UX Developer and Illustrator
Cleveland/Akron, Ohio Area
- Current
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- UX Developer at Progressive Insurance
- Visual Communication Instructor at Cuyahoga Community College
- Past
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- Senior UI Developer / Standards Advocate at American Greetings
- Editor at Designorati
- Interactive Designer at WhiteSpace Creative
- Web Designer at Nexagen USA
- Education
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- Columbus College of Art & Design
- Connections
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119
connections
- Industry
- Graphic Design
- Websites
Beth Dean’s Summary
Presently I am a UX Developer with Progressive Insurance.
Prior to that I was at AG Interactive, a subsidiary of American Greetings, as a UI Developer and standards advocate. Typical day to day duties include designing interfaces and forms, building XHTML/CSS based pages, optimizing existing markup for search engines, and implementing best practices across sites.
Previously I was employed at WhiteSpace Creative, an award winning agency in Akron, Ohio. Typical projects included architecting and developing custom CMS applications for both small and enterprise level business, rich interactive Flash experiences, and icon design. I built sites in pure, validating XHTML/CSS. I also try to educate clients who wish to use Flash on it's best use as either an enhancement to a standards based site, or a standalone application.
Prior to joining WhiteSpace I worked in-house for a global neutraceutical company, directing their web projects.
I've been designing websites for 12 years, finishing my professional education with a BFA in illustration in 2003. I'd like the opportunity to learn from some of the industry's recognized creatives.
Freelance work keeps me lively, I invite inquiries and any networking opportunities.
Beth Dean’s Specialties:
I excel in UX design and development of pure XHTML/CSS sites. I work with information design and data visualization, as well as custom digital illustration and icon design. Lastly, I have a solid understanding of ActionScript and Lingo.
Beth Dean’s Experience
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UX Developer
Progressive Insurance
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; PGR; Insurance industry)
February 2008 — Present (9 months)
My responsibilities at Progressive include translating business requirements into design concepts, creating process flow diagrams and prototypes, testing prototypes through usability studies and direct user interaction, investigating user interaction with current applications, developing well formed XHTML/CSS, supporting IT peers during application development, documenting and maintaining interaction diagrams, working with business stakeholders to document objectives and capture success metrics.
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Visual Communication Instructor
Cuyahoga Community College
(Educational Institution; 1001-5000 employees; Higher Education industry)
January 2008 — Present (10 months)
I teach an introduction to WYSIWYG editors/beginning web design course as an adjunct instructor. Students learn how to use Dreamweaver for publishing standards compliant, accessible web sites, as well as basic design, usability and information architecture principles.
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Senior UI Developer / Standards Advocate
American Greetings
(Public Company; 5001-10,000 employees; AM; Design industry)
February 2007 — February 2008 (1 year 1 month)
I worked on a daily basis to bring web standards to American Greetings. As UI lead on one of AG's sites, I was responsible for migration to a new content management system, standardized and accessible coding practices, developing process flows, and implementing SEO best practice techniques increasing site traffic and membership revenues.
I strove to create the best possible user experiences and used creative problem solving skills to resolve unique site issues. In addition to code I provided deliverables such as wireframes and prototypes. It was also my responsibility to bridge the gap between business stakeholders, product management, development and quality assurance. -
Editor
Designorati
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Graphic Design industry)
November 2005 — December 2007 (2 years 2 months)
Editing and writing about web design for the digital design magazine Designorati.
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Interactive Designer
WhiteSpace Creative
(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Graphic Design industry)
February 2006 — February 2007 (1 year 1 month)
WhiteSpace is an award winning agency in Akron, Ohio. I designed and built websites for them, as well as multimedia presentations. I saw a project from start to finish, from initial wireframing and information architecture, to designing and coding. Occasionally I only designed the look of the site, or translated someone else's design to code. Additionally I did illustration. One of the things I loved about WhiteSpace was the opportunity to do a wide range of work, from both enterprise level businesses, to pro-bono work for non-profits.
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Web Designer
Nexagen USA
(Privately Held; 10,001 or more employees; Alternative Medicine industry)
August 2004 — February 2006 (1 year 7 months)
I wore a lot of hats at Nexagen, designing all new pages, designing collateral for special promotions and conferences, and translating that collateral to the web. I spent a lot of time honing my digital illustration skills. I completed two major successful redesigns while there, in a very short period of time. I also co-developed a large Flash application that translated data about our users' binary tree into an interactive visual.
Beth Dean’s Education
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Columbus College of Art & Design
BFA, Illustration, Interactive Design, August 1999 — May 2003
Additional Information
Beth Dean’s Websites:
Beth Dean’s Interests:
Web design, CSS, XHTML, web standards, usability, IA, SEO, illustration, guitar, banjo, my dogs.
Beth Dean’s Groups:
Cleveland Web Standards Association, NEOUPA
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UX Professionals -
An Event Apart -
User Experience -
Cleveland Web Standards Association -
Web Standards Design + Development
Beth Dean’s Honors:
2006 Silver ADDY Award Winner
Beth Dean’s Contact Settings
Interested In:
- consulting offers
- new ventures
- expertise requests
- business deals
- reference requests
- getting back in touch
