
Senior User Experience Architect at The Hacker Group
Greater Seattle Area

Senior User Experience Architect at The Hacker Group
Greater Seattle Area
My "User Experience" umbrella covers information architecture, usability analysis, business analysis, user research and testing, and interaction design.
My main objective is to balance business goals with user needs for effective experiences. To support these efforts, I define usability test plans to conduct usability testing and report on key findings, then create deliverables like user flows, site maps, wireframes, and functional prototypes.
Other experience:
Many years of experience in all facets of graphic design and production for print, web, and interactive. Successfully managed projects to meet client requirements, budget constraints and deadlines. Positions included working on teams and as a sole proprietor.
Also worked as a consultant to companies seeking a balance between visual design and real-world usability in order to increase ROI of web sites and software.
information architecture, usability analysis, user testing, interaction design, user experience design, interactive design, user interface design, production management, project management, marketing, business development
(Public Company; IPG; Marketing and Advertising industry)
March 2009 — Present (5 months)
Implementing best practices in user experience (UX) to multi-talented, attack-ready creative and interactive teams. (In this case, UX = information architecture, usability, interaction design, and the user-centered design process which brings it all together!)
(Internet industry)
November 2008 — March 2009 (5 months)
Provided content strategy, information architecture, interaction design, and usability analysis services for two mid-sized web consulting companies and DDB.
(Privately Held; Internet industry)
January 2008 — October 2008 (10 months)
Worked with varied teams (project management, user research, analytics, optimization, development, visual design) to craft effective solutions for clients. Focused mostly on Microsoft projects: SharePoint redesigns, Silverlight web application design, functional prototypes using Axure, and other projects involving standard UX deliverables like content inventories, site maps, user flows, and wireframes.
(Privately Held; Information Technology and Services industry)
November 2007 — December 2007 (2 months)
Before this company's unexpected layoff, I quickly proved myself by producing quality work for several Microsoft projects: wireframing site solutions, streamlining user workflows, and facilitating remote usability testing for Microsoft HR.
(Privately Held; Marketing and Advertising industry)
October 2006 — November 2007 (1 year 2 months)
This was a newly created position to establish UX methods within the organization. I was responsible for writing UX proposals; making recommendations for appropriate UX work; conducting user testing and user interviews; writing usability reviews and user testing reports; creating and presenting wireframes to clients; finding IA solutions when dealing with strict branding standards; re-thinking interactions to fit development restraints; consulting with developers and designers on usability issues and suggesting workarounds based on my past experience; and presenting/promoting UX work to internal groups and clients.
(Internet industry)
September 2006 — October 2006 (2 months)
Provided information architecture and usability consulting for various projects. Clients included two Seattle-based startups.
(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Staffing and Recruiting industry)
May 2004 — September 2006 (2 years 5 months)
More than quadrupled profit of this creative staffing company by using my past expertise as a designer to find freelance and full-time placement opportunities in the Seattle market. This newly-created position put me fully in charge of setting my own schedule identifying leads, cold calling, arranging meetings with potential clients, managing marketing campaigns, and coordinating placement logistics with our Creative Consultant and talent. When the Creative Consultant was overloaded, I helped interview talent, review portfolios, and coordinate placements.
(Privately Held; Newspapers industry)
March 2003 — May 2004 (1 year 3 months)
Design and production for newspapers and special publications. Managed production of online auction program and coordinated graphic artists in 7 offices around Puget Sound. Working with the IT department, developed training documentation and trained artists in transition to OS X and Adobe Creative Suite, and information architecture standards for servers and files.
(Public Company; 51-200 employees; Internet industry)
April 2000 — February 2001 (11 months)
Collaborated with clients on large web site solutions as a part of the development team. Responsible for establishing information architecture and promoting good user experience with site maps, wireframes, and writing user scenarios; also created design concepts and completed art production. Developed use cases with the systems architect and web programmer. Also took on projects for other departments: the annual report, several intranet sites, and miscellaneous graphic support requests for the marketing department.
(Public Company; Marketing and Advertising industry)
March 1995 — April 2000 (5 years 2 months)
At Denver's largest advertising agency, worked with creative directors, art directors, and production managers to produce final digital artwork for press and web; also created original illustrations. Clients included Coors, Coke, Samsonite, Bolle, Cybex, Denver Art Museum, and Qwest.
(Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Marketing and Advertising industry)
May 1991 — December 1994 (3 years 8 months)
Completed a variety of projects including direct mail, newsletters, and educational literature for financial and retail companies; presentation design; and credit card artwork. Also assisted co-workers with Mac troubleshooting and support.
Certification , Usability Analysis , 2006 — 2006
Courses included:
• User-Centered Analysis and Conceptual Design
• The Science and Art of Effective Web and Application Design
• Practical Usability Testing
• Putting Research into Practice
Usability Conference 2001 — 2001
BFA , Graphic Design & Advertising , 1997 — 1998
user experience, usability, design, new technology, networking, learning, reading, snowboarding, hiking, motorcycling, harley-davidson, sailing, swimming, kayaking, camping, traveling, movies, apple, mac
David W. Bozeman Memorial Scholarship Award, 1997 & 1998
Colorado State Scholarship Award, 1998
Bronze Award for Logo Design, Art Directors Club of Denver, 1988