Al Avery
Senior User Experience Designer
“We are always striving to improve the experience our users have with our software by making it easier to understand and quicker to use. Finding balance between the business problem and user experience is key to achieving that goal.”
Senior User Experience Designer Al Avery has been with PrismHR for almost 3 years. Al has a diverse background in technology and design and has worked across many different industries.
Throughout his career he has strived to find the balance between business needs and the needs of the end user to solve complex problems.
What was your background before coming to PrismHR?
I studied graphic design in college and started working with design firms doing web design and development. I enjoy working at the intersection of design and technology – using the best of each discipline to push what is possible in the other. Working across many different industries and their various audiences – from startups to doctors and lawyers, from C-Suite stakeholders to consumers – I found that over the years user experience has become the key to making projects successful – and that’s what brings meaning to my work.
There is usually a business need that starts a project. Key to the success of that project is whether the people using it understand how to use it and whether they feel successful using it. I enjoy finding the balance between those business needs and the people who will be using the products every day.
What interested you in PrismHR User Experience?
I liked the many dimensions of the PrismHR software, the diversity of the platform, and that we are solving challenges in different ways – for the service provider, for the client, and the employee. HR is complicated, challenging, and interesting work and PrismHR is focused on making the software experience the best for the end user and part of that is a commitment to UX.
What is your favorite part of being in UX at PrismHR?
I particularly enjoy the cross team working relationships. We have a highly collaborative team – both in UX and in working with other teams at PrismHR. The outcomes of that collaboration make our work better than any one individual contributor. I also really enjoy our regular design review meetings where we critique current projects. It is challenging work but a lot of fun and rewarding to see the product come to life. It is particularly enjoyable to meet with clients, either in meetings or at events like PrismHR LIVE to discuss ideas and gain feedback.
What projects are you currently working on that you would like to share with our customers?
A big focus has been on dashboards for areas like benefits and process payroll among others. We are currently working on adding more functionality so users can go beyond simply monitoring data where they’ll be able to act on the data they see on the dashboards. The goal is to make the dashboards a hub that makes the application more efficient to use.
We are also planning for the LIVE conference coming up in June. We are looking at ways to expand the discussions and feedback from our customers on our design ideas and demos to gain a deeper understanding of the problems they are facing and how we can help solve those challenges.
Tell us about yourself outside of work
I have been married for 15 years and have a daughter who is 14 and a son, 12-years-old. I enjoy building projects around the house. During the pandemic my wife and I worked with a contractor to redo our kitchen and mudroom. My son and I also built a tree fort in our backyard. As a family, we enjoy going to Cape Cod and Maine to enjoy the beaches. In the winter, you will find us skiing and snowboarding in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. I also enjoy macro photography, drawing, and playing guitar.