Aarron Walter

Aarron Walter is the Director of User Experience at MailChimp and the author of Designing for Emotion from A Book Apart.

Before joining MailChimp, Aarron taught design at colleges in the US and Europe for nearly a decade. He's a frequent speaker at conferences around the world, and his design guidance has helped the White House, the US Department of State, and dozens of startups and venture capitalists. He tweets about design under the moniker @aarron on Twitter.

Questions for Aarron Walter:

• What did you do before becoming a designer?

  My background is in painting. As a painter, I wanted to find a fast way to explore ideas so I took a Photoshop class. My digital images turned out to be a gateway drug. I think started studying animation and programming so I could bring my Photoshop creations to life. Next, I built websites to show off my work. All of those skills came in handy and lead to work at an agency, and teaching positions around the US and a bit in Europe.

• Where do you turn for inspiration?

  I like to study history, architecture, art, and businesses. There's a ton of inspiration outside our field. I find focusing just on the work being done within your medium to be a bit boring, kind of an echo chamber. Who wants to hum someone else's tune?

• Which are your favorite studios, designers or agencies?

  II'm a big fan of Paula Scher. Her work has a gravitational field I can't escape. She's a design legend, but she's so willing to share her knowledge with young designers. I admire and respect her.

• Is your city a good place for designers?

  I live in Athens and work in Atlanta. Both are creative hotbeds fed by their rich culture and history. I grew up in the Midwest, and ended up here kind of by chance. That was 15 years ago, and I haven't left because life here is inspiring.

• Do you listen to music while you work? Describe your playlist.

  I'm a vinyl nerd, so my "playlist" is analogue. James Brown is warming my turntable right now, and a Fela Kuti boxset curated by Brian Eno rests in the wings. I'm a fan of '60s soul, early blues, jazz, reggae, and damned near everything in between.

• What are you cultural influences? (Music, books, films, ideologies, etc.)

  It is hard to identify only a handful of cultural influences. We are all influenced by so many things. That said the writings of Douglas Coupland would be right up there. His unique perspective on my generation has had a profound impact on how I see myself and the world around me.

• Have you got an academic background or are you self taught?

  I have an MFA and a BFA in painting. Painting seems unrelated to user experience design, but to me these disciplines have a lot in common. All creative work is about finding connections between ideas. Painting is all about metaphor and story, and it turns out UX is too!

• What do you do in your free time?

  I recently learned to sail, but I rarely have time to get on the water. Most of my free time is spent playing with my boys. They're a handful.

• Where do you see the industry in 5 years?

  Consumers are becoming ever more sophisticated about design and interaction. Designers will have a broader palette to work with because they'll have to worry less about leaving their audience behind. But with more design and technology options comes the burden of staying abreast of many subjects. We'll need to collaborate more to sync up our skills, and get better at perpetual learning.

• If you could give one piece of advice to newbie designers, what would it be?

  Expose yourself to a diverse series of experiences. Try new things always in your work and your life. Your experiences are the source of your inspiration. The more you have, the more creative you can be.