Anthro-Tech

Beth Somerfield

Director of Digital Accessibility

Bio Beth B

Beth Somerfield

Director of Digital Accessibility

  • 360-584-9151
  • LinkedIn
  • Portland State University, Master of Art in Urban and Regional Planning, Portland, Oregon, 2009
  • Oberlin College, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, Oberlin, Ohio, 1999

Beth is passionate about breaking down complexity to make digital services accessible, concise, understandable, and polished. As the Director of Digital Accessibility at Anthro-Tech, she works to make it easier for people to share, connect, and get the things they need. She achieves this by creating UX and accessibility roadmaps, reviewing website and app accessibility, supporting inclusive usability studies, annotating designs for accessibility, and supporting good UX and accessibility throughout the product lifecycle.

Outside of work Beth is a parent, cat herder (both literally and figuratively), and general admirer of bikes, food, visual arts and crafts, parks, naps, and all things small and fiddly.

Path that lead you to UX

I was first introduced to UX as a web designer, where part of my role was supporting user testing. In each step of my career journey that followed - including during a tangent into Urban Planning - my internal monologue included "Who uses this? What do they want? How do we find out? How can we get there?" Holding on to those questions brought me back to UX and digital accessibility.

Your career thus far, in a nutshell

Making it easier for people to connect with services.

Your style

I'm a mediator. I enjoy listening, drawing out people's underlying interests, and helping to find creative solutions.

Favorite artist

Yayoi Kusama, William Ketridge, Theaster Gates, Brian Jungen, and George Rodriguez.

Alternative universe career(s)

Community Mediator or Urban Planner.

Professional Involvement

  • International Association of Accessibility Professionals

Certifications

  • Certified Professional Web Accessibility (CPWA)
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