Forem: Sara Cunningham

Finishing My Personal Website

Sara Cunningham — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 15:39:03 +0000

Version 1

About six months later, I finally finished my personal website/portfolio. In June 2020, I posted a piece asking for advice and seeing if a personal website is necessary. After a generous amount of replies, I decided to start working on my website. I used GitHub Pages to host my website which creates a website for your projects, hosted directly from your GitHub repository. For more information, I created another post sharing the beginning stages of the website.

Breakdown of the website

The website is a basic website from HTML5 UP!. I took the layout of it because I liked its styling and thought it would be easier to get started with an outline. However, HTML5 UP! is very customizable, and I added my personality and elements. I broke the website down into five parts: home, my projects, about me, blog, and contact.

Homepage

The homepage is the star page of any website. It is the initial page that should draw the users/customers. My website is supposed to show my purpose and describe my online presence or brand. The first thing you see is my name, as well as a cool automated typewriter animation. I added that customized effect to show my creativity and to feel as if you're welcome on my site. As you scroll further down on the homepage, I display a couple of key facts about me and my interests. Overall I wanted to keep the homepage simple and easy to follow, so I chose to use a static page. Additionally, a couple of interactive pieces like buttons on the page give it a more dynamic feel.

My Projects

With any website/portfolio, you need to showcase your projects and work. As a college student, I feel it's even more crucial, especially if you are using your site to get a job. I added a couple of projects that I have done in college, along with a brief description. I have also included some screenshots and images of the project and a button to download the full project if they are interested.

About Me

The about me page is crucial to describe yourself further. I didn't want to talk about my education and career interests but wanted to share a story about how I got to where I am now. I wanted to portray myself expressively and cleverly that people are fascinated by. I also mentioned some hobbies and future goals to explain the direction I am looking to go towards. Lastly, I included some awards/honors and my social media links.

Blog

The blog page opens a new tab to my DEV profile. I wanted to include my writings from DEV because it shows another side of my life, and I am very proud of it.

Contact

The contact page opens to your mail and creates a new email with my email address. It's an easy way to contact me if you would like!

Anything else?

So far, I am thrilled with how the website turned out. I probably would have never thought I could have coded a website about six months ago, and here I am with my website. Although I didn't code it all and used an outline, I learned a lot. By looking at HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, I became more familiar with the language and syntax. Additionally, I customized the website and added other pieces that made it my own. There is still a lot I can improve on and continue to work on the website as I learn more. I will also try to update it regularly as I do other involvements and progress in my career.

If anyone has additional comments or feedback, I would love to hear them!

My 2020 Recap

Sara Cunningham — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 16:10:09 +0000

As 2020 came to an end, there have been many ups and downs throughout the year. The beginning of the year was off to a good start. Everything looked positive and seemingly ordinary. I was traveling the world, attending in-person classes, going to college parties, and living the life of a 20-year-old. However, it all halted abruptly. In one week, the world came to a stop, and things I never thought twice about became unknown. I wrapped up the end of my junior year at home, which is now how I anticipated it to go.

Additionally, I had an internship lined up at the beginning of summer, which unsurprisingly got canceled. I didn’t know what I would do over the summer, but I knew I had to find something. Luckily my school posted some micro internships held virtually, and I jumped right on it. I was very fortunate to land two remote internships that taught me an immense amount about technology, user experience, research, and so much more. Not only did those internships prepare me for the workforce technically, but also mentally. Having a job and attending school are two completely different atmospheres. Both of the internships taught me how to preserve when I thought I knew nothing or was behind, be open to learning new ideas, and communicate with others on real-life projects.

During my internships, I realized the importance of networking. Connecting with other people can get you far in life, and having a valuable relationship with people is meaningful in an abundance of ways. I decided to reach out to alumni, past and present co-workers, and even strangers to talk to them about their careers. I wanted to get an insight into what they have done/are doing and how understanding their path that they paved for themselves. Through conversation, it opened my eyes to see what I might be interested in and where I would like to be down the line. As a rising senior, I knew that I had to be ready to go once the semester started, particularly since COVID has dramatically impacted the workforce. I immediately started attending career events, virtual coffee chats and connected with the recruiters. Sure enough, all of the work I put in over the summer paid off, and I landed a job that will begin after graduation.

