As the product designer at Silk, I lead on user-flow concepts, feature design, education, prototyping, user testing and the communication of implementation requirements to our team of developers.
Silk is a unique product, which calls for unique solutions to user friction and adoption problems. The Silk data model itself is unfamiliar territory to the general public and therefore requires a greater amount of onboarding education matched with intuitive user interface design in order to convert and retain.
My focus is on orienting the user within the product. I use traditional UI patterns where they function, and timely education where they do not.
In the time that I have worked at Silk the number of users that meet content-creation and conversion goals has climbed steadily. Retention and third-party adoption rates have followed suit. The average Silk user is now more productive and we see more of them convert from passive users to “Power Users” each day.
At Spotzer I was originally hired in a simple web designer position.
On my own initiative, I increased my team’s productivity threefold in the first three months, by creating a custom tool that acted as a simplified interface to an outdated, sluggish CMS.
I was then sent on a short-term assignment to Denver, Colorado to open an international office, and manage a small group of junior designers. I was tasked with educating, mentoring, and increasing efficiency during this process.
When I returned to Amsterdam, I was given another team of local designers to train and manage. During this time, I authored a training manual for new hires, and built several additional tools to speed up our production process.
Web design, front-end development, CSS, HTML, graphic design, and user interaction. User flow and information architecture.
I ran a Victoria-based web development and graphic design freelance business. I specialized in small to medium businesses, and provided a complete package from concept to implementation. My dual understanding of creative design and functional development allowed me to utilize the newest web technologies, while still managing expectations and costs.
Web site design and implementation, through consultation and with accessibility and W3C compliance as top priorities.
Pamphlet and poster graphic design, with a completed design winning the 2009 STLHE Pat Rogers Poster Award.
The MA in Creative Design for Digital Cultures offers specialized programs of study in the fields of Music and Sound Design, Games and Interaction Design and Film, Animation and Media Design.
It focuses on searching for and designing creative applications for the various media and the solutions they can provide.
The program offers a solid grounding in art and critical media theory while providing the space and freedom to become leading media artists.
Students have developed the skills necessary to become proficient and critical creators of digital art; including tangible interfaces, robotic and object-driven experiences, mobile media, interactive storytelling and virtual worlds.