Conversations with Paul Manzione

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Manzione

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started my journey in technology back in 2003, working on emails with basic HTML design in Dreamweaver (yes, Dreamweaver!). It wasn’t glamorous, but it was a start. In 2011, everything changed when a UX designer joined the company I was working for. Seeing what they did was a revelation—it was like a lightbulb went off, and I realized this was exactly what I was meant to do. It felt like God had designed me for this path.

My father was a graphic designer for over 45 years, and my late mother was a bookkeeper. Looking back, it’s as if their combined skills created me to become a UX designer.

From that moment on, I immersed myself in UX design, learning everything I could, often just by observing and, admittedly, by asking a lot of questions. After years of hard work, I was blessed with the opportunity to take on the role of a full-time UX designer. Then COVID-19 hit, and suddenly the demand for UX design exploded. This opened new doors for me, and I moved upward, eventually becoming the sole designer at a rapidly growing and successful fintech firm.

On the personal side, I’ve been equally blessed. I’m married to my high school crush—a love story that took 30 years to come full circle. Together, we left our home and family in Connecticut to move just south of Atlanta, settling into an active adult community that’s affectionately known as “Pickleball Central.” We’ve found a wonderful church, made new friends, and we love the warm weather and the vibrant ATL UX community. I’m also a big fan of the Yankees, the Jets, movies, swimming, and more.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Life isn’t a smooth road. Jesus Himself said that in life there will be troubles, but take heart for He overcame the World (John 16:33) so I expected bumps along the way. Those bumps are what make me appreciate where I am and where I will end up.

I’ve struggled with ADHD since I was a young boy, so it’s had an effect on my career for sure but I’ve learned to embrace it and help me in my career path.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As of this moment, I’m the Principal UX Designer for Docupace, a successful fintech back office processing software company. I’ve spent the majority of my career in the fintech/enterprise software space. It’s quite different than the publicly lauded mobile apps that most people are used to. And I’m proud of the fact that it’s a very challenging business to be in.

Trying to design complex interfaces for financial professionals and all the rules around that profession could make a lot of designers want to tear their hair out, but not me. I love it. I wake up every morning and say “I get paid to do this!”

Setting myself apart, which is a tough question as it means I have to brag on myself, not the dozens of others on whose shoulders I stand on. But I’m just a quick thinker, don’t give me a convoluted answer, just get to the point and show me what you’re trying to accomplish. Not everything is a a problem that requires 4 months of research, 50,000 wireframes, tons of reviews…just make it and see if it breaks. Then fix it!

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
To shut up and let others talk. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://pmanzione.design

Image Credits
Jakob Nielsen (first image)

Daissy Linares, Dysen Stoks, Deepak Shrivastava, PANKAJ ZANKE