Sam Higgins

User Experience (UX), marketing, and demand generation professional with 6 years experience in the enterprise talent management software space.

Open networker -- I am always interested in hearing about new opportunities.

Specialties:
* User Experience Research
* Moderated Usability Testing
* Quantitative Usability Metrics & Statistical Analysis
* Marketing strategy
* Social media strategy
* Web property and content strategy
* Online Advertising / Pay-Per-Click / Pay-Per Lead Programs
* Global & Cross Functional Teamwork
* Direct mail & email
* Prospect targeting and data mining
* Closed loop marketing
* Event planning and execution

• M.S., Human Factors in Information Design

  Bentley College - Elkin B. McCallum Graduate School of Business

  • Foundations in Human Factors (HF 700)
  • Testing and Assessment Programs (HF 750)
  • Ethnography of Work for Design (HF 785)
  • Managing a User Centered Design Team (HF 710)
  • Measuring the User Experience (HF 751)
  • Prototyping (HF 770)
  • Information Architecture (HF 740)
  • Field Research Methods in HCI (HF 780)

• Social Recruiting Program

  • November 2010 to December 2011
  Team Members: Sam Higgins

  Created and implemented a social recruiting program that resulted in 36%–338% traffic increases to Aquire job postings along with a positive impact on employer branding and buzz with no marginal hard costs

• New Website Design & Launch

  • November 2010 to August 2011
  Team Members: Sam Higgins, Alyssa Briggs, James O'Gara, Michael Miranda, Marc Ramos, Tony McDonald, Thomas Canter, Cyndi Winsor, Mehnaz Mayeed, Laurie Stanford

  Led an inter and intra-organizational team to execute a full website rebranding and redesign project. Including coordinating web design, copy, user experience and systems integration.
  
  Results included a 77%–350% traffic increase to top web pages and a 50% increase in visitor engagement metrics.

• SEO Strategy Uplift

  • March 2010 to March 2011
  Team Members: Sam Higgins, Michael Miranda

  Conceived and managed a revamped SEO and web content strategy at Aquire, resulting in a 40% increase in web visits within 6 months, 66% within the first year, including a 105% increase in organic search traffic

• Online and Paid Search Advertising

  Team Members: Sam Higgins, Michael Miranda

  Led a revamp in Aquire's online advertising strategy across multiple products and segments, resulting in a 15% increase in conversions and a 25% lower cost per conversion within six months

• Moderated Usability Testing - Aquire Compensation

  • April 2012 to July 2012
  Team Members: Sam Higgins

  Designed and executed moderated usability testing for Aquire's Compensation Management Software.
  
  This included 2 rounds of testing, one each with customers and non-customers.
  
  Select project tasks and deliverables:
  
  *Development of a testing script
  *Recruiting targeted actual and representative users,
  *Conducting and recording both rounds of in-person, moderated usability tests utilizing the think-aloud protocol
  *Capture of task and system level quantitative data
  *Development and presentation of a usability testing report including problems found, severity ratings, recommendations for remedy, comparative task metrics and analysis, and system level usability benchmarks

• Remote Moderated User Research - Aquire InSight

  • November 2012 to Present
  Team Members: Sam Higgins

  Designed and executed remote moderated user research for Aquire's InSight workforce analytics product. This included brand/message testing on the Aquire website, usability testing of the software, and capturing user interest in specific features.
  
  All recruiting and testing with targeted participants was handled remotely utilizing GoToMeeting and SurveyGizmo. Select project tasks and deliverables:
  
  *Development of a testing script, including an online data capture and task delivery system using SurveyGizmo.
  *Recruiting representative users according to strict target guidelines,
  *Conducting and recording 7 moderated usability tests utilizing the think-aloud protocol.
  *Capture of system level usability data (SUS), feature usefulness ratings, and other qualitative feedback.
  *Development and presentation of a usability testing report including trends in user feedback, usability problems found,severity ratings, recommendations for remedy, comparative task metrics and analysis, and system level usability benchmarks.
  *Creating agile user stories for all found usability problems, and acting as primary stakeholder for them within our scrum development process.

• Moderated User Research - OrgPublisher Executive iPad App

  • February 2013 to Present
  Team Members: Sam Higgins, Bethany Winsor

  Designed and executed moderated user tesearch for Aquire's OrgPublisher Executive iPad app. This in-person test of 10 targeted participants included usability testing of the software, as well as capturing user interest in specific features and other market validation questions.
  
