Check Out Jessica J. Johnston’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica J. Johnston

Hi Jessica J., it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I began teaching myself the basics of design and coding when I was twelve years old. One particularly dull summer between seventh and eighth grade, I found myself sitting at my family’s new Apple computer, combing through something called ‘websites.’I loved writing stories and decided I needed a place to house my writing endeavors. Websites were fascinating to me. I loved the idea of producing something seemingly out of nothing: it was code, I soon found out- HTML, as well as CSS.

This was 1998, when email was still a relatively new method of communication and websites were fairly simplistic. The internet was largely a strange and endlessly interesting place. There was an air of mystery surrounding it. By viewing the page source of websites I liked, I began to take bits and pieces of code, and reformulate them to do what I wanted. Coding quickly became something of an obsession for me- I didn’t know what I was doing, but you’re crazy if you thought I’d let that stop me: it was a trial and error game, and with each hour I spent, I got a little better.

Hours turned into months, and months turned into years. By the time I was in high school, I considered myself to be a fairly decent designer and developer, though if you’d asked me point-blank at the time, I wouldn’t have used those terms. Being self-taught meant I’d never labeled my little website-creation hobby as anything completely specific- I made websites; it was what I loved to do. Then it dawned on me: hey, maybe I could make a living doing this! Eventually I studied graphic design in college, all the while still building websites and honing my skills.

Now, I’ve been working in my field professionally for thirteen years. I got my start working in radio as a web designer, web developer and content manager working for various Kansas City radio stations, including 96.5 the Buzz. In radio, I made a lot of connections and it was a great first job to get my feet wet in the world of design and development. Since then, I’ve worked at several small design and development companies, my career focusing on WordPress development, user experience design and website design. I currently work at a lovely place by the name of MBB in the downtown Overland Park area.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve definitely faced struggles along the way. Attending college full time and working full time as a barista was definitely a challenge and there were many times when I felt I would never make it to the end, degree in hand. I worked hard and hustled and it eventually paid off.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
These days, my main focus is in user experience design as well as WordPress website development. I love the psychology behind user experience design and really getting into the heart and soul of a project to execute it in the best way possible. Many people don’t notice user experience design unless it is BAD user experience design: and so this is my goal; to make the websites and products I work on as easy to use as straightforwardly as possible. This also goes hand in hand with the WordPress websites I develop. I don’t want the people who interact with the websites I build to have to think too much, or strain to find something they are looking for. I also drive to make the websites I build sleek, modern and just plain cool. I like integrating subtle animation effects and interactive elements to keep users engaged. I’ve worked at MBB (https://mbbagency.com) for just over five years, my official title being ‘User Experience Architect’, and I also do occasional freelance work as well through my website https://jessicajjohnston.com. In 2007 I won an AIGA award for a piece I produced (https://jessicajjohnston.com/work/print-design-magazine-cover-aiga-award-winner/) and in 2017 I won Best in Show in the visual arts category in the Inspire KC Corporate Arts Challenge (https://jessicajjohnston.com/blog/2017/05/winning-best-show-inspire-kc-competition/). I love to learn and feel I grow with each project I work on. I also love creating art in all kinds of ways, including painting, collage, photography and illustration.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
I really enjoy “using my powers for good” by doing pro-bono work for various non-profit organizations. Specifically I really enjoy working with different animal rescue organizations. I consider it my way of volunteering to causes I believe in for the greater good.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jessicajjohnston.com
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/jessicajjohnston/
• Other: https://johnstonart.org/