublin City University and lived overseas working as a nurse in Australia before transitioning into UX Design. I loved being a nurse but felt creatively unfulfilled and wanted to pursue my life long love and passion for design (I just didn’t know what that would look like yet!).

After deciding to begin my career change, I moved home from Australia and enrolled in a one year portfolio course in Art and Design which exposed me to a variety of creative mediums including painting, drawing, print making, sculpting and digital design. During this year, I discovered my love of digital design and developed a keen interest in UX design.

Top Skills

  • Usability Testing
  • Accessibility & Inclusivity
  • Wireframing & Prototyping

Favourite Topics

  • Design Thinking
  • Heuristic Evaluation
  • Cognitive Psychology

Mentoring Skills

  • Active listening
  • Deep design domain knowledge
  • Constructive feedback

Working experience

Vhi | UX Researcher

I work as part of a team of researchers working on our digital channels (website, web portal & app). We are responsible for conducting user research with customers of Vhi healthcare to learn how we can best meet the needs of our customers through our digital offerings.

March 2023 -Present

AIB | UX Designer

As a UX/UI designer at Allied Irish Banks (AIB), I was responsible for user experience design and research for our business banking web portal and app. I led end-to-end design projects, from initial ideation to final implementation, while effectively managing timelines, resources, and stakeholder expectations.

Jan 2022 -Mar 2023

My LinkedIn

Why UX?

“I enrolled in a UX design course with DKIT and knew I had found what I had been searching for. I completed a work experience module and was exposed to UX in a professional setting at Allied Irish Banks.

During my internship I was invited to apply for a permanent position as a UX designer on the team and was successful! At AIB I was fortunate enough to have a mentor with over 20 years experience in the industry. I learned so much from him and his advice and guidance has shaped how I think and how I work to this day.

I decided to pursue further studies and completed a Master of Science Degree in User Experience Design from IADT. During this time I grew increasingly interested in UX research, particularly relating to healthcare. When a UX Researcher position at Vhi Healthcare arose I applied and have been happily working here ever since.

At Vhi I am fortunate enough to work with extremely talented peers and managers who lead and inspire us to do our best work. My journey has not been linear but that’s what’s made it all the more fun and meaningful.

I would love to be a mentor because I truly understand how difficult it is to break into this industry, particularly coming from a non-design background, and I’d love to pay it forward and help others in a similar position to see that having diverse professional and life experience is actually a positive that will aid you as a designer.

What advice do you have for future mentees and UX designers?

“The advice I’d give to future mentees and UX designers is to dedicate themselves as much as possible to developing a strong foundation of knowledge of UX design fundamentals, such as the UX design process, design thinking and user research. Think of your career similarly to building a house – start with a good foundation and then build upon this.

It’s tempting to want to jump right into learning how to use Tools like Figma and developing high fidelity, beautiful and polished designs. However, the best designers all have one thing in common – a strong understanding and working knowledge of the basics and the fundamentals.”