Welcome to the Team, Elle!

November 28, 2016 By Heather Serdoz,

Meet Elle Woods! JK, Elle Rudick:

We love meeting new people! So, obviously when Elle joined the crew we were stoked. She packed her bags and drove from one coast to another, what a champ! We couldn't be more excited to welcome her to the team and we can't wait for you to get to know her a little better... well since there's no time like the present, let's do the thing! Elle, take it away... HEY! My name’s Elle, which is pronounced “L” (like the letter)- not short for Eleven. I’m an east coast transplant originally from a small town in Central Massachusetts. I studied Architecture at Syracuse University in Upstate New York, where my love for design is rooted. After graduating from SU, I lived in Boston for a year, then moved to Brooklyn, NY, practicing architecture for 4 years. I was introduced to UX design, and sold by the idea of shaping the world through a digital medium rather than physical one, through a very similar process of creative problem-solving. So, I eventually decided that I wanted to work on projects for the digital space, and also wanted to live a life where snow wasn’t a part of my day-to-day. I pursued an immersive online bootcamp in user experience in addition to self-teaching, dabbled in a few side projects, and made the move to San Diego! I love new adventures, so super psyched for an entire new coast to explore, and so thrilled and honored to be a part of the wonderful and collaborative DO team! Let’s get to know Elle a little better with a few RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS:

Website you visit the most: ehh Facebook.
iPhone or Android: iPhone.
Favorite phone app: Instagram
Favorite industry related website: UXPin's blog, UserTesting's blog, and Dribbble are all amazing resources
If you could only visit one website for the rest of your life, what site would that be? Google! There are just too many things I “Google” on the fly to give it up, even though I wouldn’t be able to click on the links, at least I could have a little preview. Plus it has everything including email, images, maps, docs, hangouts, etc.
Something you say frequently: Cool.
First thing you do when you get to the office: Pour myself a fresh cup of coffee and greet the marketing early birds.
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be: Umm is this a trick question?? ...After some internal deliberation, I’m going to say a food critic traveling around the world and specializing in all things chocolate.
How do you take your coffee: I usually prefer a light roast, with some almond milk. If it’s iced, I like to add sugar in the raw for a little crunch in my sip. Really though, I'm not picky... I’ll take it room temp and black
Fun fact about yourself: I spent two months exploring the west coast, and bicycled from Montana to the border of Mexico. That’s how I met SD!
Favorite thing to do on a Saturday: Some element of exploration whether getting away, biking to the beach, or strolling through a farmer's market
Cats or Dogs: 100% dogs. Sorry cats.
What would you sing at Karaoke night: Oh boy! I try to assess the audience and go for crowd-pleasers, which typically includes… “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” by Celine Dion. It’s SO underrated and the way that song builds up is guaranteed to amp up the crowd!
Do you have a nickname, what is it: Elle is my nickname, it’s short for Elizabeth, though in the past I’ve been called a combination of names including Lizzy, Rudy, Elle Belle, and Flip.
If you had an unlimited storage of one thing, what would it be: Energy.
What was your favorite childhood injury: I’ve never broken a bone (knock on wood), but had a pretty dramatic sledding accident when I was 11. I flew off my snowtube and slammed my leg against a massive pile of ice-crusted snow.
Name the movie title for the story of your life: Just Go With It.
Which store (online or brick and mortar) would you like to max out your credit card: I’m still settling into my new pad in San Diego, so most likely IKEA.
Can you play any instruments: Not well. I played the clarinet back in my elementary school days, and I’d like to think my air drum skills are up to par. I can also do background vocals for any 90s/00s pop song. The short answer is no.
What’s your favorite snack from the snack cart: Peanut butter filled pretzels.