As I was saying, UI design and UX are inextricably linked. I describe myself as a UI designer but I have a strong understanding of UX processes and how UX underpins the creative process. I believe the user should be at the centre of everything I design. Sure, projects need to run efficiently, keep to timescales and budgets, but if there's compromises to the users' experience, I'm all for challenging those compromises. I always push for what's best for the user.

I personally enjoy simplicity. I find simplicity calming. I suffer from misophonia (when certain sounds can trigger an emotional response). I also seem to suffer from a visual form of this. Maybe that's why I'm a designer; so I can tidy things up to satiate my biases. I'm definitely not alone here and plenty of users will experience cognitive overload very quickly when using complex interfaces. Keeping things simple is the key.

I'm a firm believer in a 'less is more' approach. Give users what they need, when they need it and keep the experience focussed, simple and remove as much friction as possible to get them to where they want to go. Add some moments of delight along the way, and you'll create products people will enjoy using, remember for longer and reach their goals quicker. As a parent of a child with a disability, I am probably more aware than most about how the world around us is often not accessible to everyone. This has made me extra mindful of accessibility in my digital design. I always keep an eye on accessibility (pun intended), making sure colour contrast adheres to AA (or AAA) standards. 

My experience and decision making can only go so far. I can use my empathy of how users might feel during interactions but the only way to really get things right is to test with the end-user as many times as possible during the design process. Test; learn; iterate, is the best way to achieve this.