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Cotality / OneHome
A UCI capstone exploring how AI could help homebuyers and agents build shared understanding, instead of replacing the agent's judgment.
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Interaction Designer · Software Engineer
Designing systems people actually trust.
Bozeman, MT · Open to Interaction Design roles · Remote or hybrid, open to relocation (West Coast preferred)
Ask my portfolio
Ask me anything about my work, process, or background
I train this AI with ongoing conversations about my responses, so its answers stay accurate and keep evolving.
01Work
Products, not just screens
Each project shown the way it shipped - a real product with real features.
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SoundCloud UX
A five-person research project that used tree testing, usability studies, and A/B testing to prove which fixes actually worked.
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Ask My Portfolio
A self-directed tool that tailors one factual résumé to any job posting and answers questions about it live, right here on this page.
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02Approach
What every chapter taught me
Design didn't come from one continuous track - it came from graphic design, freelance client work, a startup, and years running IT operations under pressure. I'm formalizing all of it now with a Master's in Human-Computer Interaction at UC Irvine.
Visual craft comes first
A BFA in Graphic Design and years of freelance client work taught me typography, layout, and visual communication - the craft everything else builds on.
Built to ship, not just to look right
Front-end development and a coding bootcamp mean I design with the build in mind - I know what's expensive to change once code exists.
Startups teach the real version of the idea
At DropTrip, research, design, and engineering all landed on the same small team - there was no separate phase to hide a bad assumption behind, so usability testing had to happen early and often.
Design for the moment something breaks
Managing SLAs and coaching a team through outages means I design for the support burden first: clear status, a graceful escalation path, and enough context that whoever picks it up next isn't starting from zero.
I run the AI tools I use, not just call them
Copilot and Claude Code are in my daily workflow at Zoot and on side projects, but I also self-host - a Llama install on a repurposed gaming PC and an always-on Mac Studio running local models for agentic work - so I understand what's happening under an API call, not just the prompt.
03About
I was on the other end of the system before I ever designed one
For nearly eight years at Zoot Enterprises, I was the one picking up the phone when a system failed under pressure - first as a service desk technician, then overseeing an operations team that grew past 20, with direct responsibility for developing a core group of eight. That's not the usual path into design, but it's why I design for failure first: what happens when an agent is unsure, when a handoff loses context, when someone is already frustrated before they open the app.
Design was always running underneath it, though - freelance client work I've kept doing since 2013, a design degree I finished while working the service desk, and DropTrip, the startup I co-founded early on, where I learned how messy a real product gets past the original pitch. I'm back in it full-time now, as a Software Engineer on Zoot's Advanced Projects Team, and completing a Master's in Human-Computer Interaction and Design at UC Irvine to make that instinct rigorous instead of just hard-won. Day to day that means Copilot and Claude Code in VS Code, plus a self-hosted Llama setup on a repurposed gaming PC and an always-on Mac Studio for side-project agentic work. (Also true, and unrelated to any of that: a vinyl collection pushing 1,000 records, and yes, I have opinions about the pressing.)
Interaction DesignVisual & Graphic DesignFront-End Development (HTML/CSS/JS, React/Next.js)Prototyping (Figma, Sketch, code)User-Centered DesignUsability ResearchDesign SystemsAccessibility (WCAG)Wireframing & FlowsIT Operations & Incident ResponseCross-functional LeadershipMentorship & CoachingAI-Assisted Engineering (Copilot, Claude Code, Codex)
Education
Master's, Human-Computer Interaction and Design
UC Irvine, Donald Bren School of ICS
B.F.A., Graphic Design
Montana State University-Bozeman
Full Stack Development
Montana Code School
Career Timeline
May 2025 - Present
Software Engineer, UI - Advanced Projects Team
Zoot Enterprises
Translate business requirements into responsive, user-centered interfaces informed by UX research and design thinking, reducing client revision cycles. Build and maintain client-facing applications for financial institution clients using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Git.
Jun 2022 - May 2025
IT Service Operations Team Lead
Zoot Enterprises
Oversaw a service operations team that grew past 20 tier 1-3 technicians, with direct responsibility for the career development of a core group of 8, maintaining 95%+ SLA compliance while representing the team's priorities to leadership. Applied project management to reduce average ticket resolution time through proactive pattern recognition.
Jan 2022 - Dec 2022
Teaching Assistant, Web Design
Montana State University-Bozeman
Led web design lab sections and workshops on color theory, typography, and HTML/CSS for 40-50 students over the year, mentoring many one-on-one through project development.
Oct 2017 - Jun 2022
Service Desk Technician, Tier 1 & 2
Zoot Enterprises
Performed Linux and Windows system administration with sysadmin-level access across 50+ production and test environments for external financial services clients, resolving production outages under pressure.
Aug 2016 - Apr 2023
WordPress Administrator
Susan Wicklund Fund
Executed responsive WordPress redesigns and used Google Analytics to guide performance optimizations, while maintaining themes, plugins, and security for the organization's site.
2016 - 2017
UI/UX Design Intern
Murdochs
Led web page and e-commerce redesigns grounded in user research and usability testing, and produced digital and motion graphics for marketing campaigns.
2013 - 2016
UI/UX Designer | Co-Founder
DropTrip
Co-founded and led design for a startup web application - conducting user research, building wireframes and prototypes in Sketch, and working closely with engineers to ship a cohesive design system. Won 1st Place at Startup Weekend Bozeman and was later named Innovator of the Year by the Prospera Business Network.
Oct 2013 - Present
Freelance Graphic/Web Designer
Self-employed
Nine-plus years of independent client work spanning startups like IgniteFeedback, CrossTx, and Verafi - WordPress builds, custom themes, and website refreshes aligned with brand strategy.
04Contact
Let's build something people will love to use.
I'm currently exploring Interaction Design roles where design craft and hard-won operations instincts both matter. It's my goal to build support systems that are proactive instead of reactive - if that sounds like your team, I'd love to talk.
shawnmfarnum@gmail.comCurrently deep in HCI research methods for my UC Irvine coursework, and building side projects in code on the weekends.