Looking back at the year, there were a lot of things to be grateful for. Although some of my college time was taken away from me, I could access education online, which is not possible for some people. Additionally, I spent a lot of time with my family, which holds a special place in my heart. Being with them every day is not always easy and comes with some bickering, annoyance, and frustrations. However, I wouldn’t change any of it because it all came from a good place, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy some of the arguments. 2020 is now in the past, but it has had a significant impact on my life. Now all I can do is learn from the past and look forward to the future—goodbye 2020, and hello 2021.

ZOOMing in on CISO, Jason Lee

Sara Cunningham — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 22:34:15 +0000

In June 2020, Zoom hired Jason Lee as CISO

Headshot of Jason Lee

A chief information security officer (CISO) is essential in any organization. A CISO is responsible for an organization's information and data security (Fruhlinger, 2019). Responsibilities of a CISO include security operations, security architecture, program management, governance, investigations and forensics, and data loss/prevention.

As new and old applications become utilized more often, security risks become more prevalent and easily accomplished. Zoom, a communications software platform, has gained a lot of recognition and popularity due to COVID-19. In fact, in December 2019, Zoom had 10 million daily users, and in April 2020, there were over 300 million participants. In only four months, there was a 30x growth (Evans, 2020). The rise of Zoom has helped in various industries like businesses, education, medical, etc. Although Zoom has been a leading software, it has raised concerns and increased awareness of security. In April 2020, Zoom imposed a 90-day period to fix security flaws and private policy. One of Zoom's significant problems, nicknamed "zoombombings," was caused by unwelcome guests on video conferences and sharing users' data with Facebook (Levy, 2020).

As Zoom became a dominant leader throughout the pandemic, they decided to hire a new chief information security officer (CISO) in late June 2020. Jason Lee joined the company with more than 20 years of information security (Cimpanu, 2020). At Washington State University, Lee got his degree in finance and computer science and passed the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). He then joined Microsoft as a senior manager in 2002. Lee's tenure at Microsoft included various roles, such as group program manager, principal manager, senior director, and chief security engineer director. During his 15 years with Microsoft, he managed global engineers, developed and implemented privacy training and strategy, developed digital security, and managed security policies. Additionally, he protected the online services of Windows Update, Xbox Live, and Microsoft online store (Cimpanu, 2020).

Later in 2017, Lee joined Salesforce as a senior vice president of security. At Salesforce, he worked with hundreds of security professionals and conducted the following operational security functions: system security, network security, threat and vulnerability management, crypto operations, etc.

Now at Zoom, he is an accredited CISO that will help Zoom's security daily. Lee commented about his new position, saying: "Ensuring that customers trust our products is of the utmost importance, and I look forward to working with the team to continue instilling security into the DNA of Zoom."

References
Cimpanu, C. (2020, June 24). Zoom hires Jason Lee from Salesforce to serve as new CISO. ZDNet. https://www.zdnet.com/article/zoom-hires-jason-lee-from-salesforce-to-serve-as-new-ciso/

Evans, B. (2020, June 23). The Zoom Quarter: 10 Eye-Popping Stats from Tech’s New Superstar. Cloud Wars. https://cloudwars.co/covid-19/zoom-quarter-10-eye-popping-stats-from-techs-new-superstar/#:%7E:text=4.,meeting%20participants%20were%20using%20Zoom.

