VisualCV

Using problem-solving skills developed over years of experience as a interface designer and user experience manager, intuition and an understanding of human factors for analysis, I design brands, products and marketing collateral and help plan social media marketing initiatives. I define or employ existing brand standards with my own personal style to create unique products, effective marketing campaigns and compelling user experiences.

Whether designing from scratch, redesigning an existing product or developing a product simulation or prototype, a clean, compelling, engaging experience is my goal when designing and analyzing software products for usability and visual appeal. Crafting a cohesive image across all forms of media to promote and sell products and services is how I have helped companies increase revenue and reach their business goals.

• The tools I use to craft a comprehensive user experience include competitive research and analysis, usability reviews, user testing, field studies, feedback surveys and collaborative brainstorming sessions with company stakeholders.
• The deliverables I produce include planning documents, printed pieces, brand assets, visual design templates and style guides for developers, written content for users onscreen and via manuals, plus social media site setup, branding and training on how to communicate.
• As a consultant, I can help companies define and promote their brand, establish a presence online, build a community and guide developers to create a branded, usable product, ecommerce site or corporate web site.

As user experience manager for SigmaFlow I was responsible for defining both the corporate and the product line branding and creating brand standards for everything the prospective customer or user sees. I designed and maintained the corporate web site, redesigned existing products, designed a new enterprise web-based application, and developed prototypes for product redesigns and new product ideas. (Responsible for six existing products + new product prototypes.)

Creative Direction and Brand Management

• Established, refined and maintained unique corporate creative strategy, designed standards and systems including corporate identity, product logos, product packaging, product presentations and product line design. 
• Established overall objectives of software products and web sites relating to branding and corporate positioning.
• Defined corporate and product identity standards and monitored software products for adherence.

Visual and User Interface Design

• Developed product design strategy, including prototypes, information architecture, style guides, interaction design, user interface design and visual design for desktop software and browser-based applications for an integrated product line.
• Consulted developers on GUI screen design and prototyped screen layouts for them to develop from using a mixture of Visio, Photoshop and HTML. 
• Created visual design images, icons and HTML templates for products, presentations and marketing collateral and managed printing.  

Following the acquistion of PentaSafe, I launched a consultancy company that provided full-service brand identity development, print design, software product design and usability, marketing, web development and brand management.

As principal of Fresh ID, I managed teams of contractors and worked on dozens of projects, large and small, for a varied client roster. Many of my clients were former PentaSafe product line managers, who also started their own software or manufacturing businesses. For them I provided the same user experience services, plus marketing and branding, that I had provided at PentaSafe.

When I owned Fresh Pages, I became a product design consultant for PentaSafe, hired to bring a consistent look, feel and functionality to disparate web products. They asked me to come on board full-time and establish a new User Experience department within the R&D organization.

I built a usability lab, hired staff and took responsibility for the product design, documentation, usability and packaging for the VigilEnt product line of 35+ products - a cross-platform, integrated security solution designed for large enterprise environments. While there, I performed the following tasks:

Creative Direction and Brand Management

• Established, refined and maintained unique corporate creative strategy (working closely with Marcom/Product Marketing), designed standards and systems including corporate identity, product logos, product packaging, product presentations and product line design.
• Established overall objectives of software products and web sites relating to branding and corporate positioning.
• Defined product naming, product taxonomy, corporate and product identity standards, product line hierarchy and integrated communications.
• Designed, enhanced and translated the corporate brand identity to develop a complementary product line identity three times in under three years.
  

Visual and User Interface Design

• Developed product design strategy, including wireframes, information architecture, style guides, interaction design, interface design and visual design for software and browser-based applications.
• Concepted early prototypes of multiple enterprise products working within one GUI framework, and defined integration standards, navigation and GUI standards to achieve the seamless experience of using one application.
• Consulted developers on GUI screen design and prototyped screen layouts for them to develop from using a mixture of Photoshop, Illustrator, Visio and HTML.
• Created simulated software using Photoshop and HTML for user testing and field validation.
• Created visual design images, icons and HTML templates for scores of products and projects.
  

