Joe Zepeda is a UX and visual designer based in Los Angeles, shaped by a lifetime of working across industries where clarity, problem-solving, and people come first. The son of Mexican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate, he grew up in Southern California, surrounded by a blend of cultures, languages, and perspectives that taught him how to observe, adapt, and communicate with intention. Those early experiences now influence the way he designs: with empathy, structure, and a deep respect for the real people behind every interface.

Joe served in the U.S. Navy, where he learned discipline, teamwork, and the importance of making fast, informed decisions under pressure. After his service, he spent more than twenty years in the manufacturing sector in roles spanning production, quality, engineering support, and cross-functional problem-solving. Working on medical devices, robotics, and consumer products strengthened his systems thinking, showing him how even the smallest design choices affect workflow, safety, and user experience.

Driven by entrepreneurship and a passion for bringing people together, Joe later opened, designed, and operated his own restaurant and bar (Jeklyy n Hyde’s) for over five years. There, he learned how environment, layout, service flow, and customer experience intertwine, lessons that now shape his thinking about interaction design and human-centered experiences. The business demanded creativity, resilience, and constant iteration—skills he now brings into every design project.

Joe earned his B.S. in Human Systems Engineering and is pursuing his M.S. Joe is working toward his M.S. in User Experience at Arizona State University. He enjoys learning about usability, interface design, accessibility, and how to turn complex information into simple and intuitive experiences. As a naturally empathetic and collaborative person, Joe’s honors education adds a critical human-centered component to his analytical training in engineering. It’s a rigorous framework that enhances everything he brings to the table from his varied professional life.

When he’s not working, Joe takes his love of experiences to the world of video games. Playing games is important to him not just for the fun, but because games fuse design, systems thinking, storytelling, feedback, and technology into cohesive worlds. He finds endless inspiration there: gaming shapes Joe’s approach to interaction design, the importance of quick feedback, the power of a story in an immersive context, and the emotional attributes of a successful experience. In all his endeavors – design, service, problem solving, interaction modeling, site experience, and user testing – Joe brings the same approach: he is studious, collaborative, thoughtful, and dedicated to creating experiences that make humanity and technology more accessible and meaningful to every person. His persistence and diverse life experiences contribute to the designer he is today. It’s a journey that takes him through acts of service, stints in the corporate industry, and creative zeal. Joe is a person whose life has been shaped by design, family, and service to others. The passion, drive, and integrity of engineering and design inspire Joe.