Hi there! My name is Owla and I’m a Seattle based design researcher.
Currently at Visa, I lead design research efforts for small business products within the commercial solutions portfolio. During the last 5 years at Visa, I conducted research on a wide range of products including risk & identity solutions, internal tools, and consumer facing products.
In June of 2019, I graduated from the University of Washington where I studied Human Centered Design & Engineering.
I am passionate about inclusive and accessible design research practices, currently sitting on the inclusive design research council where we are developing internal inclusive design research principles.
That’s me on paper. Here’s a little more about my life outside of work
Some things I like to do
As a cliche PNW native, I love being outside and going on hikes. I have to admit I wasn’t always into it, but living in Texas for some time taught me one thing: Appreciate the mountains and and the trees
Meet my Cats
This is Caesar. My family and I adopted him from a shelter a couple years ago and as his name implies, he had no hesitancies taking full reign of the house.
Cleo is a recent addition to our family. We were exited that Caesar had a little sister to play with, however, a recent trip to the vet uncovered that Cleo is in fact a little brother…. currently taking new name ideas.
Where I’m From
My family is originally from Khartoum, Sudan. 1 year before I was born, my parents immigrated to the United States in search of better opportunities for themselves and for their kids. Going to my grandparents’ homes requires a 14 hour flight across the world, a trip my parents made sure we took often enough to retain the language and the culture.
This is my grandmother. I’ve included her here because its impossible to talk about where I come from without mentioning the strong women in my family. Here my grandmother is standing in front of her house in Khartoum, Sudan. In that same house, her mother founded the first women-led school in the city. Following in her footsteps, my grandmother grew to become a teacher and eventually own her own preschool. Following after her, my mom also went into education and is currently an elementary school teacher… I guess you could say I broke a pretty epic chain of women educators.
What you’re seeing here is a tray of traditional Sudanese food. During meal times, the tray is filled with different dishes and everyone gathers to eat together. During large gatherings and parties, up to 12 trays can be arranged and laid out. The food brings everyone together, and there is always room for one more - eating alone is not common in Sudan.
Contact
Owlamohamed@outlook.com