  Select project tasks and deliverables:
  *Development of a testing script and quantitative rating scales
  *Recruiting targeted representative users,
  *Conducting, streaming, and recording all tests utilizing the think-aloud protocol
  *Capture of task and system level quantitative data (SUS), task completion rates/times, as well as qualitative feedback on product positioning and usefulness.
  *Development and presentation of a usability testing report including problems found, severity ratings, and recommendations for remedy.

• App Release Management - OrgPublisher Executive/InSight Executive iPad Apps

  • July 2012 to Present
  Team Members: Sam Higgins, Bethany Winsor

  *Researched store placement requirements and processes for Apple, Android, and Windows Marketplace
  *Managed account application process for Apple Developer and iTunes Connect platforms, including legal and contractual review and approval
  *Researched and selected appropriate distribution model for an enterprise B2B application
  *Managed alpha testing and distribution of the provisioning file
  *Set up iTunes Connect account with Apple App Store assets (images, metadata, keyword research)
  *Managed app release process and app updates

• App Release Management - OrgPublisher Executive/InSight Executive iPad Apps

  • July 2012 to Present
  Team Members: Sam Higgins, Bethany Winsor

  *Researched store placement requirements and processes for Apple, Android, and Windows Marketplace
  *Managed account application process for Apple Developer and iTunes Connect platforms, including legal and contractual review and approval
  *Researched and selected appropriate distribution model for an enterprise B2B application
  *Managed alpha testing and distribution of the provisioning file
  *Set up iTunes Connect account with Apple App Store assets (images, metadata, keyword research)
  *Managed app release process and app updates

1. Human Resources Software
2. Enterprise Software
3. B2B
4. Usability
5. User Research
6. Usability Testing
7. Online Marketing
8. Social Media
9. Marketing Strategy
10. Online Advertising
11. Web Analytics
12. HR Marketing
13. Talent Management Software
14. Workforce Analytics
15. Global Marketing
16. Lead Generation
17. Demand Generation
18. Email Marketing
19. Social Media Marketing
20. Event Planning
21. SEO
22. SaaS
23. B2B Marketing
24. Product Marketing
25. Digital Marketing
26. SEM
27. Salesforce.com
28. Applicant Tracking Systems
29. Heuristic Analysis
30. Workforce Analytics Software
31. User Experience
32. Management
33. Strategy
34. Talent Acquisition
35. HRIS
36. Human Resources

View All (36) Skills View Fewer Skills

Interests:

Boardsports (especially snowboarding), swimming in natural bodies of water, camping, cooking, traveling, learning, technology, the news on NPR, good radio (This American Life, On the Media, Radio Lab), live music shows

Groups and Associations:

• 
  Austin UX
• 
  Avenue HR
• 
  Bentley University - Elkin B. McCallum Graduate School of Business
• 
  Bentley University Alumni
• 
  Bentley University HFIDers
• 
  Best Practice Talent Management
• 
  Boston Jobs & Business Network
• 
  Boston Networking Club
• 
  Boston Young Professionals Association
• 
  Business Restructuring/Organization Design Group
• 
  Carnival of HR
• 
  Greater Boston Networking
• 
  HR Technologies, eLearning, and HRIS Forum
• 
  HR Technology Conference
• 
  HR.com
• 
  HRevolution
• 
  Human Factors in Information Design Organization
• 
  Human Resource (HR) Vendor Marketing
• 
  Linked Local Boston
• 
  Linked:HR (#1 Human Resources Group)
• 
  Marketing Automation Experts
• 
  Marketing Over Coffee
• 
  Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
• 
  Oracle HCM Users Group - OHUG
• 
  OrgPublisher - Org Charting and Workforce Reporting
• 
  Rosenfeld Media
• 
  SEOmoz
• 
  SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) Official Group
• 
  Silverpop Engage User Group
• 
  Software Sales Professionals
• 
  South By Southwest (SXSW)
• 
  Strategic Workforce Planning
• 
  Succession Management Professionals
• 
  Talent Management Research and Best Practices Network
• 
  Talent Management Technology
• 
  Talent Management magazine
• 
  Texas State University Career Services
• 
  The Crumple It Up Innovation Network
• 
  The Denovati
• 
  The New Talent Management Network - Boston city group
• 
  UX Book Club Chicago
• 
  User Experience
• 
  Workforce Planning and Analytics