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'freeform' at gmail

SUMMARY

Product Design Manager with years of professional industry experience creating & shipping effective human-computer interfaces for massive data systems on multiple screen sizes (desktop, handheld, TV, etc...) Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering. Strives for simple, structured, and streamlined systems that ship early and iterate often.

QUALIFICATIONS

Expertise

• User-centered design methodologies, user research processes, usability techniques.
• Dynamic iterative design, rapid prototyping, agile development.
• User-generated content, social media, community-driven businesses.
• Clean, efficient, intuitive interfaces for all screens.

Strengths

• Translating complex problems into simple solutions.
• Leading large projects and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Data-driven design for massive systems and large applications.
• Instinctual understanding of user behaviors and effective interactions.
• Attention to detail & consistency, and when to appropriately go "out of book".
• Balancing business goals, user needs, technical limitations, and time constraints.
• Working collaboratively with Product and Engineering to ship quality software.

Technical

• Specifications, wireframes, schematics, mockups, flowcharting, prototyping.
• Task analysis, persona development, mental modeling, storyboarding.
• Competitive analysis, contextual inquiry, heuristic evaluation, usability testing.
• Solid foundation of programming fundamentals.
• Tools: Sketch, InVision, Keynote, JIRA, gSuite, OmniGraffle, Balsamiq, Fireworks, Photoshop, Paper-n-Pencil
• Programming: AJAX, ASP, C, C++, CSS, DOM, HTML, Java, JSP, Javascript, Perl, PHP, Python, Objective-C, SQL, XML, XSSI

EXPERIENCE

Product Design Manager Twilio (2014 - present)

• Managing the product design team responsible for the Twilio Developer Console user experience, including architecture, interaction, design, research, and usability.

Principal Information Architect Zynga (2011 - 2014)

• Responsible for information architecture and interaction design of network UI services for a leading social gaming company
• Defined the UI architecture of Words With Friends mobile game, Zynga's web-based game portal, and Zynga's mobile network services for phone & tablet
• Translated high-level requirements into actionable interface specifications
• Collaborated with Product Management to define overall user experience
• Worked in Agile teams with Developers from concept to final product
• Delivered workflows, schematics, wireframes, mock-ups, specifications, and prototypes
• Planned, designed, and evaluated usability tests

Lead Interface Designer Grid Net (2009 - 2011)

• Researched, designed, and developed the Network Management User Interface for a cleantech company pioneering broadband SmartMeters and a SmartGrid network operating system
• Responsible for information display, data visualization, and interaction & interface design.
• Programmed CSS, (D)HTML, Javascript, jQuery, PHP

Advisor LiveColony (2010 - 2011)

• Provided advice and feedback on mobile interface issues
• Delivered designs for mobile location-based map screens

Lead Interface Designer YouTube (2006 - 2009)

• Researched, defined, designed, and developed new and existing projects for the market-leader in online video
• Responsible for user research, information architecture, interaction model, usability, interface design, and presentation-layer development
• Led user experience group of 10+ contributors
• Collaborated closely with Product Management to define overall user experience
• Worked jointly with Engineering to develop and implement presentation-layer production code
• Gathered, analyzed, and evaluated user needs and business requirements
• Translated business strategies and user needs into actionable specifications
• Delivered workflows, schematics, wireframes, mock-ups, and prototypes
• Planned, designed, recruited, conducted and evaluated usability tests
• Encouraged drive toward a more CSS-based page presentation
• Programmed Cheeta, CSS, (D)HTML, Javascript, Python

Senior Interaction Designer Shutterfly (2005 - 2006)

• Responsible for user research, information architecture, and interaction model of numerous projects at a leading online photo service
• Collaboratively worked with Product Marketing to define overall user experience
• UI consultant for various components of Shutterfly's desktop photo organization software application
• Translated business requirements and user needs into detailed functional documents
• Delivered workflows, schematics, mock-ups, specifications, and prototypes
• Planned, scripted, and evaluated usability tests
• Planned, scripted, recruited, conducted, and evaluated contextual interviews
• Worked closely with Engineering, QA, and Customer Service

