Experience
February 2018 - Present
Senior Director, UX Design
ViacomCBS
Define the user experience for Noggin—ViacomCBS's edu-tainment subscription service for families with preschoolers. Work with stakeholders to translate their vision into executable phases. Prioritize business objectives and user needs with the help of research and analytics. Lead design sprints and brainstorms to align and inspire team members across disciplines. Hire, lead and coach the product design team from ideation to execution of new product features. Maintain a wholistic view of the design system across multiple consumer-facing platforms—web, mobile apps and connected TV. Oversee product design of Unity-based tool for interactive content creation. Oversee the customization of Wordpress to support marketing efforts. Partner with marketing and brand design teams to ensure a cohesive experience across the entire user journey. Passionately maintain positive team morale within a large and matrixed organization.
February 2017 - June 2017
Freelance Product Designer
XO Group Inc.
Helped The Knot (a division of XO Group) test different UX strategies, promoting the part chatbot-part human wedding planner. This subscription based chat service lived inside the free wedding planning iOS app. I designed ways to demonstrate this product’s value to brides. See case study
Subsequently helped rethink how app users search for and book wedding vendors. Designed strategies based on where users were in their wedding planning process, and the ways in which they needed assistance. Concurrently assisted The Bump (another division of XO Group) to revamp their iOS app's onboarding flow.
July 2015 - aprIl 2017
Lead Product Designer
DipJar
Conducted customer interviews and usability tests. Improved onboarding and checkout flows. Worked with major charity organizations to define the enterprise dashboard use cases. Designed dashboard tools for device monitoring and permissions management. Redesigned the website post- strategic pivot. Created instructional videos. Wrote tutorials and troubleshooting articles. Redesigned hardware UI to increase successful transactions. See case study
November 2013 - July 2015
Interaction Designer
Nickelodeon
Advocated for the user and repaired relationships between departments, while working on the Nick.com redesign. Subsequently led the interactive design team for NickJr.com’s redesign. Helped convince stakeholders to give us time and resources to refactor a newly launched product. Worked closely with engineers to design a scalable design system. Created prototypes, wrote user stories and test scripts, and mentored the design team. See case study
August 2009 - May 2013
Associate Creative Director
At Play Creative
Oversaw creative from concept to launch, for companies such as Toyota, Sysco, CitiBank, Disney/ABC, DC Comics, Hasbro, and others. Helped develop engaging and user-friendly design concepts. Hired, coached and led the design team. Coordinated with consultants and off-shore development teams. Guided clients through creative and technical reviews to create positive relationships via honest feedback and collaboration. Cranked out spec work for new business acquisition. And most importantly, cultivated a fun, collaborative and meaningful work environment.
August 2008 - August 2009
Manager of Design and Marketing
Red Mango, Inc.
Created renderings of retail environments, under the creative direction of the architect. Project managed the production, delivery and installation of retail graphics and storefront electrical signage. Designed point-of-sale signage, print advertising and promotional merchandise. Coordinated the production and distribution of these materials to franchisees across the US. Created email marketing campaigns and maintained the corporate website. Standardized and documented brand collateral to ensure a consistent aesthetic across franchises.
Education
2005 - 2007
Art Institute of California - San Francisco
AS, Graphic Design
2000 - 2004
University of Southern California
BS, French
Skills
Design Team Management
Personas
User Journeys
Information Architecture
Wireframing
Prototyping
User Flows
A/B Testing
User Interviews
User Testing
Tools
Figma
Sketch
Adobe Creative Suite
HTML/CSS
Axure
InVision
Omniture
Wordpress
Elementor
Squarespace
Working KNowledge
Proto.io
JavaScript
After Effects
Off-Screen Activities
Ceramics
Horticulture