Fruhlinger, J. (2019, January 14). What is a CISO? Responsibilities and requirements for this vital leadership role. CSO Online. https://www.csoonline.com/article/3332026/what-is-a-ciso-responsibilities-and-requirements-for-this-vital-leadership-role.html

Levy, A. (2020, June 24). Zoom hires security executive from Salesforce as chief information security officer. CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/24/zoom-names-salesforces-jason-lee-chief-information-security-officer.html

Zoom Hires Jason Lee as Chief Information Security Officer. (2020, June 25). Zoom Blog. https://blog.zoom.us/zoom-hires-jason-lee-as-chief-information-security-officer/

Information Architecture, Wireframes & User Interviews

Sara Cunningham — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 15:14:27 +0000

Information Architecture

In my last post, I talked about the survey I made but forgot to mention a critical component that helped me. I composed a sitemap/information architecture for the current HAX structure. What is information architecture? The information architecture is like an outline of a website and displays the hierarchy. Creating an IA depicts how users work through the site to get to a specific destination.

For example, the above is the HAX structure. The user starts at the home page and can do all sorts of functions like add content, delete a page, create a page, etc. If we wanted to see how a user would add content, it is seen through the IA: edit page content ➝ add content.

HAX IA with pictures

Before this project, I was unacquainted with information architecture. Through this project, I discovered so much about why it’s necessary to have one. One analogy I liked was comparing an IA to a blueprint of a house. An architect must create a diagram before constructing a home to make sure the rooms flow properly, correct specifications, and create a design with the big picture. The same concept is applied to an IA of a website. You must have a solid foundation of how the site should flow and make sure the information is organized logically before creating wireframes and prototypes.

Wireframes

After constructing simple wireframes, the old fashion way on a piece of paper and pencil, I decided to transition my work to the computer. Starting with paper and pencil is an excellent start to brainstorm ideas quickly and not focus on sophisticated features. When I construct something on the computer, I often find myself getting distracted and adding unnecessary elements that could be cool but not a top priority. To me, a wireframe is like a skeleton. It’s the bare bones of a design or interface, and if it doesn’t function, then it’s useless. You need to have an excellent base to build off of, and then you can add the glitzy features and fun tweaks.

Example of an interactive wireframe I made on Adobe XD

I utilized Adobe XD to build the wireframes. I used Adobe XD in a past class of mine, so I was familiar with the basics. Moving the wireframes to a digital outlet enabled a realistic version that users could interact with. I sent my Adobe XD projects to the team so they could write comments on the designs. Showing them a more refined look of the designs allowed them to understand my thinking a little bit better and ultimately provide more feedback.

User Interviews

One of the most valuable things I learned in the Valley Bank internship was the importance of research. Conducting research is essential when designing because you get to learn about the users’ experience from a variety of different backgrounds and viewpoints. If you don’t recall, I created an online survey that was strictly focused on the wireframes. This time I wanted to uncover more about the current users and see what their aims are. I quickly contacted some of the users familiar with HAX and set up a time for a brief 30-minute interview. Before the meeting, I had some general goals I wanted to get from the interviews, like their skill levels, understanding of HAX, etc. I reached out to students, instructional designers, and other HAX members to gain insights.

HAX user interview notes on the Miro Board

Overall the insights were extremely informative, and I learned a lot about user groups I was unfamiliar with. For example, I never knew what an instructional designer was, but I got to hear about their day to day tasks and their role with HAX. Learning about a new user group was fun and exciting because I got a better perception of them and how to cater to their needs. Additionally, it helped with creating user personas which are fictional characters to represent different user groups. Again, to be in user experience, you must have empathy. Being able to understand and relate to people is vital.

Example user persona I made

Let's Talk: Alternate Career

Sara Cunningham — Thu, 30 Jul 2020 03:00:22 +0000

Imagine this...

I always knew I wanted to work in the tech field with a somewhat technical job but what if I couldn't? Where would I be? Who knows...

If you had a non-technical job what would it be and why?

