Hi, I'm Adam Engstrom
UX Researcher & Service Designer
Who I Am
I am a social psychologist who discovered user experience (UX) as a way of turning my love of studying human behavior into a tangible impact on the real-world.
Now as a user experience researcher and service designer, I use my skills and education to unpack esoteric problems and gain a deeper understanding of people's needs and wants.
What Inspires Me
Education and Learning
Learning new things is probably my biggest hobby. I am constantly looking for something new and interesting to study, and I have dipped my toes into everything from social psychology to counter-terrorism.
Just a few of the topics I've studied are human-computer interaction, social psychology, counter-terrorism, GIS, web development, political science, glassblowing, and even fractals.
Cultures and Travel
I love learning about and immersing myself in new cultures, and I take every opportunity I can to travel.
To date, I have lived in two continents, three countries, four states, and ten cities, and living in so many places has given me a deeper understanding of how culture affects how people think.
I hope to travel more in the future and am excited about the possibilities of one day even moving to Asia, perhaps Singapore.
Culinary Arts
I love making good food for my friends and family, and I can often be found in the kitchen trying some crazy new recipe I have found. One day soon, I hope to take culinary courses in my spare time so that I can advance my skills even further!
As just an appetizer of some of my favorite recipes, I've made coffee chocolate cake with a basil buttercream, watermelon chipotle maple-glazed chicken, roasted acorn squash with chestnut-cherry-gorgonzola cheese stuffing, and chocolate-cranberry goat cheese truffles.
Capoeira
When not in the kitchen, I can often be found practicing the Brazilian martial art, Capoeira. I started learning it in 2018 not expecting to stick with it for long.
However, I ended up really enjoying the health benefits, the community, and sense of accomplishment I get from finally mastering new moves.
Thanks to Capoeira, I can now do cartwheels and am working on improving my backflips.
