Tyra Dumars was a speaker at WJPS for career day. She is a senior manager of UX (user experience) design at Amazon. She manages a team of eight individuals who work together to design the app to best accommodate its users. 

Dumars was originally a chemistry major at Northwestern University, but found she enjoyed design more. 

She has degrees in graphic communications and business administration. She went back to school at Pratt Institute to attain a master’s degree in design management. 

Her typical workday consists of team meetings, responding to escalations, presenting ideas to leaders, design studios and brainstorms, and training people. 

Dumars said, “One of my favorite parts about my job is that I get to travel a lot and collaborate with different people.”

She specifically excels in visual, graphic, and UX design. 

Dumars added, “Everything is designed. This school is designed. This library is designed. Think about that. Figure out what problems you have with the design and how you can fix it. Find design challenges where you can put your ideas out there.”

For anyone interested in design, Dumars suggests you get curious about everyday things, learn how to use UX tools, take online courses, and create a portfolio. 

WJPS 10th grader Josiah Williams said, “I think her job is pretty cool because she gets to express her creativity and have fun doing something she enjoys.”