Toptal Freelance UX designers Group

My name is David Bolton, Jr. and I began my career in design back in 1999 as a graphic designer and web developer. During this time, it was common to be a generalist which led me down the winding path of web design, software development, 2D / 3D animation and eventually project management. Freelance opportunities emerged almost immediately after friends and family began to ask if I designed “on the side” outside my normal work hours. It was this demand that made me a believer in freelancing, but I never felt I had what it took to sustain constant work and a predictable income.

 

And then it hit me! I came across an article back in 2016 that read: “Meet a coder who quit Google to make twice as much freelancing.” This article clearly laid out one man’s journey of taking his talents and skills and creating a demand for constant work and an enormous amount of predictable income. I was so intrigued by this story that I reached out to the developer whom the article was written and I had several conversations with Mr. James Knight via LinkedIn. It was his willingness to engage and his story that led me to eventually work for myself as a freelance consultant. He shared his experiences about working with Toptal and I was sold!

 

In 2016, I took the leap of faith to become a self-employed User Experience Designer for a handful of small to large businesses. I provided Agile Project Management support with a focus on Lean UX and User Experience Design in the finance and training sectors to present day.

 

I now have two-years in freelance design and have faced challenges finding local clients that have sufficient budgets for user experience design and research. My passion for user experience design has led me to look for online opportunities. I remembered having a conversation with Mr. Knight and I decided to give Toptal a try. I believe my skills and experience will greatly benefit the Toptal User Experience community. I plan to share tips and engage with others in a way that is meaningful to others as well as meaningful to the industry. I look forward to working as a freelance User Experience Designer with the Toptal Freelance UX designers Group I and am excited to meet others who have gone down this path already.