An interaction design position with a company that needs to bridge the gap between requirements and what is actually built.

Microsoft's Unified Communications Group is responsible for server technologies (Exchange server, Office Communications Server, and Speech Server), devices (Office RoundTable video conferencing, Tanjay IM/VoIP desk phone, and others), and client applications (the Office Communicator and Live Meeting family of products).

My responsibilities in UCG include:

• Helping to define, develop and evangelize user centered design processes and methodologies for UCG
• Working across disciplines and groups to build consensus around product alignment
• Contributing to the vision and strategy for the Live Meeting product family
• Conducting user research
• Analyzing and synthesizing both qualitative and quantitative user data and communicating important themes and drivers through models and visualizations
• Generating innovative design solutions (concepts, sketches, and prototypes)
• Iteratively refine designs, incorporating stakeholder feedback, usability testing, and user research inputs
• Defining user experience guidelines, standards, and toolkits for next generation products
• Scheduling and managing user experience resources through the product life-cycle
• Mentoring junior designers on the team

The UCG group has given me the opportunity to work on intellectual property, interact with a broad spectrum of internal groups, work on both established and first-generation products, and follow product design through multiple versions. I have been able to build a broad knowledge of collaboration and communication behavioral patterns in enterprise organizations, and some deeper knowledge in the technical concerns and business drivers in this space. Probably the most exciting and rewarding part of my work here has been taking a product that had some show-stopping user experience flaws and helping to turn it around, making it noticeably (and measurably) easier to use.

The Hilton Corporation contracted me to design the UI for a new application that would handle reservations, property information, customer information, inventory, and more. The user base for this application is very broad, ranging from Hilton call center agents to outside travel agents. All of the Hilton's sales are to be handled through either this application, or their web site.

My responsibilities on this project could be summarized as end-to-end design. As the sole UI designer, my responsibilities spanned the research phase (user research and modeling, building domain expertise, and user requirements definition), design (interaction and workflow modeling, information architecture, framework or wireframe design, form and behavior specification), and development (collaborating on the final UI, utilizing the Dojo AJAX toolkit).

A particular challenge of this project was the diversity of the user base. The users ranged from call center trainees to experienced troubleshooting agents with very specific tasks. In the end, there were 8 personas (national and international), and 4 distinct interfaces.

As a UI Architect at Qwest my responsibilities largely focus on architecting voice interfaces (both DTMF and speech recognition) and developing a usable interface for the "EZRoute" application, which lets customers build their own IVR applications and record and use their own .vox audio files. In architecting the UI for EZRoute, the goal is to create an interface that is not only usable by non-technical users, but enjoyable to use. One of the main goals we have set with the application is to receive no training or technical calls, and so far we have succeeded.

I am also responsible for creating UI specs for custom IRV applications which communicate the design to both the developers and the customers. This involves everything from paper prototypes to fully functioning example applications. These documents and prototypes are used in regular meetings to maintain a consis- tent and uniform vision of the applications across the various groups and stake-holders involved.

My primary responsibility at Quark was designing the interaction and interface of a new product. My process is primarily the Cooper method (user-centered, goal-directed design), but Quark follows an agile model, so some of the details of the method have been modified slightly. I still worked with the same steps in the process; research, modeling, requirements definition, framework definition, design, and development support. One of the interesting elements of that design project is that the identified userbase started out as being about 350 million people, and the process of researching and modeling users has focused the perception of the user considerably.

Through in-depth user interviews, ethnography, and other research techniques I have been able to identify behavioral trends across user groups and roles, and create personas and context scenarios. This information has been used by product management as well as marketing and upper management to understand the user. This information has also been used to validate the design, and to focus user selection for formative usability testing.

I was also helping to develop a usability testing process at Quark. I was very involved in the design and implementation of a mobile test lab, and the adoption of usability test practices.

I was responsible for planning, designing the user experience, and building the interface for a web-based retail management product set. Using ethnographic research and contextual inquiry to research the user, I would model the user through personas and scenarios that will help keep us aware of our users goals and needs. This understanding helped in molding a design for the interaction and interface that achieves our goals and needs.

I then documented the interaction and system behavior in an Interaction Design specification. Depending on the project, I would also build a screen for screen "happy-path" clickable demo. I worked with the development and QA teams to keep the interface on track and enforce the established guidelines. In this documentation and the development of a UI prototype I also maintained whatever usability or accessibility standards are required to satisfy the business requirements. The prototype is a great way to establish guidelines for interface coding, doing usability testing and controlling a client approval process.

I was responsible for all UIs for all of our products, which have collectively hundreds of thousands of users. Their customers include Lowe's, Best Buy, Albertsons, Sears, Borders, Menards and more.

My primary responsibilities included planning, designing and building the user interface for web-based applications. In early stages I worked with the product managers to develop an interaction model based on user data. I communicated UI guidelines (including usability, graphic design, interaction model, workflow, accessibility, and implementation) through direct involvement with development teams and the creation of prototypes and standards documentation. I would often develop the interface using HTML, CSS, XSL, and JavaScript, either in reusable templates or by directly writing the code. I was considered the "owner" of interface standards and guidelines and was responsible for their maintenance.

I was also responsible for usability testing, design auditing and analysis of existing user interfaces. I used Flash and DHTML to develop presentations and "brochure-ware" websites, and edit digital video and audio from recorded usability tests and create DVDs for analysis and presentation.

I designed multimedia presentations and web sites including video, Flash, Shockwave, DHTML and JavaScript elements, and managed and produced content. I created and maintained wireframes, styleguides and site asset inventories.

I helped to define and draft 'Statements of Work' and technical specifications for client and internal projects, as well as assisting in creative direction and artistic leadership within a client and internal environment. I helped develop the internal development process used in our department, defining and creating templates for numerous deliverables and defining tasks and responsibilities for different parts of our development cycle.

In my 2 years with Qwest Solutions I was selected out of thousands of Qwest employees for special recognition 3 times.

As Head Designer for this ISP, I created all Web and Print design for clients, and maintained all continuing accounts, per client request. My duties as Personnel Manager included resolving employee issues, specifying company-wide job descriptions, and developing systems and methods to increase the efficiency, comfort and productivity of my co-workers. KDi gave me the opportunity to write bid proposals and contracts, and develop marketing schemes, as well as contribute to their corporate identity.

Flaming Head Media developed corporate image and branding through digital and print assets in Austin during the city's dot-com peak. I was responsible for the majority of technical development and a portion of the design and art direction. Other responsibilities included account/project managment, client bidding and correspondence and finance accounting.