SUMMARY
Extensive experience in web-based product design and development, with an expansive knowledge of UX architecture for EdTech software (back-office, enterprise, consumer, web, and mobile), interactive training for Fortune 500 companies, and corporate marketing websites.
EXPERIENCE
Southern New Hampshire University
Jan 2020 – Aug 2023, User Experience Architect
Designed next-generation educational ecosystem leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning in pivotal and specific ways to enhance user experience. All while incorporating existing systems, and processes to reduce costs to the university, reduce retraining of staff, and provide learners a personalized educational path.
- Worked with Google thought leaders in the artificial intelligence space and provided complete user experience architecture work for the Google-Southern New Hampshire University’s next-generation educational ecosystem.
- Architect a next-generation educational authoring platform, and credential wallet to build the foundation for micro-credentials, credit for prior learning, and reusable learning content ecosystem from the ground level.
- Architect back-office systems for next-generation educational software systems (security, user management, approval systems, and communication auditing.
- Designed executive summary presentations and diagrams to illustrate complex systems and process flows.
- Architected and designed PLA processes and systems to ingest learner accomplishments and personalize the learner path to streamline the accomplishment of their goals.
- Led multiple teams in executing design vision for a personalized learning experience platform. Guiding architecture (user experience, and technical), design system, user flows, low-fidelity mockups, and high-fidelity mockups, and final product features.
- Advised and collaborated with leadership to establish software development processes and best practices for all departments for a new agile development team.
- Advised and collaborated with the design system team to develop the Confetti Design System to reduce the cost of development, and maintain consistency across user experience.
- Led multiple development teams, InSpace and Google, to execute our design vision.
- Mentored designers on architecture, and systems design
- Design contributor for communication, security, and learner experiences.
PowerSchool, Inc.
Jan 2020 – Oct 2021, Manager User Experience / Principle UX Designer
- Managed a diverse team of designers, projects, and products in a constantly growing portfolio of products and offerings.
- Principle designer for enterprise K12 Student Information System (SIS) – admin, teacher, parent, student websites, and mobile apps, designing workflows, hi-fi mocks, and working HTML prototypes.
- Presented at UX conference on design successes and failures to the Vista Group.
- Ensured high-quality design aligned with company goals.
- Developed team and departmental goals, training, and professional development.
- Reviewed and provided feedback on team member’s design work.
PowerSchool, Inc.
Dec 2007 – Dec 2019, Senior User Experience Designer / UI Developer
- Architected, designed, and coded most of the front end for Student Information System.
- Designed multiple HR and back-office systems for district and school management.
- Designed and developed a semantic HTML Design System reducing costs of development, time to market, and customizer’s ability to add-on to the product while maintaining the UX.
- Designed teacher grading and data analytics tools for classroom management.
- Designed consumer-facing systems for parents and students to review progress, grades, and attendance.
- Designed reporting systems, a state compliance UI for districts to secure funding.
- Trained in-house developers, and partner customizers how to code semantic HTML/CSS, as well as using the PS Design System.
- Designed, and presented project proposals for multiple product managers, and executives to reduce support calls, improve customer experience, and reduce technical and design debt.
- Coded reusable UI widgets: security UI, metadata-driven filter table, JS lazy loader, feature detector, auto reloader, wizard generator, and HREF-driven dialog code to enable developers to rapidly develop new features without having to code patterns from scratch all while maintaining semantic and accessible markup.
- Migrated 3200 pages from tables-based layout to design system via regex, and Less allowing PowerSchool to localize the SIS dynamically and reach new markets that were not supported before
- Led and developed five cost-effective rebrands, as well as accessibility projects so that the products would align with the corporate brand changes.
- 1st place in Hackathon for natural language Amazon Echo app that read student progress, attendance, and assignments aloud to parents. I was also part of teams that won 2nd, and 3rd in other hackathons.
Hewlett Packard
Jan 2007 – Dec 2007, Instructional Designer / Developer / Technical Writer
- Documented and developed training for Ariba Contract Workbench implementation
Insweb, Inc.
