Resume
Profile
Highly ambitious, versatile and accomplished User Experience Designer (UX/UI) and Strategist with proven track record of designing and leading the development of user interfaces that are central to the success of online products. A creative, hands-on leader that is able to communicate effectively with developers, clients, team members and upper-management to facilitate consensus for implementing designs that are successful, usable and sustainable. Innovative thinker and problem solver that exhibits a broad range of knowledge in all aspects of User Experience including, interaction design, visual design, usability, user research, customer-facing documentation and localization.
Professional Experience
Stamats, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA 2005-2010
Senior User Experience Designer and Community Manager
- Lead interface designer and user experience strategist on projects for higher education;
- Produced, directed and edited video projects for commercial broadcasts and web presentations;
- Led client, stakeholder and user interviews and meetings to capture business, technical and aesthetic requirements;
- Assessed project needs and developed specifications from concept through delivery;
- Translated application needs from client feedback, marketing, management and professional services teams into usable requirements for design and development implementation;
- Effectively collaborated with marketing and development teams to ensure product quality, usability and UI standards;
- Implemented user-centered designs while incorporating both quantitative and qualitative user experience research including usability testing, user surveys, personas, scenarios, mental models, focus groups, A/B testing and site analytics;
- Facilitated user experience improvements and strategy for in-house and client projects including Whitman College, Texas A&M University, Furman University and Miami Dade College;
- Designed, implemented and led strategic planning for Stamats’ Ning community, Facebook presence, blog and Twitter marketing initiatives.
American Visions Group, Cedar Rapids, IA 2005-Present
Associate Producer and Composer
- Composed, recorded, edited, mixed music and sound for documentary films;
- Associate Producer and Sound Designer for the critically acclaimed PBS documentary, Landslide: A Portrait of the Presidency of Herbert Hoover;
- Served as technical consultant on various projects with AVG’s partners.
Metro Studios, Cedar Rapids, IA 2003-2005
Audio Engineer and Composer
- Led strategic re-design of Metro Studios’ website;
- Designed and implemented client websites, DVDs and Flash applications
- Composed, recorded, edited, mixed music and sound for various video productions including, commercial and corporate video, documentary film and educational applications;
- Assistant producer for on-location video shoots;
- Built and maintained all computer-based audio and video suites.
Penny Lane Productions (Indianapolis) 2003
Audio Engineer and Sound Designer
- Edited, record and mix music and sound for various local talents. Creating music for advertising.
DeffMute (Copenhagen,Denmark) 2003
Composer and Producer
- Composition and Sound Design for video games, multimedia and advertising.
Impulse Multimedia (Indianapolis) 1999-2003
Principle Media Designer
- Provided web marketing strategy and usability research for web projects;
- Designed and implemented new initiatives and/or website redesigns;
- Consulted clients on new strategies for product and service web brochure pages;
- Developed strategic documentation and wrote client discoveries and proposals.
Reel Masters (Indianapolis) 1997-1998
Intern and Assistant Engineer
- Responsibilities: Engineer projects from bluegrass to hip-hop.
Education
Ball State University 1994-1997
Major: Psychology and Guitar Performance
Minor: Jazz and Music Composition
- Studied advanced classical guitar repertoire, music technology, theory, jazz studies, and classical guitar pedagogy; along with intermediate piano and string instruments;
- Studied behavioral psychology and sociology principles and application;
- Wrote concert and record reviews for The Daily News.
Vincennes University 1992-1994
Major: Music
Minor: Political Science
- Studied blues, rock, contemporary and folk acoustic styles, classical guitar, ensemble conducting and arranging.
Academic Experience
Private Instructor/Consultant 1998-present
Carmel Music Center 2001-2003
Position: Guitar Instructor
IUPUI Music Academy 2000-2001
Position: Guitar Instructor
Guitar Institute of Indianapolis 2000-2001
Position: Guitar Instructor/New Media Director
MARS Music 1998-1999
Position: Guitar Instructor
Memberships
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers – Member since 2000.
American Advertising Federation (AAF)
Interaction Design Association (IxDA)
