Experience

10 years experience in user-centered design of web sites and applications
Solid understanding of methods and best practices in Interaction Design, User Interface Design, Information Architecture, and User Experience Research
Experience with all phases of the User Experience Design cycle:
- Defining and planning user-centered design processes
- Working with clients to define business requirements
- Creating user profiles and personas
- Developing an information architecture and usage scenarios
- Creating wireframes with design specifications and process flows with interactive specifications
- Building functional prototypes
- Conducting user testing and usability evaluations
- Collaborating with producers, visual designers, and developers

Skills

Documentation

Experience creating documentation throughout the product cycle, including:
- site maps
- wireframes
- process flows
- usage scenarios
- storyboards
- design and interactive specifications
- business requirements
- competitive analyses
- research protocols
- research findings and user needs
- user profiles and personas

Software

Skilled with OmniGraffle, Visio, Fireworks, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and MS Office.

User Research

Extensive experience with user experience research methods and usability testing.
Able to plan and conduct research process and deliver actionable results.

Organization and Flexibility

Able to juggle multiple projects while still maintaining attention to detail.
Responds productively to deadlines and takes initiative in the face of ambiguity.

Collaboration and Communication

Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
Comfortable facing clients and collaborates well with producers, visual designers, developers, and other team members.

Problem Solving

Excellent problem solving and analytical thinking skills.
Able to understand and translate complex user needs and business requirements into clear design recommendations.

Technical

Proficient with HTML/CSS, and familiar with the capabilities and appropriate use of DHTML, Javascript, AJAX, PHP/MySQL, Flash, and other technologies.

Experience

Senior Product Manager, Kaiser Permanent (Oakland, CA), January 2009-present

Sr. Product Manager of KP’s Health Plan Institute site, providing performance support to KP's Marketing, Sales, Service and Administration functions.

Collaborates with director to develop overall product vision and long-term strategy
Defines and recommends effective solutions to support user and cross-functional business needs
Leads complex projects to design and develop web applications:
- Plans and manages team’s iterative, user-centered, design process
- Conducts user research and translates results into actionable design and strategy recommendations
- Creates wireframes, process flows and functional prototypes of user centered design recommendations
- Designs and conducts usability testing of prototypes with users
- Works with software engineer during development and manages team’s QA process of staged products
Serves as expert resource for a team of publishers on user interface and visual design standards, user needs and research, information architecture issues and HTML/CSS production work.

User Experience Designer (San Francisco Bay Area, CA), 2000-2008

Contractor working with producers, visual designers, developers, and other team members to provide UX Design solutions.

Planned user-centered design processes
Worked with clients to define business requirements and strategy
Planned and conducting user experience research
Defined user needs and creating user profiles and personas
Developed an information architecture and usage scenarios
Created wireframes with design specifications and process flows with interactive specifications
Built functional prototypes using HTML/CSS
Conducted user testing and usability evaluations

Ethnographic Researcher, University of California (Santa Cruz, CA), 1997-2003

Developed research project on consumer identity and social contexts of prosthetic limbs, and awarded 3 grants totaling $67,000 to fund research
Conducted ethnographic research at multiple field sites in Chicago, India and Cambodia with biomedical engineers, prosthetists and medical professionals, amputees and others
Presented findings and analysis in public and academic lectures, conference papers, publications, media interviews, museum exhibit and Ph.D. dissertation

Teaching Assistant, University of California (Santa Cruz, CA), 1993-1996

Developed lesson plans and taught discussions sections for a wide variety of cultural anthropology, physical anthropology and archaeology courses
Consulted with and advised students, and graded coursework for 45-75 students

Senior Graphic Designer, Wells Fargo (San Francisco, CA), 1992-1993

Designer and desktop publisher for sales and marketing team of the 401(k) Retirement Plan Division
Prepared customized marketing and presentation materials for sales staff as needed
Created business graphics and materials for marketing and sales presentations

Ethnographic Researcher, University of California (Davis, CA), 1990-1991

Developed research project on tribal tattooing in Borneo
Conducted ethnographic research with tribal communities in Sarawak, east Malaysia
Presented findings and analysis in lectures, conference papers, publications, university coursework and display exhibit

Education

Ph.D., Cultural Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2003
M.A., University of California, Santa Cruz, 1995
B.A., University of California, Davis, 1992