Under Armour product customization engine

Put literally anything on a shoe*

The Under Armour Icon web app let users customize dozens of shoe parts, and add color, patterns, type, and even photos to shoe uppers. We had to understand the opportunities and limitations of WebGL and understand the manufacturing process so that our tools would produce reliable renderings and accurate outputs leading to satisfied customers. We also had to balance between mobile compatibility and supporting repeat expert usage on desktop – we wanted creators to use it as a platform and share designs. In my role as lead UX, I contributed research, design, creative direction, and product functional specification. I was the lead interface with the enormous client team and engineering contractor.
* Of course there was a blocked words list which included other sneaker brands

AOL Patch website and CMS

“Don’t fuck up the news”

Patch was a media brand and content platform offering local news in more than 800 communities nationwide. I was brought on to re-architect the user experience to embrace user content alongside original reporting from local editors in order to expand the number of towns we could serve. Think Facebook groups (but better designed) with elevated editorial content and local self-serve advertising… all while retaining respect for the well loved news content. I directly managed the 10 person product design team, oversaw creative for the 8 person marketing team, partnered closely with the Patch C-suite and met regularly with the CEO of AOL. I partnered with engineering and product to build the new platform and at the same time travelled nationally to explain the changes to over 1000 editorial staff and advertising salespeople on the ground. We also performed extensive ethnographic and UX research, built out visual design and brand voice style guides and managed agencies on side projects.

Verizon self-service and ecommerce

“Bell Atlantic”

I was an interaction design director on the 135 person team at R/GA that managed the web presence for the former Baby Bell, now grown into the nation’s largest wireless carrier. I managed and mentored 11 UX designers on the Verizon team in a role that mirrors that of a present day product manager – estimating project cost, planning roadmaps, and specifying features in addition to designing wireframes and building prototypes. I led key initiatives personally, including redesign of their main self service portal, the exceptionally complex ecommerce workflow, an integrated messaging and productivity platform, and a skunkworks vision project charting Verizon’s role in the future of consumer tech. We performed extensive user research across the country, including user testing, focus groups, ethnographic studies, card sorts, and quantitative surveys. I collaborated extensively with all levels of stakeholders to deliver information architectures and change management plans as their business became more digital.

Comcast strategy and ethnographic research

Listen, then help me

Cable companies are consistently the most reviled brands in the U.S., and Comcast was no exception, topping the charts at the time as literally THE most hated company in America. We took the opportunity of doing an extensive ethnographic research project around support (24 in-home interviews in 3 metro areas) to understand practical needs, but also how we might rehabilitate the brand from top to bottom via the digital channel. In classic HUGE fashion we delivered a punchy deck with personas, digital strategy, and our aspirational take on how to fundamentally shift the business.

Patch Perks mobile app

No more paper punch cards

Buy 10 bagels and get one free without the overstuffed wallet. The Patch Perks platform monitored credit card transactions in order to capture purchases at local businesses who were enrolled. The iOS/Android app let users sign up with businesses and notified them of progress on loyalty campaigns and other offers based on timing and location. The platform was designed to complement advertising and self service content creation by businesses on their town’s Patch local news website. I managed the interaction and visual designers and provided high level product management guidance and creative direction.

iHeartMedia self-service ad platform

“The radio craze … will soon fade.”

—Thomas Edison, 1922

Wrong then, and still wrong today. “Terrestrial” radio remains popular even as it transitions to streaming, and audio content and advertising are only growing. IHeartMedia needed to expand targeted radio advertising to a much wider field of smaller advertisers by reducing the overhead costs and pricing for radio ads. Our small team delivered a 0-1 design and spec for a self-service audio advertising platform that would offload content creation from small businesses, simplify market selection, track and verify campaign runs, and manage budgets based on results. It had a super simple wizard UI with limited, intuitive choices on each step and help easily in reach. We consulted with senior executives to develop the concept, tested on a full prototype, and delivered final design and specs.

HBO.com

Golden age

HBO.com was a next level web experience for a next level brand. One of the first websites to incorporate full frame video and provide content that extended the television experience into interactive. I was lead UX. My team had to dive into extensive content analysis to understand the scope of content and customer connection to HBO verticals. Fortunately this involved watching a lot of great TV, comedy, and sports, least among it the show Entourage, pictured below. We developed an information architecture with key exec stakeholders, collaborated with show-runners to brainstorm web content extensions, and performed usability testing. We delivered more than 500 pages of UX documentation and product specification, including a video player, full featured program guide, user authentication, and message boards – all designed from scratch.