About

Hi.

I’m Alana McDonald, a Lead Product Designer based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I’ve spent most of my life building and creating things out of nothing. Growing up in a small town, I played in fields, built forts, and scavenged ditches for materials for my next big project. If I wanted to solve a problem, I learned to do it with whatever resources were available. Resourcefulness and creative problem solving became the foundation of how I work.

I started out in fine art, music, and graphic design before eventually finding my way into product design. I studied fine art and psychology before earning a degree in Graphic Design & Visual Communication, and spent years working across branding, marketing, startups, and digital experiences before discovering user experience design.

My transition into UX happened by accident and necessity. At a startup, I watched a newly formed UX team use research, analytics, and human behavior to guide design decisions and became completely fascinated. When the team was unexpectedly eliminated, I inherited the work and found myself learning through trial, error, and a lot of persistence. I never looked back.

Today, I have 10+ years of experience designing and modernizing products across EdTech, SaaS, and B2B environments. I specialize in transforming complex systems and outdated workflows into scalable, accessible experiences through product strategy, research, design systems, and—more recently—AI-powered experiences.

I do my best work with smart people who communicate openly, move quickly, and care deeply about solving the right problems. I love starting things, improving existing experiences, and creating clarity where complexity exists. I value feedback, collaboration, curiosity, and making ideas real.

Outside of work, I still make things. I love music, pottery, horror, skiing, wearing black, David Bowie, snacks, and maintaining an ongoing list of questionable creative ideas for the Rubbermaid bin of bones in my shed.

If any of that sounds like your kind of person, say hi.