I’m intellectually curious and desire to never stop learning. I consistently think of ways our world could be more inclusive and equitable, while my biggest passions in life are accessibility and research— and sharing that with everyone I know :)
Hi! I’m Sam Ashlee, I work as a senior user experience researcher at Honeywell in Atlanta, GA where I am the lead researcher for our design system and focus my efforts on accessibility.
I’m an-award winning researcher with over 14 years of research experience in a variety of areas including technology, SaaS, IoT, education, and healthcare.
I received my BA and MA in psychology from The New School New York, NY, and my PhD from Emory University in Atlanta, GA where my dissertation focused on disability, ethics, and user experience research methodologies.
The interdisciplinary nature of both my education and professional experience give me a uniquely informed perspective on the intricacies of human behavior. Aside from being a passionate accessibility advocate, I am a small business owner and involved in local and global UX communities; I’ve co-chaired Atlanta’s World Information Architecture Day (WIAD) conference in both 2019 and 2020; I am the Global Director of Accessibility for the WIAD organization; I teach user experience; and just so you know I’m at least a little bit cool, I was the drummer of an all-girl punk band in Hawai'i called The Daykillers.
Outside of work you’ll find me enjoying quality family time, mentoring budding user experience professionals, assisting PhDs transitioning from academia into the tech industry, and championing queer voices within tech.
Sneaky superpowers:
Flexibility! Adaptability! … Accessibility? Yes. I have the ability to adapt deliverables to many environments and make things understandable across various mediums. I am as comfortable pitching to corporate execs as I am teaching 7 year olds HTML.
Perspective. I see things differently, I ask questions that a lot of people would never think to ask. I believe in good work, and diverse experiences. Partly due to my interdisciplinary background, everything I encounter is filtered through a range of perspectives that are critical of things like race, gender, and culture.
*Please note that all references to “Samantha VanHorn” on this site are, in fact, me! My former last name is VanHorn.