Resume

"I work hard to ensure that your product is one your customers LOVE to use!"

Overview

With over ten years of experience mastering sophisticated techniques and technologies to improve web-user experience, I specialize in consulting on projects that involve application development—designing radiant user interfaces, performing in-depth heuristics analysis, interviewing users, and optimizing workflow—to make a product customers love to use.

I also have expertise in conceiving and implementing Internet solutions that elevate brand image, generate revenues, and provide the basis for cost-effective Internet marketing and expansion.

I am an expert in capitalizing on the advantages of web and other media technologies, creating usable and saleable products, steering projects at micro and macro levels, and delivering to specification, on time and on budget.

Intelligence Agency

Human Factors Engineer/User Experience Expert, May 2008 – Present

I am responsible for designing the User Interface for this intelligence agency’s case management system. I have conducted user interviews, activity analysis, and ethnographic observations to build the right system for over 50,000 users around the world. Other responsibilities include planning, designing, creating, and communicating the visual design for the user interface as part of the development lifecycle.

The program is part of a Services Oriented Enterprise system that has many different user facing components that are presented via a Web Application, Web Portal, and COTS product.

Key Results:

  • I led an effort to revolutionize and streamline a new frontend based on feedback I received from activity analysis and user feedback. After identifying the needs of the users, I proposed a new interface utilizing EXT-JS and AJAX technology to greatly improve the user experience and the reputation of the program. After helping convince major stakeholders understand the need of this new direction, my team and I successfully implemented my “vision” of the future
  • My design was so impressive; the agency mandated it become a model for all current and future agency web projects.
  • After this key success, I now lead a team of 6 Human Factors Engineers at all experience levels identify the needs of the users and create a UI worthy of the FBI.

Technologies:

javascript, extjs, xhtml/css, protyping, wireframing, eclipse, spring mvc, java, jsp, tomcat, ibm websphere

SolarSwift

Web Consultant, January 2001 – Present

Work as a consultant for many high profile clients including: famous musicians who have been nominated Grammy Awards, several Fortune 500 corporations, and Government agencies that require the upmost sensitivity.

I specialize in building software that customers love to use—utilizing Human Factors Engineering, heuristics analysis, prototyping, and usability testing. I have also designed state of the art User Interfaces for several high profile development projects in the DC Metro Area.

Besides UI development, I also design Internet Marketing campaigns for several companies to help maximize their growth strategically through Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising, Copywriting, Web Design, managing online advertising campaigns, managing affiliates, researching profitable keywords, and monetizing a company’s greatest marketing tool: their website. Over the past 10 years, I have built a portfolio of over 80 web projects.

Key Results:

  • Successfully implemented heuristics analysis, usability analysis, and UI design for four multi-million dollar web development projects. All have resulted in products that are highly accepted by their user base and some have even been used as a model for other projects I wasn’t involved in.
  • Involved in the web development and design of over 80 thriving small businesses across the country.

Department of Defense

Human Factors Engineer, September 2007 – May 2008 (9 months)

When WHS contacted me to help make their Staff Action Control and Coordination Portal (SACCP) more user friendly, their application was at the brink of extinction. Years of growth and the merging of almost 20 legacy systems—mainly caused by the DoD consolidating contracts to cut costs—had made this application incredibly slow and unusable. I worked with the users and developers to design a new system that would become a building block for all official department activities. As their Lead Designer, I built a user interface designed around the needs of over 20,000 users—putting into practice the latest Web 2.0 technologies that made this application a favorite tool by many stakeholders.

Key Results:

  • Momentum began to climb after my design had reached the offices of other departments divisions throughout the Pentagon—causing our scope and funding to grow almost 400% in just a few months.
  • By utilizing JavaScript frameworks such as Google Web Toolkit (GWT) and jQuery, my team and I created a frontend that increased performance and usability—a big accomplishment for a system with a reputation of being slow and difficult to use.

Technologies:

javascript, Google Web Toolkit (GWT), xhtml/css, eclipse, java, jsp, Postgres, tomcat

Secretary of Defense

Human Factors Engineer, May 2005 – September 2007 (1 year 5 months)

When WHS contacted me to help make their Staff Action Control and Coordination Portal (SACCP) more user friendly, their application was at the brink of extinction. Years of growth and the merging of almost 20 legacy systems—mainly caused by the DoD consolidating contracts to cut costs—had made this application incredibly slow and unusable. I worked with the users and developers to design a new system that would become a building block for all official department activities. As their Lead Designer, I built a user interface designed around the needs of over 20,000 users—putting into practice the latest Web 2.0 technologies that made this application a favorite tool by many stakeholders.

Key Results:

  • Momentum began to climb after my design had reached the offices of other departments divisions throughout the Pentagon—causing our scope and funding to grow almost 400% in just a few months.
  • By utilizing JavaScript frameworks such as Google Web Toolkit (GWT) and jQuery, my team and I created a frontend that increased performance and usability—a big accomplishment for a system with a reputation of being slow and difficult to use.

Technologies:

javascript, Google Web Toolkit (GWT), xhtml/css, eclipse, java, jsp, Postgres, tomcat

Army National Guard (Consultant)

Web Consultant, May 2004 – March 2005 (11 months)

1800GoGuard.com and Virtual Armory were projects that focused the recruiting and retention of National Guard servicemen across the world. I worked with a small team of developers and led design on a major revamp of both websites. Human Factors was important because the websites were heavily promoted in magazines, television, radio, and Pay Per Click advertising. A bad user experience could equal hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost advertising costs. Research and focus groups were essential to keeping our advertising costs low and increasing the effectiveness of our customer’s website. I also led design on three major applications, including a tool for applying for financial aid, a storefront that received orders for merchandise and giveaway items, and a Content Management System that allowed soldiers to manage content for their units.

Key Results:

  • I was responsible for developing lead generating applications and marketing concepts and optimizing both websites for SEO. Traffic increased over 40%, saving the Government hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising costs.

Technologies:

xhtml/css, ASP.NET, Microsoft SQL Server

US Navy

Web Consultant, June 2003 – May 2004 ( 11 months)

Working in the laboratory of this Navy aircraft, I was responsible for building and maintaining a flexible Intranet. Utilizing my web design, user experience, and workflow analysis background, I recognized that the project needed a place to share and store knowledge in one central location. I built a portal by designing a SCORM compliant backend that featured all of the lessons learned, how to tasks, and frequently encountered problems and housed them in one central repository. I was responsible for heavy requirements gathering, analytics and making recommendations to benefit their process and core business.

Pixel Palette

Web Designer, January 1999 – January 2003 (4 years 1 month)

From 1999 to 2003, I worked for this web design studio in Lemoore, CA. It was there I began designing websites, assisting in the generation of proposals, web design demonstrations, and storyboarding. I researched and prototyped new web technologies and techniques to realize benefits of the latest innovations, achieved increased efficiency, and provided highest quality products. I optimized graphic elements to minimize download time. I tied databases to Web sites to provide personalized experience for visitors. Determined and translated customer expectations into precise specifications for development team in order to clarify project deliverables, define schedule, and assign tasks. I constructed a reliable, secure e-commerce site resulting in 25% sales increase. I built prototypes for customer proposals demonstrating improvements to existing sites. Validated design approach by tracking user interactions with sites before and after makeover.

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