Featured Fíontan: Meet Kailee Quinn

This may be a big ask but tell me about the position you were hired for eight years ago(!) and how it’s evolved over the years.

I just dug up my original offer letter and it looks like I was hired as a Junior Designer! We were Confluence (not Fíonta) back then and had a big focus on web and graphic design. I did graphic design work in support of Karin Tracy, who was then the VP of Creative Services, and Vicki, our Art Director at the time.

I spent four very fun years working closely with and learning from Karin in our four different Downtown Los Angeles office spaces. Over time my role transitioned to focus more broadly on User Experience design and now my job is to help make our solutions as user-friendly as possible to support our clients and the human-centered work that they do. I feel very lucky to have such a specialized understanding of user experience design as it applies to nonprofits and associations, all thanks to Fíonta taking a chance on me all those years ago. 

What did your pre-Fíonta professional life look like?

After graduating with a BFA in graphic design I started part-time at an unpaid internship in Koreatown (L.A.) doing graphic design work for musicians (some of which you have probably heard of); this is where I got my first taste of designing for digital mediums. To pay my share of the rent I worked the rest of the time at Edible Arrangements, which was awesome and I ate all the chocolate-dipped bananas I “messed up”. 

After this, I worked for a couple of years at a company in the Valley doing beauty print and packaging design and I did tons of freelance web work as well.

Then I found the job posting for Fíonta and I sent Karin an eager and gushing cover letter begging her to hire me. I wrote: “I find the principles that Fíonta is founded on to be very admirable and I would love to have the opportunity to be a part of an organization that cares about giving back”, and it’s still true today!

You are our senior-most UX specialist here – what are some of your favorite blogs and resources in the industry?

I live and breathe all things Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g). From what I understand they really kicked off the profession of User Experience way back when. 

I also keep up with a few Trailblazer Community Groups to stay informed on User Experience specifically as it relates to Salesforce. 

Then there’s always Google, Reddit, Medium, and a few Slack channels to find answers to all of my burning UX questions. 

You’ve had the chance to work with probably a few hundred clients over your time here – are there one or two projects that stand out as particularly meaningful to you, and why?

There are many, but I really loved working on the website redesign for The Community Partnership as a huge aim of the redesign was to enable individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity to quickly find help. This specific realm of the nonprofit world has always been nearest to my heart. 

What are your plans for growth – in a singular professional capacity and for the UX practice here at Fíonta?

I am excited to keep exploring the intersection of User Experience + Salesforce + Nonprofits and Associations. It’s a truly unique landscape to be working in and I think there is so much potential for what can be accomplished here. 

Which of Fíonta’s core value(s) strikes closest to home for you? Why?

Do what’s right even when hard. This is a quality I try to maintain in my personal and professional life. I find it is always easier, in the long run, to do the right thing even if it’s hard to do in the short term. I believe that honesty and transparency are critical to success in any endeavor. It is hard though!

What is Kailee Quinn doing in her free time these days?

LOL, having a 9-month-old baby boy named Joe. It’s truly the best thing in the world and I am in love with this life, however, it is the bulk of my free time :). I also have a very jealous cat named Billie and managing her feelings takes up some time too. 

Drawing or painting?

Drawing

Zoo or park?

Park

Lake or ocean?

Lake

Deep-fried or air-fried?

Deep-fried

Favorite nut butter?

Not healthy extra chunky peanut butter.