Weeks 8 & 9: Wrapping up my second internship

Sara Cunningham — Wed, 22 Jul 2020 19:17:55 +0000

HAX

During weeks 8 & 9, I continued my work with creating the current information architecture of HAX. I have utilized some of the resources I worked with at Valley Bank, such as Miro, and brought them to use in my work with HAX. I have created a Miro board for the menu project I am working on. So far, the board has a plan/schedule, UX/UI overview, information architecture (with and without pictures), user interview insights, and user personas. I am planning on housing all of my ideas in Miro so that everything is located in one place.

Above is a screenshot of the board with all of the different components. I am thrilled with how it’s coming along so far and excited to keep on adding stuff to it

As you may or may not know, I plan to document every step I take in the UX/UI Menu Fix series I made. I haven’t been updating it as regularly as I hoped to, but I plan to get back into that. So if anyone is interested in reading a more detailed procedure, then I recommend checking it out!

Wireframing & Backtracking

Sara Cunningham ・ Jul 20 '20

#ux #beginners #ui #design

Valley Bank

Concluding my second to last week, I didn’t start any new projects since I didn’t have much time left. It’s pretty crazy to see that my time is up at Valley Bank. The internship was for only about a month, which is pretty short, but I learned so much. The last project I did was create a slide deck that I would present in my final week during the weekly stand up. In the presentation, I talked about my little knowledge of product management and the information I have learned from my time at Valley Bank. I broke the presentation down by projects, going through each project I worked on and what I learned. I also mentioned all of the new resources I became familiar with, like Miro, User Testing, Azure, and Kontent. I worked with new tools, but I improved myself and added traits/skills to my profile like empathy, collaboration, and self-management. I wrapped up the presentation by talking about my future as a student and my plans for going into a new career.

Some slides from my final presentation at Valley Bank

Finishing up the internship, I am pleased with how much I learned in a short amount of time. There were some ups and downs during the internship, but I gained new insights and met amazing people. I will be bringing so much of what I learned into classes and my career. All in all, ending the internship makes me even more eager to start a career in product management/development.

Wireframing & Backtracking

Sara Cunningham — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 19:15:32 +0000

Little Update

I have slacked a bit in writing this series, but I am back to update you all with what I have been working on. In the first section of this series, I gave a brief introduction to UX/UI and started my initial research. Since then, I have done a ton of work and had a fantastic opportunity to partake in another internship at Valley Bank. During that internship, I was a digital products intern where I got some real-life exposure to user experience design and research and product management. I wrote weekly updates about that internship in My Virtual Internship series, which you can find here.

Week 4: Two Internships at Once!??!

Sara Cunningham ・ Jun 13 '20 ・ 4 min read

#career #webdev #beginners #internship

Wireframing

Before the Valley Bank internship, I worked on basic wireframes. I followed the "Crazy 8's" methodology, which is when you fold a piece of paper into eight quadrants and brainstorm rapidly to form eight different designs.

Above is an image of the different menu solutions I came up with. After that, I wanted to get some feedback from others. One thing that satisfies me is finding creative solutions that apply to a particular situation. For example, when I presented HAX's problems, I did that in a video format since I felt like it best fit the scenario. Likewise, I wanted to do the same thing, and I had to think of a productive way to present my ideas and receive feedback. I took some time to look at all of the options and came up with a survey.

Online Survey

Ultimately, I chose Google Forms to conduct an online survey. In the survey, I asked some screener questions to get some information on the types of users. After the screener, the next set of questions was about all of the designs. For example, one wireframe would appear with a video explanation of its functions, as well as an example of a website using the same sort of menu. Next were questions answered on a Likert scale such as this design were clear to me, providing necessary functions, visually appealing, etc., where they would rate the statement from 1-5 (1 being strongly disagreed and 5 strongly agree). I followed that same format for all of the designs, and then at the end, I offered overall feedback where the user rates their top designs and any other additional comments.

