Her Story
About Ashley
Ashley Leddy has built her 7-year career in B2B SaaS product design by being open to new experiences and speaking up for what she wants. She discovered UX design while working at a company called UpDocs, where she learned the field even existed and told her team she wanted to be part of it. They added tasks from that department to her daily work and got her involved. When she pursued her first UX job, she had never formally done it before, but she knew it was what she wanted to do. She looked into what skills she needed to have and believed in herself, which allowed her to succeed. Throughout her journey, she has been mentored by designers who took the time to guide her, and she credits every designer she has worked with as being really influential in where she is now. Ashley specializes in mobile design and AI design, focusing primarily on designing products for workers and managers in health and human services sectors, including welfare and facility maintenance at the agency level. Her proudest achievement was redesigning the mobile app for Northwoods in 2023, where she completely rethought the entire flow from the ground up, worked with users on what they wanted the experience to be, and made it simple for them to use. The app was loved by many users, and she was really proud of that accomplishment.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ashley
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being open to say that I want a new experience. I got into this field because I worked at a company called UpDocs, and I learned that UX design was even a field. I spoke up and told my team that I wanted to be part of that, and they added some tasks from that department to my daily tasks and got me involved. But really just speaking up, saying what I wanted, and then going for it. My first UX job, I had never formally done it, but I knew it's what I wanted to do, and I looked into it a lot, of what skills I needed to have. I think just the fact that I believed in myself allowed me to do it.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say a couple things. You gotta make sure to show up, and to be able to stay in this industry, you have to be willing to adapt. Try to push yourself to learn new things and new skills. I know most people in this field didn't go to school for it, and so it's a lot of hands-on learning. And especially as AI comes into this, there's a lot that's changing in our field, so just trying to stay with that.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Probably that AI and all of the new tools that are out there these days, the process is changing, there's no clear workflow anymore. There used to be a very clear process for designers, and now, everyone's kind of trying new things, which is exciting. It can be scary and overwhelming if you don't have that process to lean on. So that's probably the biggest thing.
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