EXPERIENCE:
Infospace Inc, Product Design Lead, 6/09 – present
- Redesigned Dogpile.com search result page templates to better generate revenue from existing traffic.
- Designed many user flows for Haggle.com. Redesigned auction attributes to allow customization for more interesting auctions, and to control abuse on the site by allowing more individuals to win auctions by shielding them from power-users. I also photographed / retouched all product photos in-house, saving Infospace tens of thousands of dollars.
- Reverse engineered a business model around a company-owned URL (santamail.com). Acted as design lead while turning the site into an affiliate revenue venture for the Holiday Season.
- Conducted usability studies for multiple projects. In addition to designing the prototypes, I also recruited candidates, screened candidates using an online questionnaire, authored the test script, moderated the sessions, and advised design changes based on user feedback.
- Acting as UX Product Lead on new business start-up initiatives.
Microsoft Zune & Windows Mobile, Senior UX Designer, 11/08 – 6/09
- Took the lead design role on many ZuneHD projects, including the on-screen keyboard and the Web browser experiences.
- Designed wireframes and art directed entire ZuneHD TV-output interface.
- Attended many usability test sessions for hand-held touchscreen devices, and adjusted my UI designs based on user feedback.
- Provided extensive UX documentation and guidance the the new Windows Phone. Including video and camera capture, and photo album viewing / sharing / management.
Ramp Technology Group, Senior UX Designer, 2/06 – 10/08
- Co-authored and moderated usability testing for PEMCO's new online auto quote tool.
- Retooled the UI for the Microsoft Career Models section of HRWeb.
- Delivered heuristic evaluation, user interaction maps, personas, and hundreds of wireframes, while merging three web domains into a cohesively designed architecture for groundspeak.com.
- Served as a vendor within the Microsoft HRIT division to develop a company-wide application for tracking and managing the goals upon which employees are assessed throughout the year.
- Adhered to Microsoft Live Human Interface Guidelines while developing appropriate design solutions for internal applications.
- Designed the entire framework for HR’s “MyMicrosoft” site in only three days.
- Assisted with the preparation of working prototypes created for usability testing.
- Worked directly with start-up executives to redesign the homepage and subsequent landing pages of triphub.com.
Blue Nile, Graphic Designer, 10/01 – 2/06
- Designed and maintained hundreds of pages for an industry-leading e-commerce website.
- Eliminated Blue Nile’s need to hire an outside advertising agency by collaborating with an in-house creative team to deliver agency-caliber work for all of Blue Nile’s advertising efforts.
- Made improvements to the navigation and user interface of the Blue Nile website by studying the reactions of participants during late-night usability sessions.
- Was solo stylist/art director during digital photo shoots at an off-site studio.
- Reduced Blue Nile’s expenditure on costly photography studio hours by utilizing my advanced PhotoShop skills back at the office.
- Documented internal photo-editing processes and managed freelance graphic designers as they color corrected and produced many of the 200,000-plus images featured on the site.
- Brainstormed with internal PR personnel to develop creative ways to increase Blue Nile’s visibility through media outlets like “The Today Show” and “Forbes" magazine.
- Coordinated with a developer to devise a web application that generated thousands of product images per hour by using PhotoShop action scripts. Previously, the same amount of work would have taken an individual several days or weeks to complete.
Kittell Creative, Sole Proprietor, 08/00 – present
- Developed logo identities for clients of Roger Los Design.
- Worked with PR firm MWW/Savitt on website features and T-shirt artwork for a teen-targeted anti-tobacco campaign called Outrage Avenue.
- At Kendall Ross Design, simultaneously designed a billboard for the Tacoma Art Museum and redesigned a website for the consultant firm Milliman Global.
- Met the creative needs of many other clients, including Corbis, James Clark Design Images, Worker Bees, Inc., NeoMetal, Inc., and Rocket Dog Communications.
Free Range Media / Luminant Worldwide, Graphic Designer, 02/99 – 11/00
- Designed and produced interactive and print media for Fortune 500 companies, including Unionbay, Kenworth Trucks, Key Bank, Galderma, and Boise Cascade.
- Worked with an acclaimed editor of the “Best of Seattle” book series to create a guide about Pioneer Square for visiting clients and employees.
- Worked closely with web developers to most efficiently build out my site designs.
- Developed elaborate packages to house RFPs to generate new business from prospective clients.
Hansen Design Company, Graphic Designer, 06/98 – 02/99
- Designed and produced print media, and created corporate identities.
- Managed all web production within a predominantly print-driven design studio.
Cyclone Graphic Design, Design Intern, 06/97 – 09/97
- Learned how to think outside the box while working closely with some of the most celebrated graphic designers in Seattle.
- Worked on posters and postcards for Intiman Theatre’s 1997 summer/fall season.
EDUCATION:
School of Visual Concepts, 1999 – 2003
- Attended advertising art direction classes for three years.
- Gave back to the school by instructing Intermediate PhotoShop.
Western Washington University, BA in Graphic Design, 1998
AWARDS:
- 2001 CMYK Magazine #16 / Published advertising campaign for Lipton Soup
- 2007 Seattle Show / Merit award for Super Jock n Jill campaigns
- 2000 Seattle Show / Merit awards for UW Travel Wellness Clinic and Lipton Soup campaigns
- 1998 AIGA Northwest Regional Design Awards / Student award for poster to generate support for land mine removal
MEMBERSHIPS:
AIGA, Seattle Board Member, 1996-2000
- Organized typographic lecture featuring Plazm, a Portland-based digital font house, and Jim Rimmer, a Vancouver, B.C.-based traditional type designer.
- Served on a committee of three to organize the annual Design-O-Rama trade show that attracted over 800 participants from the local graphic arts community.
SOFTWARE EXPERIENCE:
Macintosh OS, Windows OS, Freehand, Illustrator, PhotoShop, InDesign, ImageReady, Fireworks, Flash, QuarkXPress, HTML, ASP, After Effects and the Microsoft Office Suite.
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