Dec 2005 – Sept 2006, Designer / Developer
- Designed and coded web pages for B2C, and B2B offerings for insurance quoting and lead development systems
- Designed and coded Flash/ActionScript-based ads that could pass form data to a resulting page reducing the steps prospective customers had to take to get a quote
- Architected, designed, and coded cutting-edge sites to be accessible, SEO-compliant, and HTML/CSS-based (all their sites were table-based at the time). This reduced the page load times, increased SEO, simplified the development process, and increased the ability to reskin pages for AB testing – maximizing our click-through for our pages
EARLIER EXPERIENCE
Crawford & Associates International – Multimedia Developer
- Designed, and developed web-based training and websites for Cisco, HP, Applied Materials, Professional Businesswomen’s Association of California
- Designed, and developed flash-based courseware
- Recorded voiceover audio for corporate training
Sevant Inc. – Graphical Courseware Designer / Developer
- Designed and developed graphically rich training courses for in-home IT technicians (think GeekSquad)
- Designed technician handbook, and training materials
- Wrote change management procedures for the company
- Conducted product evaluation and implementation for training LMS for our in-home field technicians
CrystalGraphics – Product Manager / Graphic Designer / Tech Support
- Product Manager -Product development guidelines/schedules
- Designer – Packaging, marketing collateral design, 3D animations, software demos,
- Tech Support – Wrote guidelines for phone, email, FAQs, and supported customers
- My role advanced from temporary tech support to Graphic Designer for the marketing department, to Product Manager of all their software products in one year/ All while maintaining the previous role.
EDUCATION
- Industrial Design, San Jose State University
- Project Management Training, Davis & Dean
- ActionScript Training and Certification, Macromedia
- Business of Thinking Training, Herrmann International
SKILLS
- I’m an expert in the design process, guiding development and product organization through all phases of design to deliver amazing products to users.
- Agile isn’t only useful for developers; Agile Design can better align UX design with the larger organization’s goals and deliver what users need the most. I have worked in Agile Development organizations for many years and can walk the walk.
- Much of my design is strategic design. This comes into play a lot in User Experience (UX) Architecture, and designing for enterprise software, back-office software, education ecosystems, student information systems, and LMS systems.
- Persona development, requirements gathering, wireframes, hi-fi mocks, prototyping, rapid prototyping, design systems, designing workflows, and well-thought information architecture all work together to build better products.
- I’ve been working with artificial intelligence (AI), natural language models, large language models, machine learning, other emerging technologies, and generative AI for a few years now.
- I’ve worked in marketing departments at several companies designing branding, brand development, brand experience, brand management, branding & identity, marketing materials, social media marketing, ad design, advertising, email newsletters, direct mail, customer-facing websites, packaging design, and lead generation.
- I’m a self-taught HTML, CSS, LESS, SASS, JS, WordPress, jQuery, and UI frameworks developer. While my JS skills are a little rusty, I regularly exercise my UI design and development skills.
- I’ve worked as a training developer and systems analyst, producing technical writing, system analysis, documentation, training, and support documentation and FAQs.
- I’ve produced and recorded podcasts for several years now, so I understand public speaking, podcast production, podcast hosting, video podcast recording, editing podcasts, video production, audio production, and YouTube videos.
- I am well-versed in many software products and tools: Figma, Sketch, XD, Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, Affinity Publisher, Adobe, Davinci Resolve Studio, Cakewalk, Canva, Comfy UI, and Stable Diffusion.
- I’ve led teams as a lead designer, as well as a design manager in brainstorm facilitation, customer journey mapping, design leadership, data-driven decision making, feature prioritization, mentorship, coaching, coaching & mentoring, skill upskilling, storytelling, strategy, workshop facilitation, recruiting, cross-functional team leadership, goal setting, career ladders, remote teams, talent acquisition.
- I’ve worked in B2B (Business-to-Business), B2C (Business-to-Consumer), large companies, small companies, and early-stage start-ups.
- I participated in Toastmasters for s few years and am very comfortable with verbal communication, visual communication, creative strategy, and presentations.
- I am well-versed in design integration, design research, design sprints, design strategy, digital strategy, and experience design.
- I have always strived to bake in innovation while maintaining a strategic and pragmatic vision for the reality of the product strategy and product roadmap.
- I’ve designed products that are mobile applications, mobile-first, responsive, web-based, and desktop-only, but always with a mind toward user-centered design.