Krys Blackwood's Resume

I know it's fun to cut and paste stuff. So here's a texty version. But I also have a lovely version of my resume.

Goal

I am seeking a lead or senior user experience position in a company that understands why happy and loyal customers are the key to profit, growth and sustainability. With a strong technical background, broad spectrum of expertise and knowledge of industry standards, I can save design cycles and development time in a team of any size. At this time I am only seeking permanent employee status.

Experience

July 2010 - Present
Caring.com
Director of User Experience

  • Owner of the brand, creative director and producer of all collateral.
  • Hired and managed User Experience department while also acting as an individual contributor
  • Responsible for the complete user experience, from product strategy through release QA.
  • Metrics-driven product management and UI design for user-facing features, including living styleguide, search results, product pages, account pages and mobile app with measurable success.
  • Qualitative and quantitative user research with three different target audiences: internal, partner and consumer.

April 2009 - July 2010
Tiny Prints
Senior User Experience Designer

  • Co-owner of the user experience, with the VP of Marketing.
  • Qualitative research of existing features and customer requirement gathering for new features.
  • Designed successful Address Book and Greeting Card projects, and designed major product page improvements.
  • Created company's first styleguide document.
  • Worked with creative team and engineering team closely to make the best of a waterfall process.
  • Managed contract designers.
April 2007 - April 2009

Principal Interaction Designer
  • Owned all aspects of online user experience for a complex, web-based application.
  • Redesigned app from four different UI’s to one single, consistent look and feel.
  • Performed customer requirement gathering, usability research and feature validation for all new products, saving development time and improving usability scores.
  • Worked within product team to manage design contractors and collaborate with marketing, engineering and executives on major projects.
  • Simplified every feature in the application, applying progressive disclosure principles to enhance learnability.
  • Applied proper information architecture while redesigning major screens of the app, resulting in increased revenues and user activity.
May 2006 - April 2007

User Interface Designer
  • Benchmarked the original UI of a desktop application using usability testing, heuristic evaluation, and baseline review.
  • Built long-term strategy for user interface, emphasizing smooth transitions for the user and manageable development segments.
  • Successfully brought product to beta and initial public release in cooperation with development team, marketing and executives.
  • Provided numerous complete redesigns of the desktop application look and feel, toward three different goals.
  • Remained agile through company direction changes, modifying goals and work plans as needed.
Sept 2002 - May 2006

User Interface Designer (contract position)
  • Completed initial task - hi-fi prototype of a new ordering tool - in 2 weeks. Estimated time had been 3 months.
  • Created and socialized unified ordering and tracking user interface to replace current function-based tools. Project was adopted.
  • Created complete set of mockups and user interface design specifications for new ordering system, based on user research and iterative testing.
  • Performed baseline usability testing and evaluation on current systems and used the results to refine the new system design.
  • Identified best practices and metrics to be applied to entire organization, resulting in greater awareness of customer needs and feedback.
May 2002 - Sept 2002
Avere, Inc.
User Interface Design Director (contract position)
  • Created user interface for enterprise-level application suite using XHTML, XSL, XML and JSP
  • Built Java servlets to support user interface
  • Hand-coded HTML and JSP prototypes to specify graphical look and feel of application and address all business requirements
  • Created corporate image collateral (postcards, mailers, etc.)
  • Created styleguide and workflow specifications to ensure pleasant and efficient user experience
Jun 1996 - Dec 2005
Swankster (freelance)
President
  • Formed company as contract/freelance effort in 1996
  • Design and hand-code web-based application prototypes for clients including: QuickStrike, Society SM, RealHouseMusic.com, XAT, Inc., and Prochnow, LLP.
  • Provide usability testing and support to clients including: QuickStrike, Avere, Inc. and XAT
  • XML/XSL hand-coding and graphic design for clients including: Avere, Inc.
  • Provide logo, branding and corporate identity design for clients including: NevadaQuest, Spider Internet, QMN Consulting, MuyCool Communications and Wildlife Rescue Foundation
  • Design and develop static and dynamic HTML/Flash websites for clients including: XAT, Inc., Great Basin Internet, Magic 95.5 FM, The Hawk FM, QMN Consulting, Mayor Sandy Eakins and Quadravision
Mar 2000 - Mar 2002
Andale, Inc.
User Interface Manager
  • Designed entire look and feel of complex web-based application, and built HTML prototypes to support concepts and new development
  • Ran usability testing and heuristic evaluations on a regular basis with actual users, and implemented findings
  • Used original look and feel of web-based application to create first styleguide to improve consistency across site, resulting in increased usability
  • Redesigned site to incorporate new corp image and more efficient user interface, decreasing the time required for a new user to learn the application
  • Created User Interface and usability processes, increasing production efficiency and customer satisfaction
  • Managed several UI designers and web developers through daily production of mockups
  • Personally designed two separate desktop-based Visual Basic applications for the company
  • Responsible for HTML, JavaScript and JSP implementation of UI
Aug 1999 - Mar 2000
Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
Senior Web Developer
  • Hand-coded JavaScript, CGI, dHTML, XML to support e-commerce efforts
  • Managed a cross-functional team of designers and developers through daily production and project delivery
  • Built secure extranet for use by major clients, including Solaris, Apache, and LDAP implementation and administration and project management
  • Spearheaded intranet consistency and usability effort, resulting in unified look/feel and access to corporate intranet
  • Lead developer and project manager for XML integration effort and Plumtree/SAP integrations
  • Spearheaded usability effort for all e-business efforts, including corporate site, intranet and extranet sites. Performed all usability testing and coordinated with third party usability vendors.
Mar 1999 - Aug 1999
HardwareStreet.com
Senior Web Designer
  • Daily hand-coding of HTML: maintenance and publication of web pages for busy e-commerce site
  • Performed internal usability testing and used results to create user convenience features for intranet use
  • Performed external usability testing and redesigned website to incorporate customer feedback and usability testing results
  • Managed several junior employees and created processes to increase their productivity by 20%
  • Provided desktop support technician and NT systems administration
Oct 1996 - Mar 1999
Great Basin Internet/Spider Internet
Head of Web Design
  • Formed company as Great Basin's web design department.
  • Responsible for all usability testing and implementation of results.
  • Trained and managed two web design employees and one intern.
  • Managed all aspects of web site creation from customer interface to graphic design and high-level programming, including front and back-end development of web apps.
Jun 1996 - Oct 1996
All Computers, Inc.
Hardware Tech
  • Specialized in Internet hardware and applications, as well as LAN and WAN setup and administration.
  • Provided DOS and MS Windows Technical support over the phone and in office.
  • Repaired and supported personal computer systems with various hardware and software configurations.
  • Built custom computer systems for home and corporate users.
Jan 1995 - June 1996
IBM
CE/Field Technician
IBM's Technology Services Solutions was a partnership with Kodak to provide on-site hardware troubleshooting and repair.
  • I was the youngest field technician ever employed by IBM.
  • Provided hardware service and repair for Packard Bell, Acer, Gateway, Compaq, and IBM AS400 and POS equipment.