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How I got started.

I came from a Computer Science background, having studied at Hampton University before being offered the unique opportunity to work directly for the CEO of an information technology startup, Zel Technologies. Within six months, I became their first Director of Communications, establishing their first Corporate Communications Office and successfully crafting the look and feel for their public web site, corporate intranet, and other online properties. It was at Zel Technologies my fascination for building digital products that people can actually use was cultivated and where I refined my understanding on the value of user centered design.

Prior to being at Zel Technologies, I was a Hybrid Web Designer/Developer at the Altria Group, mostly working on intranet sites gearing towards managing their company data. I worked with a team of five consisting of programmers, technical analysts and graphic designers.

Design for education.

After several years of working for technology companies, I joined the creative design team at the NYC Department of Education as a graphic designer. While at the Department of Education, I worked with a team of several designers and developers on web sites, portals, and applications for users that included administrative staff, management, school principals, teachers, parents, and the Chancellor of NYC Public Schools. Over the course of six years, I became a Senior UI/UX Designer and pioneered the development of the first organization-wide user-interface pattern library.

Learn and design for the customer.

Currently I collaborate with product teams and clients on building web applications, mobile apps, and customer service experiences. We work together to create solutions by performing exercises using methods of ideation, product/market research and analysis, which include creating feature backlogs, personas, wireframes, mockups, and prototypes.

I also collaborate with executives, clients and stakeholders on design projects, reports and articles. Duties include authoring a range of research studies to identify trends, insights, strategies, interviewing customers, stakeholders and users to generate reports and educational content.

Let's talk about product.

My passion for design has provided me with a framework that's invaluable for how I work with others to create digital products. In the spirit of learning about current and emerging trends, I work with other product designers and managers to organize product design meetups designed for anyone willing to share their knowledge and experiences. The events include presentations and discussions about topics that include product development, product thinking, iterative design strategies, prototyping and emerging technology.

Presentations and Talks

Slideshow presentations are incredibly effective learning tools. They have been one of the cornerstones of my career development; and I would encourage anyone who wants to become a better designer to do the work and create presentations designed to share learnings with others. After all, the fastest way to learn about something is to be part of the teaching process.