About me

My name is Ashley Walls, and welcome to my portfolio! Thanks for taking a look around. 

I thought my career would take me into sports reporting. I worked at The Seattle Times in college, covering high school sports, and was hoping to be the next Erin Andrews or Pam Oliver - reporting on the biggest stories from the sidelines and from player’s lives. But life has a funny way of showing you the path you’re meant to take, and after an internship at Nordstrom supporting their corporate affairs teams, I found my way to a Microsoft job posting writing what seemed like "just" support content. I've provided unlimited free tech support to my parents, so I figured this role would be like that, just at a larger scale. I had no idea what the world of content design would look like then, but I've learned so much along this incredible journey. My prior work in journalism and public relations taught me how to design and write with deep empathy for the user in mind, what their experience of using a product may look like, and the importance of clarity. 

As part of my approach, I lead by asking questions and requesting the perspectives of other disciplines so we can bridge the gap between product development, user experience, and business priorities. This also helps ground me in what constraints need to be considered - because while technology has solved so many problems, everything has limitations. 

Some of my core values include:

• Transparency and clear communication, especially when working on technology.
• Empathy for end users, talking to people like they’re people, not robots. Writing may involve applying style guides, but we’re always talking to humans at the end of the day.
• Human-centered design, considering the needs of a diverse and varied customer base.

My career progression reflects increasing scope and influence, from writing help content and Cortana-guided experiences to defining and leading UX content strategy, architecting taxonomy and metadata systems, creating CMS workflows, and partnering closely with product, design, engineering, and marketing teams to shape products used by millions of customers. I’m known for inclusive and accessible content practices, building systems that help teams scale quality content efficiently, and keeping people at the center of everything. Beyond product work, I’ve contributed to internal voice, tone, and style guidance adopted across multiple products, supported experimentation and A/B testing pilot programs, and led communications initiatives for diverse employee communities serving thousands of members.

After an intentional career break focused on health and creativity, I’m prepared for my next chapter in UX writing and content design. I’m most energized by work that blends UX strategy with craft, values thoughtful collaboration, and prioritizes real outcomes for customers, especially as generative AI and agentic experiences are continuing to transform technology every day.

Outside of work, I enjoy reading (very into the latest Brandon Sanderson books), backpacking somewhere with a water view, and playing in the garden. In 2025, I opened a flower stand in my front yard, called Wallingford Blooms, and stock it daily with homemade bouquets. In the spring, I specialize in tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths, and Seattle summer and fall bring a wide range of blooming goodies - from dahlias to sunflowers, snapdragons and more.

• Elected and served as the internal communications chair for Microsoft’s Black employee resource group, BAM, and managed communications and communications strategy for more than 4,000 members and allies. This included internal and external events, career fairs, community mentorship events like Minority Student Day, Black History Month, and the annual conference.
• Selected to host Microsoft's internal feedback tool training video, shown in every manager onboarding session and available on the feedback tool website for employees.
• Hosted a Microsoft company-wide fireside chat with New York Times Best-selling author Minda Harts.
• Attended several industry-leading conferences (ConFab, IxDA, AfroTech, etc.) and shared my experience as a young Black female employee at internal conferences.
• Honored as part of the University of Washington’s inaugural class of the Husky 100, which recognizes 100 students from the Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses who are making a difference on campus and in their communities.
• Opened a seasonal flower stand in my front yard, Wallingford Blooms.