Resume
Summary:
Interaction design leader with over 15 years of professional design and digital arts management. I focus on creating clean and scalable user experiences based on extensive user testing for deployment to small focused audiences or to millions of users.
I offer the unique ability to leverage my conceptual and application development skills while working directly with diverse and remote teams from concept to final implementation.
Experience:
Elliance – Pittsburgh, PA. 09/2008 – Current
Responsible for coordinating very large eMarketing efforts at both the design, development and discovery project stages. Specialize in researching high-level ontologies and system semantics around creative brand stories and user motivation. Formulate site-maps, taxonomies, business requirements and fully interactive prototypes for client feedback. I focus on what motivates users and how to enable conversion through meaningful user empowerment.
- Led large and complex in-depth discovery and interview sessions with clients.
- Managed creative teams and development teams through mental models, rapid prototyping and other exercises.
- Led internal brand direction and identity sessions.
- Managed the business requirements, functional specs, site-maps and wireframes for final integration hand-off.
Thermo Fisher Scientific – Pittsburgh, PA. 04/2007 – 11/2007
Specialized in all phases of user experience analysis from low-fidelity requirement gathering to functional specifications for final IT integration. Engineered UI simulation prototypes in preparation for QA testing and usability testing. Worked closely with internal business stakeholders and global IT development teams in order to formulate scalable information and system architectures which support one of the largest B2B web applications in the world.
- Conducted agile discovery sessions with stakeholders and developers to gain insight into specific needs (SCRUM).
- Discovered effective solutions by employing mental models, mind maps, use cases and paper prototypes.
- Created complete web simulations within established style guides in order to capture functional requirements for IT/QA.
- Helped inspire new workflows that has brought IT closer to the discovery and design process.
- Designed final interaction metaphors which have enhanced the user experience and company brand.
Exhibitgroup/Giltspur – Pittsburgh, PA. 05/2006 – 05/2007
Exhibit Designer responsible for designing, planning and marketing large scale trade show and event exhibits for Fortune 100 companies. Clients include US Steel, Schering-Plough, Watson and Merck. I worked directly with sales teams, end clients, fabricators and estimators during the construction entire process. I specialized in custom as well as rental structures which offered unique, scalable and engaging experiences. How groups of users interact with a temporary space and leave that space with a lasting emotional connection was the primary focus.
- Designed engaging and beautiful exhibits using 3D Studio Max.
- Interfaced with multiple prospective clients helping the team win multi-year contracts.
- Specialized in conceptual structures which supported brand identity within a 3D space.
- Produced many interactive Flash movies for RFP opportunities.
- Designed Flash based interactive kiosk systems.
Hollywood Media Corporation – Boca Raton, FL. 05/2004 – 05/2006
Integral in the formation and direction of the new Hollywood.com website redesign. Responsible for designing easy to use and functional web interfaces based on internal and external user testing and human factor heuristics. Developed navigation flowcharts, wireframes and interactive HTML/Flash prototypes to support these goals. Collaborated directly with both the Executive Producer and the Vice President during development of Hollywood.com and eGuide.com. Worked within the Information Architecture department in tandem with .NET developers throughout the process.
- Implemented and refined final HTML and CSS into completed .NET web applications.
- Managed multiple user tests with the Nielson Norman Group, further refining our design and content.
- Created site architectures, database driven workflows and wireframes for eGuide.com and Hollywood.com.
- Worked directly with the content and marketing departments to better implement their goals.
- Supervised the Senior Designer in creating style guides and layout to support our industry branding.
- Managed editorial and graphical assets within the proprietary content management system.
- Developed multiple specification documents outlining process and requirements.
STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute. – Pittsburgh, PA. 03/2001 – 02/2004
Instrumental in designing the 3D user experience framework for a distance learning and training application that utilizes NASA mission data from the Mars Global Surveyor, Viking and Odyssey datasets in preparation for the 2004 MER Mars mission. Worked closely with programmers, educators, and robotic scientists to design a 3D interactive environment for an innovative ‘telepresence’ interface. This application provided new opportunities for both students and scientists to look for evidence of life within an interactive 3D game-like world. Work is currently on display as an interactive exhibit at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. Also developed the VHF communication systems onboard field robots using ham radio.
- Innovated new forms of spatial navigation metaphors based on autonomous robotic systems.
- Developed user interaction models derived from engineering specification documents.
- Implemented final interactive experiences based on extensive user testing and wireframe iterations with hundreds of students.
- Edited broadcast quality video shorts for use in public relations and future funding opportunities in Adobe Premiere.
- Integrated the public outreach gateway for Carnegie Mellon Field Robotics using a blend of Flash MX, XML, and traditional HTML as a scalable solution for future information sharing.
- Designed and maintained the eventscope.org website.
Flying Beyond, Inc. San Jose, CA (03/1997 – 02/1998)
Created original live trade show graphics for Fortune 500 clients. Created interactive trade show experiences for national exhibits. Designed information intensive videos and interactive interfaces on strict timelines.
- Designed, edited, and storyboarded multiple videos in Premiere and Avid editing suites.
- Managed a group of interactive designers for a wide range of products.
- Created original interaction metaphors for use in live stage presentations.
- Communicated unique design and technical concepts with many public relation departments from Fortune 500 companies.
- Designed engaging and very successful live user experiences for Oracle, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft, SAP, Bank of America and TV Guide.
- Designed large format print displays and magazine ads in Quark and Illustrator.
The 3DO Company. Redwood City, CA (09/1995 – 11/1996)
Responsible for creating graphical user interfaces from storyboard to final integration. Primarily designed menu system metaphors for the video game High Heat Baseball ’99. Gaming platforms included Playstation, Sega, the 3DO Multiplayer and the PC.
- Created user interface concept designs for detailed review.
- Developed original interactive elements and components for final coded integration.
- Engineered interactive prototypes for senior programmers in Macromedia Director.
- Trained others in the use of in-house proprietary software for GUI development.
- Built 3D/2D interface elements which supported multiple languages, including Kanji.
Development Tools:
Microsoft Visio
AxureRP
Freemind Mind Mapping
Adobe PhotoShop
3D Studio MAX
Adobe Illustrator
After Effects/Premiere Pro
Actionscript 3.0/Python/Ruby
Education:
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. 2001- 2004
Post graduate work in HCI and Robotics
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Carnegie-Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA. May 1993
Bachelor of Fine Arts
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The Kiski School, Saltsburg, PA. June 1988
Academic Diploma
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Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA.. Summer 1987
Governor’s School for the Arts,
Printmaking (scholarship)
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UXweek with Adapative Path. Washington DC, 2007
Awards & Other Accomplishments:
3D interior modeling televised on HGTV’s Designer’s Challenge 2005
Nomination for the Museum Tech Award in Education 2003
Innovation Award – College of Fine Arts, Carnegie Mellon University 2002
Hallmark Cards Design Competition – Gold Medal 1989
Three Rivers Arts Festival – Honorable Mention in Painting 1988
Seton Hill College Art Festival – Illustration Award 1987
Paintings and sculpture have been on display in San Francisco, Pittsburgh, New York and South Florida. Participated in many juried and solo exhibits.