Looking Back

I created that survey on June 10, 2020. Now, July 20, 2020 (more than a month later), I realized some of my mistakes when creating that survey. My internship at Valley Bank taught me a lot about user experience, especially about forming questions. I should have formatted the questions I asked differently, focusing on getting a more open-ended response rather than just a rating. Also, since the study followed the format I made with all of the same questions, it could have been repetitive for the users. If the questions were more specific and user-focused, then the results could have been more valuable. Additionally, my screener questions weren't beneficial since I only had one question, and it was very broad. If they were more detailed, I would have gotten a more useful understanding of the user groups.

Although I am very proud of the survey I made, I do have many things I wish I could change. Right now, I am in a position where I am growing and learning from my mistakes. Googling can go so far, but learning from experience is so much more beneficial. I am glad I had the experience with Valley Bank because they showed me user experience techniques and strategies. This was a trial and error moment, and I will likely have so many more of these moments, but I will learn from them and become better.

Let's Talk: Current Challenges of Networking

Sara Cunningham — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 20:29:10 +0000

Current Challenges of Networking

As the world is transitioning to a digital forefront, networking events must become more and more creative. As a rising senior in college, networking is essential in landing your next job. Applying with an outstanding resume and cover letter is just a start, but the people you know will get you much farther.

How are people meeting new people when it’s recommended to not to leave your house?

One platform I have utilized is Slack. I have used slack primarily for work purposes but found there are so many other ways to use Slack. I Googled a couple of slack channels related to my interests like user experience, product management, consulting, and front-end web development and joined them. I haven’t made any personal connections yet, but they have provided useful resources and insight on what those jobs entail.

Another popular trend is online webinars or even networking events. I have attended some free online webinars and have found them informative. There are many talks, webinars, and workshops on websites like Eventbrite, MeetUp, and Linkedin.

Let’s Talk

What slack channels are you apart of?
Are you in a position where you are looking for a job? If so, what have you done to stand out?
Do you attend webinars? Which ones, and are they useful?

What is your work environment (Office, remote, or hybrid)?

Sara Cunningham — Sun, 12 Jul 2020 14:52:45 +0000

As COVID progresses and cases surge, what is your current and future work environment? Will you be going back to work in an office, staying remote, or trying a mix/hybrid? No matter what you do for a living, COVID has affected our lives and especially our careers, so I would love to hear about what you do and learn about your experience.

Additionally, what struggles have impeded your job when working remotely? What tools, resources, and technologies will you be utilizing to get your work done?

Week 7: Continuation of Projects

Sara Cunningham — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 14:01:11 +0000

HAX Update

This week I continued to conduct user testing interviews to get a better understanding of the people who use HAX. So far, I interviewed three people and found interesting insights from each one. All of the interviews were about 20-45 minutes long, and I asked them a range of questions like: why do you use HAX? What are your thoughts on a certain menu bar? How familiar are you with HAX?

During the interviews, I wrote down quick bulleted notes that caught my attention. Next, I created a board that outlined all of the different user groups and their thoughts. By doing that, I can quickly refer to one specific interview and see what their response was and compare and contrast the different user groups. I am using a website called Mural to display my findings visually. Mural is similar to Miro, which I have used before, so I am quite familiar with these brainstorming platforms.

My next step is to interview one or two more people. I have enjoyed the interviews, especially with the users that I didn’t know too much about. Learning about their day to day tasks and overall goals will help redesign the menu system because I now know their comments, which I can accommodate.

Valley Bank Update

Like I mentioned last week, I am involved in a bunch of different projects. I am involved in an AP automation project where we are trying to hone in the various vendors and segments. We have been doing a lot of brainstorming sessions, similar to the ones in the past, to figure out which groups we need to prioritize.

Another project I have been working on is with Kontent. Someone on the team put together a master list of issues that should be fixed. I have gone in here and there and resolved some of the problems. At first, I was a bit confused with Kontent because there are so many steps that don’t seem necessary but are quite remarkable. Luckily I had someone guide me through a couple of examples, and now I am a lot more comfortable working on Kontent’s platform.

