Consulting

I am a user experience design, process and strategy consultant. I have created successful and innovative user-centered digital technology for more than twenty years and for dozens of the world's biggest companies.

My approach is a highly hands-on, individualized combination of analysis, research, and design aimed at meeting organization goals. I have helped a number of organizations "redesign how they design" to create processes that produce more user-centered, agile, and innovative products and services.

I work directly with executives and design teams to help guide product strategy to meet specific performance targets.

I have significant expertise in the design of Web-based user experiences, and currently emphasize products and services that transcend a single mode of delivery (such as Web, phone or a single dedicated device) to include multiple delivery mechanisms.

As a consultant I bring:

• Experience. I have been built and designed user-centered website and device experiences since 1988, and have worked as a consulting designer since 1994. I have worked on established core products for Fortune 500 companies and have helped startups define the product strategy when they have none.
• Pragmatism. My approach is focused, hands-on, and grounded in specific targets and metrics and I have a track record of coming up with solutions that are both innovative and practical.
• Collaboration. The breadth of projects I have worked on has given me a wide range of skills for collaborating with all stakeholders in an organization. I can speak to business, engineering, design and marketing, and translate between them.
• Communication. As an author and public speaker, I can quickly comprehend a wide range of ideas from technology, business and design and make such ideas understandable by a wide variety of audiences.
• Entrepreneurial drive. As a repeat entrepreneur, I can quickly understand new business models, create new solutions, execute, and change course in response to changing conditions.
• Focus. I am experienced in prioritizing design and strategy decisions to continuously drive projects toward the highest value business activities.
• Innovation. I have been at the forefront of many waves of innovation throughout my career, being one of the first people involved in ecommerce, search engine design, user experience research and ubiquitous computing. I bring my enthusiasm for the leading edge to every project.
• An extensive social network. Years of consulting have given me an extensive network of high-level contacts across a variety of technology development disciplines, many of whom are available to assist with a variety of technological and design challenges.

Recent projects

• A major handset manufacturer (2009-2010). I worked closely with a Creative Director to develop tools for helping project managers, designers and engineers better prototype mobile user experiences.
• credit.com (2008-2010) I worked closely with the entire executive team during the financial crisis to refocus their product strategy, user experience and to adapt to rapidly changing market conditions. I oversaw the redesign of key parts of the site (including the homepage and key product pages), helped the company hire key positions, including the CTO and VP of Product, developed product strategy with the CEO and acted as a catalyst in the product development process. In 2009 credit.com won a number of product awards for its new products and was featured in hundreds of national news stories.
• An image search engine startup (2008-2009). Worked closely with the company founder throughout 2008 and 2009 to turn an initial business idea into an actionable, prioritized product strategy. Lead design efforts as primary interaction designer, creative director and lead search for visual designer.
• Intellectual property expert, advising several Fortune 50 companies who were in litigation around early Internet shopping and advertising technology.