Approach
Research First. Always.
Psychological research, human factors, and usability engineering were the pillars I built my UX career on. I have since planned and conducted usability tests, expert reviews, heuristic evaluations, card sorts and UI standards inspections for many top global firms.
In the second half of my career I added competitive research, stakeholder interviews, personas, storyboards, story mapping and design thinking to the mix of preferred research and discovery methods.
In my experience, skipping the Research & Discovery phase—or doing it as an afterthought—will often lead to more rework and lower-quality products and services.
Background
- Psychology, human factors, usability engineering
- Information architecture, UX design, interaction design, product & service design
- User research — usability testing, card sorting, interviews, surveys, competitive analyses
- Clients: Avaya, Bloomberg, Bloomsbury Publishing, CA Technologies, Fidelity Investments, GE, IBM, Macmillan, Santander Bank, Sentara Health, U.S. Deptartment of Commerce, Volvo
- Agency experience: Havas, Ogilvy, R/GA, The Barbarian Group
How I Work
Three Principles
Research & Discovery
Psychological research, human factors, and usability engineering are the foundation. I plan and conduct usability tests, expert reviews, heuristic evaluations, card sorts, stakeholder interviews, personas, storyboards, and story mapping—because skipping this phase leads to more rework and lower-quality products.
Collaborative Design
Rather than leapfrogging straight into design, I engage team members, stakeholders, and users in collaborative brainstorming and design thinking sessions—using whiteboards and paper sketches as a starting point. In some cases I test early concepts with users before creating any detailed specifications. This leads to better results with fewer rounds of revisions.
On-Time Execution
Focusing on research, discovery, and collaborative design in the early stages makes it easier to deliver robust user flows, wireframes and prototypes on time—or even ahead of time. My experience with planning, oversight, and project management helps identify red flags early before they strain the team or jeopardize delivery.
Let's work together
I'm currently accepting new consulting engagements. If you're working on a complex product challenge, I'd like to hear about it.