That perspective was shaped early on. In the early 1990s, my parents opened the first health food store within 100 miles of our town. They saw a clear gap in the community and built a brick-and-mortar business to meet it, one that supported people’s health and wellbeing for over 20 years. At the time, I didn’t have language for what I was witnessing, but in hindsight, it was my first exposure to human-centered design: identifying unmet needs, building solutions around real people, and creating long-term impact through thoughtful business decisions.

That foundation stayed with me as I studied anthropology and creative media, while also working as a licensed massage therapist. Across these experiences, I became deeply interested in how people think, behave, and make meaning, and how systems either support or work against them.

During my creative media degree at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, I directed and co-produced an award-winning short film focused on indigenous storytelling that screened at festivals around the world. The project spanned more than two years and required leading teams of up to 30 people, aligning creative vision with logistical constraints, and seeing a complex idea through from concept to completion. That experience sharpened my ability to collaborate, communicate clearly, and execute thoughtfully under real-world constraints.

Alongside this work, I supported small health and wellness businesses, often consulting them to clarify who their customers were, what they truly needed, and how to design offerings that were both meaningful and sustainable. I designed marketing materials, service menus, digital content, and online courses for businesses launching new locations or expanding their product offerings. At the time, I didn’t realize I was practicing UX, I was simply doing what came naturally: empathizing with users, identifying friction, and translating insights into actionable business decisions.

It wasn’t until I discovered UX design as a formal discipline that everything clicked. Human Centered Design gave me the language, frameworks, and tools to refine what I had been doing intuitively for years: researching human needs, designing for clarity and accessibility, and helping products and businesses thrive together.

Today, I bring that background into my work as a UX designer, specializing in complex, care-oriented domains where clarity, empathy, and thoughtful systems design truly matter.

Outside of work:

• Nature lover

• Pilates (or surfing when I’m visiting the islands)

• Meditator

• Lifelong student of health and wellness

Email me at:
AllisonKennedyDesign@gmail.com