Debbie Levitt

The Book > Stories > Debbie Levitt
Debbie Levitt
UX consultant, entrepreneur, musician
San Francisco, CA

"I'm part of a greater whole, and there is something I can do.  I've always felt that my life's calling is to be the catalyst that helps people improve some aspect of their lives, their work, or their relationships."

We are all one, interconnected. This is what reading The Visionary reminds me of. I was raised with the teachings "You are your brother's keeper" and "Stand up and speak up for people, especially those without a voice" by non-religious parents. I've always felt that my life's calling is to be the catalyst that helps people improve some aspect of their lives, their work, or their relationships.

I could just lean back and enjoy the fact that I've always been safe, never attacked... but I can't do nothing while this happens to women, men, and children of all ages in all locations day after day. I think about the personal prison of fear. I think of people who have real things to fear, and others who just struggle with fear.
 
I can help both those types of people. I'm part of a greater whole, and there is something I can do. I am here to do it. 
 
This is the deeper guidance—along with many years of interaction design work—that I bring to my startup, Check In On Me. When the idea of meeting strangers to adopt cats from Craigslist or to go on OKCupid dates made me afraid of ugly outcomes, I had friends actively checking on me on a specified schedule. I then realized that this could be automated and turned into a mobile app so that anybody who is concerned or afraid can have a hi-tech guardian angel.
 
CheckInOn.Me is a proactive, automated personal safety system that checks on you as often as you want, on a schedule you set. When we check on you, if you don't respond with the right code word in the right amount of time, we reach out to your confirmed friends and family to give them your location and let them know you might need help. As technology and devices evolve, we keep evolving our product to be more proactive and more helpful in the case of a sudden health or crime emergency.
 
~ Debbie Levitt

Armed with a BA in Music, Debbie Levitt started designing and building websites in 1995. She transitioned into being an interaction design specialist, and has consulted for companies including Sony, Wells Fargo, and Sephora. She also works with a variety of U.S. startups on their UX (user experience). Her "Brass Flowers" consulting firm is one of only two companies in North America approved by Axure as a trainer on their software.

Debbie's passion is great user experience and avoiding what she calls the Four Horsemen of Bad UX: Frustration, Confusion, Disappointment, and Distraction. 
 
You can often find Debbie singing karaoke or zipping around on her Piaggio MP3 500 moto. She lives in the Bay Area with her elderly cat and the coolest boyfriend on the planet.
 
Learn more about Debbie and her work at CheckInOn.Me.