Evan Carroll

Information Science wasn’t my first choice when I came to Carolina in 2004. In fact, I didn’t even know what Information Science was. Little did I know that I was already designing information systems. I had a keen understanding of technology, but always in the sense of how it could help people work smarter. In each of my part-time jobs, I found myself improving processes and helping others learn computer applications. When I found Information Science in UNC’s Undergraduate Bulletin, I knew I’d found my major.

I took an internship at IBM between my junior and senior years and learned more about Information Architecture and User Experience Design. Immediately following that summer, I took an intern position at Capstrat in User Experience Design. Following my senior year as an intern, I took a full time position at Capstrat.

I’m now a Lead UX Designer and work with clients and users to create delightful Web experiences. I had the pleasure of leading Capstrat’s redesign of UNC.edu. It was a job I was meant to do, powered by a love of Carolina and a strong education at SILS.

I also took an interest in an emerging field, the digital afterlife, exploring what happens to personal, digital collections once the owner passes away. That led to the creation of my blog, The Digital Beyond and a book, Your Digital Afterlife (New Riders Press, 2011). My work in this field has been featured in publications including, The New York Times, NPR’s Fresh Air, Obit magazine, NPR’s Here and Now, Fox News, CNN and The Atlantic. I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to audiences at SXSW Interactive, the Internet Archive and the Library of Congress.

SILS positioned me for success in all of these endeavors.  I especially enjoyed the small class sizes at SILS, with direct access to my professors. SILS truly has an expert faculty, and they’re personable and approachable, to boot. I wouldn’t trade my time at SILS for anything.