:: objective

GUI Team Lead, User Interface Designer, Creative Lead

To find a company that truly encourages innovation and risk-taking, allowing me to utilize my cumulative expertise and allowing growth for me, my team, and the company as a whole.

:: awards / patents

• IBM Leadership Excellence
• IBM Bravo Award [achievement/above and beyond for packaging redesign]
• 2 patents pending [GUI functionality]
• 2 patents pending [dB design]

:: selected companies

• High Tech: IBM • Lotus Development • Twister Media
• Bio Tech: Genzyme Diagnostics • Quest Diagnostics • Abbott Laboratories
• Educational Publishing: Houghton-Mifflin • Prentice Hall • Addison Wessley • Jones & Bartlett • MIT Press • Bedford St. Martins • Simon & Schuster
• Magazine Publishing: American Kennel Club
• Financial Industry: Putnam • Fidelity • The Conference Board
• Service Bureau: PageWorks • WordTech

:: quantitative results

• $5+ million savings: Co-led the initial push to standardize and redesign the software packaging deliverables across all IBM products resulting in a 5+ million dollar savings over the next 3 years while satisfying user requirements and delivery & fulfillment requirements.
• 700% reduction: Co-Led the installation initiative to decrease Out-of-Box-Experience starting time (OOBE) by 700%.
• $30,000 savings: Saved $30,000 in vendor costs, shipping, and initial print/cd burning, and future print revisions by convincing client to implement a web-based, worldwide information delivery vehicle.
• 50% savings: Created and distributed a notebook of optimal pre-press procedures and checklists, reducing troubleshooting time by 50%.
• 50% savings: Saved a client 50% in vendor costs by creatively adapting their marketing info into an equally aggressive visual identity using 2 PMS colors instead of 4+ color printing.
• 90-100% savings: Reduced ZEXmedia turnaround time (by 90%), courier costs (by 100%), and physical supplies (by 90%) by training clients to use online editing and delivery methods.
• 50-75% savings: Provide clients 3 initial comps (conservative, intermediate, cutting edge) to determine design direction right from the start, ensuring benchmark dates are met on or before schedule cutting initial design time by 50-75%.
• Ease of Use: Created a calculating device that was later patented as an industry tool that aggregated a series of test data into easily understandable risk categories using visual queues.
• Click Reduction: Created web site designs that reduced the number of clicks to get to relevant user data.
• Ease of Use: Created technical diagrams and illustrations that allowed the reader more immediate data absorption upon quick viewing.
• Click Reduction: Created web site designs that reduced the number of clicks to get to relevant user data.
• Ease of Use: Created technical diagrams and illustrations that allowed the reader more immediate data absorption upon quick viewing.
• $90,000 savings: Saved $90,000 (300 illustrations, avg of $300 ea market price) by proposing, organizing, and managing in-house talent for illustration creation.
• 75% cost savings: Saved a client 75% printing costs by designing his corporate ID in one spot color instead of 4c process-also significantly reduced printing cost and time.
• 95% time savings: By standardizing procedures, documenting data, and re-imaging the production machines, reduced the down-time by 95%.
• 25% cost savings: Saved a number of clients 1/4 in printing costs by suggesting modification of cmyk to approximate a varnish look for their printed deliverables.
• 75% cost savings: Saves a number of clients 3/4 printing costs by delivering designs just as compelling in one color as in 4c process.

:: summary

• Pan-Media Design Specialist whose strengths reside in creating, communicating, and executing a coherent visual language across all media. I am always looking for the better, faster, cheaper solution to any problem, design, process, or administrative.
• Expertise in process re-engineering/auditing and cost/redundancy cutting
• Collaborate seamlessly with diverse teams
• Excellent troubleshooting, problem-solving, and out-of-the-box thinking
• Extensive 20 years experience from television to print to new media
• I have the design, teaming and human factors usability expertise to drive the user experience
• I have the usability and re-engineering expertise to look at all stages in the development process from planning to end-of-life to make business-case, user-centric development and delivery recommendations
• I have the logic and prototyping/wireframe expertise to develop all stages of user experience and the analytical skills to develop and test design assumptions based on collected user data and report out successes and failures in design mock-ups
• I have expertise in conducting user testing and developing precise user surveys in the appropriate venues to collect targeted, useful user data integrity for current and future product deliverables, and researching user trends as the user palette develops with technology
• I have extensive experience in garnering user feedback and evaluating the data to produce solid business cases
• I was nominated for and accepted into Leadership Excellence, a year-long class that was designed to develop an elite group of IBM employees to become the movers and shakers of IBMs future, regardless of band level. This series of classes dealt with the psychology of teams, how to define and understand diverse personality types. I learned how to develop cohesive teams while understanding individual motivators and demotivators and addressing individual issues while fostering clear and concise communication and project focus

:: cover

Admit it, technology is sexy.

As soon as I was able, I jumped on the tech wave and have been sailing ever since. I started out in Fine Art/Graphic Design and Photography and translated those skills as soon as I was able to the electronic platform. From there, I have become an expert in electronic/print media.

Then, BAM! The web hit with all of its infinite possibilities. I was enthralled. I have been learning all that I can about manipulating this amazing electronic media. I start out self-taught in most apps/markup and follow through with formal training. I have unlimited capacity for knowledge, and an insatiable appetite for application of the technology. I have worked with internal and external research teams to discern the viability and possibility of developing and existing apps and their future in the market. I have taught both design and technical skills as well as troubleshooting/de-bugging both internally and externally. My expertise is brainstorming, prototyping and story-boarding for real-life users.

I love my job. Being on the bleeding edge of something that is so immediately socially consumable is staggering. I am available to meet any challenge, to learn anything needed to enhance the product or process. If you don’t see exactly what you are looking for on my resumé, but think I could bring my current professional skills, enthusiasm and sense of humor to your company, give me a chance, and throw me in training for what you need. I have never shirked responsibility or opportunity, and I will prove faithful to my words.

Skills not listed on my resumé only mean that I haven’t had the opportunity to learn them yet, or I have abbreviated them out of this short resumé. There are a number of interactive apps/languages (VB, Flash, DHTML, Java, etc.) that I am learning for upcoming projects. I am excited about the opportunity to learn these and apply them according to HCI standards. I am also currently doing reading and looking into a certificate program in HCI.

I am a highly motivated, unconventional and intelligent individual with a wicked sense of humor. I have taught, presented proposals to roving bands of CEOs, traveled, pulled many all-nighters and weekends for the good of the project. I want to be able to use all of my skills and go above and beyond in support of a company whose mission is to produce/apply innovative technology.

I am responsible for dealing directly with both internal and external clients. I help assess their needs and work with my team to recommend the appropriate technology to deliver their vision. I design elements that meet their demographic and budgetary constraints while working closely with content advisors and developers/architects to provide the best most coherent and easily implementable project possible. I have a professional, easy manner, and always explain the ramifications of all the choices available to us for the project. My clients are always well informed about the status of the project and any new developments, if they will affect the bottom line. I never panic but just take the appropriate next steps to ensure project delivery and all that that implies.

I am professional, honest, blunt, diplomatic, witty, and most of all, motivated. The words ‘ego’ and ‘condescending’ are not a part of my vocabulary. I am a professional in everything I do. My clients and former employers have appreciated and valued these qualities in me, and I think you would, too.

If you offer me the opportunity, you will get my complete enthusiasm, attention and desire to give the absolute best I can offer.
-TMA