Summary
I am a versatile user experience professional with 10 years of experience serving as an end-user advocate for software and products. Currently, I work at SimpliSafe as the Lead User Experience Designer where I am applying user research practices, creating high and low fidelity prototypes, and working closely with agile development teams.
Specialties: prototyping (Axure, Balsamiq, Omnigraffle), user research, usability testing, remote user research, focus groups, contextual inquiry, survey design, competitive analysis, storyboarding, mobile design, html, css.
Experience
SimpliSafe, Boston, MA
Lead User Experience Designer
2017 to Present
SimpliSafe is the top rated, award-winning, self-installed home security system.
- Design user flows for newest version of the home security hardware, doorbell and mobile products.
- Perform user research for upcoming products.
- Created top-rated user experience for home security according to cnet.
- Performed usability testing on installation process for the newest generation of SimpliSafe products.
Sparta Systems, Hamilton, NJ
Principal User Experience Designer
2013 to Present
Formulated company’s long term user experience vision for its business network, cloud, mobile, and on premise solutions.
- Created low and high-fidelity wireframes and specifications for all products to communicate requirements across a variety of stakeholders and development teams.
- Developed high-fidelity interactive prototypes for presenting to customers.
- Performed extensive user research, usability testing, and beta installations with key customers and incorporated those findings directly into designs leading to higher customer satisfaction.
- Applied Lean UX principles to Agile development process and collaboratively created requirements for projects.
- Worked closely with developers and business analysts throughout the development process to incorporated UX findings into products. Spearheaded a UI pattern library for more rapid development.
OptumInsight, Basking Ridge, NJ
Senior User Experience Strategist & Team Lead
2010 to 2013
Managed team of four Senior User Experience Analysts mentoring them and advising them on their consulting engagements.
- Developed user research plans and user-centered design strategies for potential clients as part of sales process.
- Researched consumer behavior surrounding treatment decision-making using intercept surveys, large-scale traditional surveys, and focus groups.
- Created wireframes and specifications for new site features and mobile version myuhc.com.
- Introduced unmoderated usability testing (UserZoom) to provide metrics for a Provider Search upgrade.
MISI Company, Woodbridge, NJ
Experience Architect
2009-2010 (Contract)
Performed research on current mobile trends and behaviors for a leading pharmaceutical company.
- Developed intercept survey and analyzed results.
- Created script and moderated interviews of physicians and patients.
- Researched trends in mobile websites and applications relevant to the pharmaceutical industry.
- Presented results to client.
Verizon Telecom & Wireless, Waltham, MA
Human Factors Consultant
2008-2009 (Contract)
Developed early stage project ideas in “incubator” phase of Verizon Telecom and Verizon Wireless.
- Created competitive analyses and prototyped potential interfaces for FiOS television products.
- Developed surveys to test viability of proposed products.
- Performed expert reviews of wireframes for both mobile and web interfaces of advanced calendaring and address book syncing system for Verizon Wireless.
- Developed usability test plans.
vlingo Corporation, Cambridge, MA
Usability Engineer
2007-2008 (Contract)
Improved the user interface of voice-enabled mobile phone applications on feature phones and BlackBerry devices using user-centered design practices.
- Created usability test plans and moderated usability tests.
- Reported usability test results and recommended interface improvements.
- Developed user surveys
- Performed heuristic reviews of interfaces.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
Web Administrator
2006-2007
Managed design and content for 1000+ page website for the researchers affiliated with Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (www.dfhcc.harvard.edu). Trained and coordinated the content generation of 35 content contributors. Developed surveys to membership seeking information on how to best serve the community through technology.
MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA
Research Associate
2003-2005
Coordinated research for two National Science Foundation (NSF) funded projects studying interdisciplinary collaborations in the sciences and examining how scientists use technology to share information. Used Social Network Analysis to explore how communication across disciplinary boundaries led to innovation. Suggestions from the study have been incorporated into NSF grant application process.
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., Cambridge, MA
Project Assistant
2000-2003
Produced promotional, design and construction documents at one of the nation’s most prestigious landscape architecture firms. Communicated design strategies for multi-million dollar projects in Battery Park City, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Exeter, New Hampshire.
Education
Bentley University, Waltham, MA‚ MS with distinction, Human Factors in Information Design, 2009
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, AB cum laude, Biology, 2000
Certifications
Levels I & II PMC Pragmatic Marketing
Skills
- Web Development: MySQL, PHP, HTML, javascript, CSS, Ajax
- Content Management Systems: Typo3, WordPress
- Computer Programming: C, C++
- Wireframing: Axure, Visio, OmniGraffle
- Software: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Pagemaker, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, AutoCAD, SAS, Morae.
- Fluent in Spanish and conversant in French and Italian.
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