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Mary Phillips (née McCoy)
Product Management & Design
Professional Summary
I have 6 years of software implementation/project management experience
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14 years in progressively-more-responsible software (85% B2B) product management roles
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UX Research & Design certificate from General Assembly, a 480+ hour fellowship with professional training, project-based work, and mentorship.
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Someone with a breadth of understanding on how digital products are built and why they are (or are not) successful
I was born to create.
Whether it's building, crafting, cooking, writing - it's what I did as a kid, it's what I do for hobby, and it's what I do as my profession.
Building with Legos, age 3
Earliest sketches, pre-K
Playing the piano, age 4
One of my many novels, elementary school. "Very good story!" I self-reviewed on the cover.
I sewed this Civil War-era dress, 8th grade.
My friend M and I built this boat in High School made from a wooden palette and empty plastic containers. Ahoy!
My sister and I built this snowman over winter break while I was home from college.
A video from my first-ever 'real' product launch, circa 2012.
The three things I'm most proud of (in no particular order):
1.
I received a full ride for grad school at The University of Wisconsin-Madison, which at the time was a top-25 business school. I can't find the physical letter, but here's a snippet from an email.
I have been writing the story of my children's lives since they were born (I have two boys and prematurely greying temples). It's a combination of written words along with images - like, on real paper. I'm not sure they'll care about them until they are much, much older, but I love flipping through and watching them grow into themselves.
2.
As a non-artist, some of my hobby work turns out sorta-ok every once in a while. Check out my Hobby Projects.
3.
Designs I Admire
I am drawn to things that are timeless, iconic, nostalgic, and simple-in-the-best-way.
One look at this car's 'smile', and you know it's a BMW.
Spode's Christmas collection remains relevant when passed down through generations.
Bold typefaces and imagery in 'vintage' design stands out in today's vanilla trends.
Often duplicated but never replicated, the Dior saddle bag with its iconic silhouette always stands out.
Sorry, but jellyfish are just cool.
Haring's work was very influential for me in my high school art days.
Seemingly so simple, the mark of the deathly hallows enwraps complex themes in Harry Potter.
William Morris prints from the late 1800s adorn two rooms in my 2020s home.
Remember playing solitaire with these? They take me back to early tech interactions.
A font that people write manifestos about? Sign me up.
Sometimes whats not in focus is just as interesting as what is in focus.
No one has done black and white better before or since, the result of focusing on each individual pixel.