User Experience

• Wrote test scripts and performed user testing and usability evaluations of software and web sites.
• Interpreted market requirements and contributed user requirements to product specifications based on feedback from field studies and user testing.
• Performed market research including competitive analysis, customer surveys and user interviews and customer advisory boards. 
• Defined user experience processes as well as help define the overall product development and management process used by R&D and Marketing. 
• Conducted UE design reviews (part of the process) prior to software testing for cosmetic corrections, usability issues and consistency in terminology, GUI design and navigation.
• Defined Beta processes and provided Beta kit materials and Beta program guidance to product marketing. Co-wrote a Beta testing whitepaper that was published in a security-focused magazine.
  

Team Management

• Managed team of UE professionals, including visual designers, web developers, usability engineers, lab coordinators, lab support, technical writers, documentation designers and administrative assistants.
• Managed long-term and short-term contractors. Performed all personnel-related tasks: MBO’s, quarterly and annual reviews, hiring, firing, salary increases, performance plans, reorganizations and career path guidance.
• Researched and specified hardware and software configurations for a $90,000.00 usability lab, hired audio-visual firm and managed build-out. Managed lab maintenance and employee training or software and peripheral equipment.  

As the founder and creative director for my own business, I did everything from sales to search engine optimization as the company grew. In 2000 we acquired Web Dynamics, a local internet design firm, and although business was increasing steadily, in 2001 I closed to establish the User Experience department at PentaSafe. I performed the following tasks for my clients:

Creative Direction and Brand Management

• Established unique creative strategy, design standards, processes and systems including corporate identity and implementation of existing brand identity for a diverse client roster.
• Established overall objectives of web sites and browser-based applications relating to branding and corporate positioning.
• Hands-on design and production coordination of brand implementation graphics for corporate and intranet sites, product packaging, marketing collateral, advertising, direct mail, trade show graphics, newsletters, brochures, posters, sales kits and more.
  

User Experience

• Wrote test scripts and performed user testing and usability evaluations of web sites and browser-based applications.
• Performed market research including competitive analysis, customer surveys and user interviews.
  

Web Development

• Managed web site projects ranging from small, static sites to large, database-driven sites, including project planning, budgeting and management of all aspects of creative and technical production.
• Developed site strategy, including wireframes, information architecture, style guides, interaction design, user interface design and visual design for web sites and browser-based applications.
• Created visual design images, icons and HTML templates for hundreds of web projects, including many redesigns of existing sites.
• Developed content for web sites, including conducting research, copywriting and reformatting existing sales and marketing collateral for the web.
  

Team Management

• Defined and managed multiple web projects concurrently, from pre-sales presentations through strategy, development and testing, including art directing icon illustrators, visual designers, writers, programmers, marketing and public relations staff or contractors.
• Drafted project plans and proposals and managed site budgets. Oversaw financial administration efforts such as bookkeeping, invoicing and collections. Mentored staff and contractors.
  

Designed brochures, business cards, company identities, booklets, manuals, invitations, flyers, audio/video covers, and newsletters. During this time I began experimenting with web design and created two commercial sites for myself: Babyville, a parenting site, and Good Karma Café, a vegetarian cooking site. Good Karma Café was a popular destination for vegetarians until 1999, when I took the site offline to focus on my web design business.

Managed artists and computer assistants. Managed marketing and charity budgets for store. Developed unique signage systems for the store. Designed numerous pieces of marketing literature. Ordered merchandising props and was responsible for marketing budget. Executed projects designed to increase sales, and contributed to record revenue increases in the first year (for a new store in the chain.) Won a mandatory company wide contest called CMG (Cleanliness and Merchandising) for five quarters. Ran Christmas Gift Basket area, including design of baskets, supplies purchasing, staffing and sales.

Worked with customers to design special events and then managed staff and experience throughout the event. Planned and hosted many types of affairs, from wedding celebrations to business meetings, working with chefs, store managers and outside vendors such as florists to ensure the customer would be satisfied and enjoy a worry-free event.

Created visual merchandising and window displays throughout the store. Executed various company promotions. Team leader for other part-time and full-time visual merchandisers. My visual merchandising experience has contributed to my understanding of brand continuity and ecommerce sales.