I work full time in the field of user experience design, run my own freelance web and UX consulting business and teach university courses on user experience and web design.
PHILOSOPHY
Create engaging digital experiences for all through user-centered design.
EDUCATION
Kent State University, August 2010 Master’s of Science, User Experience Design
Kent State University, August 2008 Bachelor’s of Arts, Electronic Media Management
EXPERIENCE
February 2022 – Present
Senior Product Designer, Ford Motor Company (Dearborn, MI)
- Create the product experience for the FordPass mobile app (iOS and Android), which allows thousands of Ford drivers to remotely control their connected vehicles.
- Define the next generation of FordPass app experiences through customer research, interactive prototyping (InVision and Figma) and cross-team collaboration.
- Communicate new design experiences to stakeholders and development teams, substantiated by design thinking, research and business outcomes.
- Utilize Ford's design system (used across in-vehicle, apps and web) to ensure a cohesive customer experience.
September 2018 – February 2022
Senior User Experience Designer, Marcus Thomas LLC (Cleveland, OH)
- Design both low and high fidelity website wireframes and design concepts for clients in the financial, healthcare, consumer and home goods industries.
- Create interactive prototypes to express design decisions and patterns as both responsive HTML wireframes and interactive InVision/Sketch mockups.
- Utilize modern, vector-based software such as Sketch and Illustrator, as well as front-end coding tools, such as CodePen and HTML/CSS/JavaScript to create work.
- Work with development and design teams to ensure designs and patterns are effectively translated into back-end code and content management systems.
- Create tasks and scripts for testing websites with real users through usability testing, card sorting, interviews and surveys.
- Work collaboratively with coworkers (project managers, developers and other designers) to produce final deliverables, while constantly sharing work and getting feedback from clients.
2004 – Present
Interactux, LLC, Founder and Independent UX Consultant
- UX consulting partner for clients who want to improve the usability of their websites and mobile applications.
November 2014 – August 2018
IdeaBase and College of Communication and Information, Kent State University, User Experience Designer
- Oversee user experience research for IdeaBase, an integrated marketing agency powered by Kent State students, including usability studies with eye tracking, contextual inquiry, survey design and persona development.
- Support interactive media for the College of Communication & Information, ensuring it is usable, meets goals/metrics and communicates the individual school brands, while meeting university brand standards.
- Develop HTML/CSS prototypes and wireframes for use in testing and agile development of responsive web sites.
- Oversee content strategy for interactive projects, ensuring proper content is gathered, organized in an efficient information architecture and formatted for multi-device consumption.
- Advise on the architecture and content mapping for content management systems used in client projects, including WordPress and Drupal.
- Manage client expectations and incoming web work, while supervising staff to ensure deadlines and requirements are met.
- Mentor and train students on the latest in web and interaction design standards.
- Research and discover new ways to integrate web technology and user experience design into our workflow, advocating a mobile-first and content-first strategy.
November 2012 – November 2014
University Communications and Marketing, Kent State University , Interactive Designer and Developer
- Designed new Kent State website’s look-and-feel, including colors, typography and user interface patterns
- Complete weekly content updates to the Kent State University home page, including news, promotions and enhancements Leading the migration of Kent State’s website to a responsive layout (flexible layout that conforms to screen size)
- Design and lead beginner training, attended by staff and students, for the university’s content management system Develop content and user research for the university’s student and staff portal (FlashLine)
- Optimize Kent State websites for search engines and work with SEO vendor to implement recommendations
- Develop new methods for users to connect with Kent State social media. Lead location-based social networking effort. Work with over sixteen client departments on campus to develop, enhance and support their web presence
- Develop rich HTML email designs for clients, including the President’s Office, and track their success
- Assist with usability testing and focus groups for high school students and the Kent State community
- Provide weekly support and troubleshooting for the university’s content management system
August 2011 – November 2012
Division of Information Services, Kent State University , Lead IT User Support Analyst
- Maintained architecture, navigation, knowledge management and metrics for the campus online support system Served on web advisory board, developing goals, prototypes and process flows for various technology websites Designed print marketing materials, using Adobe Creative Suite, that promoted IT services
- Cultivated consistency and innovation in the IS brand through university style, design, support, usability and social media
- Presented services to new students and faculty at student and staff orientation sessions
- Designed and conducted training sessions for the university’s IT ticketing system for staff members and students Collaborated with developers and designers to implement new features and improvements to in-house web applications
- Worked with the Helpdesk and The Tech Spot to maintain excellence in quality and customer experience
- Coached and trained student team members on how to give excellent customer service through creative scenarios Supervised 40 student employees for Tech at Night and managed two student office employees
August 2010 – August 2011
Division of Information Services, Kent State University , Marketing Coordinator
- Organized written communications and print/video marketing materials for constituents and employees
- Translated technical language into engaging and informative final products for both technical and non-technical users Conducted usability testing for multiple projects, including the IS website redesign and Identity Management project