Education
Focus on IxD, UX, communication theory, interactive cartography, linguistics, and human-centered design and research methodologies.
Three month interdisciplinary study designing interactive memory maps of location-specific sensory experiences.
2003 B.S. cum laude Graphic Design
University of Evansville // Evansville, IN
Skills
DESIGN RESEARCH
Experience in planning, leading and executing design research initiatives including – but not limited to – ethnographic interviews, contextual and narrative analysis, designing research probes, persona development and advocation, moderating ideation brainstorms and participatory workshops, synthesizing data and presenting meaningful and actionable insights and opportunities.
DESIGN MAKING
Comfortable at all levels of concept development – from ambiguous to refined. Experienced in sketching, storyboarding, illustrating, animating, rapid prototyping, data visualization, annotating wireframes and comp deliverables. Experience working under the Agile development methodology.
COMMUNICATION
Professional writing and editing capabilities with experience giving enthusiastic and engaging presentations on a variety of topics in both business and academic settings.
TECHNICAL
Highly proficient in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, FinalCutPro, Flash Catalyst, Dreamweaver, Omnigraffle and working knowledge of HTML5, CSS3, PHP, Javascript, Arduino and Processing.
Experience
Sr. Experience Designer
Razorfish /// Feb. 2010 – Present
Design the information architecture and interaction framework for transactional, informational, and marketing websites, enterprise software, mobile applications and multi-touchpoint systems. Responsibilities include – but not limited to – leading qualitative user and business research efforts, developing personas, mental models and scenarios to communicate user needs, defining product architecture, UI design and interaction patterns, hi and lo-fidelity prototypes, and participating in UX thought leadership within the company and industry.
I teach interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate design studio courses that focus on investigative community projects using research-based design processes to address social, environmental, economical or cultural issues through visual communications. Students are taught how to conduct and synthesize design research and respond to their findings through design-making. There is a strong focus on process, critical thinking, professionalism and presentation techniques in which to present and talk about their work.
Communications Designer
Kaiser Permanente /// Oct. 09 – Feb. 2010
Working with the Innovation Consultancy Group, I designed research probes and communication tools for hospital staff and managers during the development of NKEplus. These tools were used to onboard staff and actively engage them in the customization of the NKEplus system which strives to improve the transfer of patient information during nurse shift changes. I also designed exhibition materials for display at the Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology. Read more about this project in the International Journal of Design.
Interaction Design Lead
SCRAP /// Oct. 09 – Jan. 2010
My role during this project consisted of managing the redesign of Scrap’s website. Design goals included restructuring content to focus on the facilitation and education of creative reuse practices, create a rich, visual experience, provide more opportunities for community feedback via social media avenues and strengthen SCRAP’s outreach programs. Since the launch the center has increased workshop attendance by 30% resulting from increased traffic within the site.
With the goal of bridging the gap between online and in-store shopping experiences, our team presented new user-experience scenarios for Cyrillus.com that allowed deeper interaction with products through play and virtual manipulation, streamlined navigation and simplified checkout procedures.
Design Researcher
IDEO /// Oct. 08 – Apr. 09
Working with a team of design researchers, we developed a research plan with the goal of identifying opportunities in which California College of the Arts could focus on in their 5-year strategic plan. This included building communicative research tools and probes, analyzing data to reveal themes and patterns and organizing a collaborative visualizing/prototyping event for faculty and students.
Design Researcher
Next 10 /// Aug. – Dec. 07
Conducted in-home interviews and designed research communication tools with the goal of identifying opportunities for designers to re-frame the term “green” for a variety of California audiences. Our team then designed and proposed several new systems of engagement and interaction with food products, distribution methods and communication media.
Principal Graphic Designer
Naxos of America /// Jun. 05 – Jan. 08
Responsible for creative direction and design of CD and DVD packaging, brand and identity development, digital/interactive advertising media, catalogs and marketing collateral. Design achievements include a redesign of their top selling titles: Bride’s Guide to Wedding Music, Philip Glass: of Beauty & Light and Arvo Pärt: The Silence of Being that resulted in expanded distribution by Borders, Target, and Amazon.com.
Professional Associations
Design Consultant / Volunteer La Cocina /// San Francisco, CA
Member / IxDA – SF Chapter /// San Francisco, CA
Member / AIGA – SF Chapter /// San Francisco, CA
Member & Volunteer / Gray Area Arts Foundation /// San Francisco, CA
Student Fellow + Mentor / CCA Center for Art & Public Life /// San Francisco, CA
Conferences & Workshops
2011 An Event Apart / Mobile Web Design
Taught by Luke Wroblewski
Only Good Touching: UX Strategy & Design in a multi-touchpoint universe /
Co-Taught by Todd Wilkens, Paula Wellings & Chris Risdon /// San Francisco, CA
Processing 200: Data Visualization / Taught by Tom Carden
Digital Cartography & Interactive Mapping / Taught by Sha Hwang
Melissa Martin