Senior Product Designer CafePress (2004 - 2005)

• Responsible for user research, information architecture, interaction model, usability, and interface design of the leading user-generated online marketplace
• Researched, designed, and prototyped a Flash-based Rich Internet Application for fluidly creating products
• Gathered, analyzed, and evaluated user needs and business requirements
• Translated business requirements and user needs into detailed functional documents
• Delivered workflows, schematics, storyboards, mock-ups, specifications, and prototypes
• Planned, designed, recruited, conducted and evaluated usability tests
• Worked collaboratively in small Agile development teams
• Spearheaded drive toward "standard-compliance" page presentation
• Contributed user interface guidelines to company-wide Style Guide
• Programmed ASP, CSS, (D)HTML, Javascript

Lead Interaction Designer TechTV (2004)

• Researched, specified, defined, and designed web site for a progressive technology-based cable television company
• Responsible for user research, information architecture, usability, interaction model, and interface design
• Managed the definition and design of company-wide Content Management System
• Translated business requirements and user needs into functional specifications
• Delivered workflows, schematics, mock-ups, and specifications
• Planned, designed, conducted and evaluated usability tests
• Worked collaboratively with business owners, content producers, designers, and developers

Lead Interface Designer & Developer NexTag (2003 - 2004)

• Researched, specified, designed, and developed new and existing projects for industry-leading online product & services comparison search site
• Responsible for user research, information architecture, usability, interaction model, interface design, and presentation-layer development
• Defined, designed, and developed online storefront building tools
• Worked closely with Product Management, Engineering, QA, Customer Service
• Translated vague business strategies into functional UI requirements
• Planned, designed, conducted and evaluated usability tests
• Delivered workflows, schematics, mock-ups, and prototypes
• Interfaced presentation layer with server-side APIs
• Programmed CSS, (D)HTML, Java, Javascript, JSP, JSTL, XML

Interaction Designer Macromedia/Adobe (2002)

• Redesigned public web site for a leading digital-tools software company
• Responsible for information architecture, interaction model, and user interface of Macromedia's Developer Center and Support Center
• Translated business requirements into functional specifications
• Analyzed and evaluated usability tests into actionable results for use on projects
• Delivered functional specifications, workflows, schematics, wireframes, mock-ups
• Worked closely with business owners, designers, developers and engineers

Lead Interface Designer & Developer Bigstep (1998 - 2001)

• Researched, specified, designed, and developed new and existing projects for an innovative small-business online marketplace
• Responsible for user research, information architecture, usability, interaction model, interface design, and presentation-layer development
• Managed Interaction Architecture Group, with 3 direct reports
• Served as Project and Team Lead on numerous projects
• Conducted and evaluated user research and usability tests
• Worked collaboratively in interdisciplinary teams
• Translated business strategies into functional requirements and specifications
• Delivered functional & technical specifications, workflows, schematics, wireframes, mock-ups, and prototypes
• Interfaced presentation layer with server-side APIs
• Programmed CSS, (D)HTML, JHTML, JSP, Javascript, Java, XML

Co-Founder bianca.com (1994 - 1998)

• Created, designed, and developed the first web-based user-generated virtual community
• Grew site from web pioneer into profitable business
• Responsible for overall user experience, interface design & development, community development, system implementation
• Designed and developed software from the ground up for e-commerce, community activities, content management, production tools
• Programmed C, HTML, Java, Javascript, Perl

Interface Developer Wired/HotWired (1995 - 1996)

• Designed and developed online information systems for a pioneering digital media company
• Member of design/development team for the first commercial Java-based chat applications
• Developed strategies to build greater sense of community
• Programmed C, HTML, Java, Javascript, Perl

EDUCATION

University of Illinois, Chicago
Master of Science in Math & Computer Science specializing in Human-Computer Interaction
Thesis: A Case Study In User Centered Design Of A High Traffic World Wide Web Virtual Community

University of Michigan
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering