Projects
Projects
Projects aren't just discrete accomplishments from your workday. They're a watercolor painting you poured your heart into, a passion piece you got published, a patent you worked your ass off for, or a killer soufflé. Some of these are demonstrated below.
work
Given the nature of some of my clients and projects, I need to protect the details. Interested? Don't hesitate to reach out.
edX
Tank Design
C Space
Verizon Wireless
ACHIEVEMENTS
Patent
I was on a team that invented something cool.
The primary goal of the UX team at Verizon Wireless was to decrease the customer call in rate. Every issue we can encourage a user to self-solve results in bottom line savings.
With that goal in mind, we thought hard about the user interface that connects users to potential solutions. It needed to be intuitive and self explanatory, as well as approachable and friendly.
Through brainstorming we landed on a few different designs, which we tested with users and evolved to meet needs.
We landed on a design that takes a fill in the blank approach, or 'Mad Lib' style. For more information on the project behind the patent, check out my Verizon Work here.
Our manager encouraged us to file for a patent in late Fall of 2012. The patent creation and filing process was quite arduous, but certainly interesting and, eventually, rewarding. We were approved in December 2012 for our patent: "Providing customized information for mobile devices and efficiently searching the same (US 20140188932 A1)"
Publications
September 27, 2018
Published by Forbes
A spotlight on a navigation research effort that I spearheaded with a colleague to prove that ambiguous navigation labels are dangerous.
August 24, 2015
Published by UX Matters
Partners by Design: Why UX Design Benefits from Ongoing Customer Collaboration
Sometimes customer input is an afterthought. Sometimes it's not a thought at all. Ideally, it's part of the process.
November 13, 2018
Published by iTunes
EP048: Navigating, Motivating, and Integrating!
Hear how we proved Navigation Paralysis through this feature on Experience This! podcast, which focuses on highlighting inspiring stories of customer experience by industry experts.
May 10, 2016
Published by Delight (Connective DX)
Don’t stop to shop: the promises and pitfalls of grocery technology
Self service, home delivery, scanners... do they make things better or just aggravate the shopper?
Note: This blog has since been removed :(
October 15, 2014
Published by Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange (MITX)
So, What Exactly Do You Do For a Living?
I got tired of explaining to my friends and family what "User Experience Design" was so I wrote an article about the struggle.
Awards
Client Dedication Award - February 2015
I am proud to have been nominated and received the award for Client Dedication as part of the Product team at C Space. This awards ceremony is a yearly opportunity where folks around the organization nominate their coworkers that demonstrate company values (7 in total).
I was the only person on the Product & Technology team to earn the Client Dedication Award, which is significant because as part of Product, we are often removed from client work. This win was an indication to myself and the rest of the company that the we were starting to successfully bridge the gap between our tech team, our internal client team, and our external clients.
Content Innovation Award - June 2013
In working with tons of different manufacturers, the Verizon Wireless UX team started to soon realize that we needed on repository that was a resource for all vendors to pull from.
In reviewing help applications, we'd repeatedly see cases where Samsumg had a completely different way definition and description than Motorola for app shortcuts on the Home screen. Also, some companies whose engineers were not native english speakers were suffering from confusing wording, which is that last thing you want when you're trying to better understand a feature of your phone.
I headed up the initiative to create one place where we could store all required help terms and their definitions in an online glossary. When we reviewed requirements with our OEM's, we could point to this resource and make sure everyone was aligned. In the end, it was less work for manufacturers to re-create the wheel, and we were happy that consistency was winning over.
OTHER PROJECTS
Boston River Run
The Andrew Graham Semper Fi Fund is a nonprofit 501(C)(3) public charitable organization founded to honor the life of Corporal Andrew Graham Narcus, a U.S. Marine from Sudbury, Massachusetts. The organization's mission is to endow scholarships at Massachusetts community colleges. The Boston River Run is an annual 5k walk/run where all proceeds go to the AGSF fund.
I was honored to help design the original logos for the foundation and 5K event.
Without a Hitch
Without A Hitch is an award-winning day-of event coordination service
for the hands-on bride, groom, or celebrant.
As a small business starting out in 2013, I helped them create their brand and online presence, including: logo, color palette, business card design, information architecture, and website creation using Weebly.