Investment Management Firm

Turning an open-ended request into useful software

The challenge

As a teenager working in an R&D environment, I was asked to digitize information for a corporate tax-deferred savings plan. There were no formal requirements—just a brief conversation about making the information usable.

My approach

I designed the database and application in FileMaker Pro, entered the data, and used short meetings with the project manager to gather feedback. Later work extended desktop and paper processes into intranet applications. I taught myself new tools from books and contributed usability feedback while testing an early web application platform.

The outcome

Investment managers used the application data to help create products for their corporate client. The experience established a pattern I still use: make an initial idea tangible, learn from the people using it, and refine the solution.