The final project I have been working on this week was with mortgages. Last week I was given some interviews to review from employees at the bank. After reading three interviews, I got a better understanding of their problems, like clients not being able to work well online and the manual entries they have to do during a mortgage process. Next, I read the software they are currently using, Encompass, documentation. I then helped with making a process chart, depicting each stage to show how complicated and rigorous the current process is. After that, I hopped on a couple of training sessions with employees where they gave us a tutorial on how Encompass works. Visually seeing how it works helped learn about the overall flow and made us question whether each step is necessary or not.

Overall

This past week has been a continuation of my last week. There were no new projects added, but progressing more in-depth into the current projects I am working on. I feel like this upcoming week will probably include the same sort of thing, but we will see!

Week 6: Projects, Projects, Projects

Sara Cunningham — Sun, 28 Jun 2020 19:17:11 +0000

HAX Update

In week 6, I continued my work with user research. I am now working on user interviews to get a better perception of the users who use HAX. Some of the interviews will include students, teachers, developers, etc. I am trying to get a wide range of users so I can accommodate all of the different types of people who use HAX. Looking back, I should have done this step first and then work on wireframes, user journeys, and prototypes, but it's better late than never.

I have had complete control from start to finish during this project, which can be good and bad. Being in command lets me learn on my own and make my own mistakes. Failing and getting back up has given me a lot of confidence. Since I have had to go back, it has slowed down my productivity. For example, if I had initially started with user interviews, then maybe I would be further than where I am now. Overall I am glad that I made mistakes because I am now adequately prepared for future projects. Also, it's not just about making mistakes, but learning how to recover them is very important in whatever career you choose.

Valley Bank Update

This past week I took on a bunch of different projects. I have enjoyed my internship with Valley Bank because I can get into so many various projects and get that real-life exposure. For example, if I am interested in UX or customer experience, then they will try to connect me to people who can get me working in that specific department.

The first project I have been working on is with AP automation. This product is in the very early stages, so a lot of the past week has been attending meetings for planning the initial stages. Additionally, I did some more user testing with AP automation and added my notes to an insights board on Miro. When I watched the user testing videos, I examined why users were adopting specific accounting softwares. The first initial watch is to report direct quotes, insights, and observations from the user. During the first watch, you want to try to steer away from making assumptions. The reason not to make assumptions is that you don't want to guess at an insight without concrete evidence from the participant. We then had another meeting where we discussed our findings and did some brainstorming sessions in breakout rooms. We were assigned a specific segment and had about 20 minutes to think of their characteristics, motivations, pain points, and critical features. Going into the next week, we will be progressing this project and conducting more research.

Another project I have been working on is with Kontent. If you haven't read last week's blog post, I explained Kontent and how we're using it. I continued my work with learning Kontent and am now starting to edit the content on their local dev website. The team put together a Google Sheet with all of the fixes on the site, so over the next week, I will be assigning myself to issues that I will resolve. I am still relatively new to Kontent and will probably need some guidance, but the good thing is that it is still in the development stage and is not live. In case I make a mistake, no one will see it, and hopefully, it can be easily reverted.

Finally, the last project I am working on is with mortgages. I started this project later in the week, so I am still not too familiar with what I am doing, but this upcoming week I will be attending a lot of meetings and training to learn more. Additionally, I received some written interviews to review so I can get a better understanding.

Overall I have been busy with both internships, especially the one with Valley Bank. I am apart of so many different projects, but I have enjoyed it because I play a different role in each. All in all, I have learned so much, and I am looking forward to seeing what else I can accomplish in the next couple of weeks.

Are Online Certificates Worth It?

Sara Cunningham — Thu, 25 Jun 2020 14:08:09 +0000

Many online courses are of popularity for people trying to brush up on their skills and/or show off on a resume or LinkedIn. There are many websites out there like Coursera, Udemy, Udacity, edX, Comptia, Skillshare, and many more!

Questions for discussion

All of them range in price and can be quite expensive, so are they worth the time and money?
Have you used them, if so which one and what was your experience?
Do they really set you apart from other candidates?
What courses are the most valuable?