User Experience Designer

Contact : 07712 809674
Email: kennedy_julie78@hotmail.com
Downloadable word doc cv

PROFILE: I am a creative and quality driven User Experience Designer able to deliver the best possible user interface, design solutions and online brand experience within budget requirements and deadlines. I have extensive ecommerce, UE and Design team management experience gained from working with top brands at Yell, Amazon, 3 and Vodafone.
Currently I am the online Design Manager at vodafone.co.uk
Previous roles include -
Hutchison 3G creating effective design solutions and an engaging user experience across 3’s multi channels covering 3’s mobile portal Planet 3, mobile broadband interface and website three.co.uk
Seven years at Amazon creating a world class online shopping experience leading the European user experience and design for amazon.uk  amazon.de and amazon.fr

KEY SKILLS: 
- Use design resources and budgets to effectively deliver the best possible design solutions across multiple platforms
- Develop and own web and mobile interface design
- Design the UI architecture, interface and interaction flow of web applications
- Communicate brand value across web, mobile and IM campaigns
- Ensure design quality and consistency across web and mobile sites
- Work closely with international designers and IA’s on global design solutions for best possible customer experience
- Collaborate with programming, marketing and product management teams to improve existing and launch new features
- Create low and high fidelity prototypes in the form of wireframes and paper prototypes for user testing and demonstrating new products and designs
- Co-ordinate and run usability test sessions and workshops
- Incorporate user testing, research and site analytics into prototype designs
- Provide R&D for future products and applications
- Design, manage, maintain and implement UE guidelines and style guides
- Communicate the value of a user centered design process and iterative cycle
- Manage multidisciplinary online teams
- Hands on designer
- Select, work with and brief external design agencies and manage outsourced design work
- UX strategy setting
- Balance innovative design objectives with business goals and user needs.

Technical Skills:
Fluent in Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Visio and Microsoft office.
General knowledge of Flash, HTML, CSS, current web and mobile technology, browser testing, accessibility and SEO.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY:

Current Employment
June 2009 - current
Vodafone.co.uk – Online Design Manager
Vodafone House The Connection,
Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2FN
Reporting to Head of Production
Role
- Develop the consistency of design and improve the UE across Vodafone.co.uk
- Manage design projects via design agencies.
- Use site metrics, web labs, user testing and focus groups to influence design decisions.
- Ensure best web design practices, accessibility and brand usage is implemented across sites.
- Collaborate with Global brand team and other opco’s on implementing a new site architecture.
I am currently launching a new homepage leading to a major site redesign on Vodafone.co.uk.

Previous Employment
January – March 2009
Man Investments - Head of User Experience and Online Design
Centennium House
100 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6DL
Reporting to Director of Ecommerce
Role
- Build, establish and manage the UE and design team
- Lead a UCD process to redesign the IA and visual design of Man Investments websites maninvestments.com and mangroupplc.com.
Unfortunately due to the financial cuts at Man Investments the redesign project was cancelled and my role no longer required.

August  2007 – January 2009
Hutchison 3G - User Experience and Design Manager
Star House, 20 Grenfell Road
Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 1EH
Reporting to Head of Digital Portals
Role
- Manage the user experience, design and brand consistency of the UK’s first 3G mobile content portal and supporting web sites.
- Lead 3’s UE and Design team to research, develop and build innovative solutions for the user experience and the creative look and feel of 3’s mobile portal Planet 3 and it’s products and applications, mobile broadband interface and 3’s websites three.co.uk and three store.
- Support designs decisions with data usage and user testing to continuously improve the user experience and conversion rate.
- Manage the team workload, recruitment, training, budget and development.
- Ensure mobile and web standards of accessibility and compliancy are met and implemented across devices.
- Key outputs were usability reports, user centred design flows, storyboards, style guides and creative graphic components that raise the standard of mobile and web interaction.
My last project was redesigning the IA of 3’s account management section of the mobile portal and three.co.uk website and updating the design. This involved building wireframes for user testing and managing an external agency for the visual design.

Promotion from Amazon.co.uk Design Manager August 2002 – July 2007
Amazon.com - European Design Manager
Amazon.co.uk, Patriot Court,
1-9 the Grove, Slough, Berkshire SL1 1QP
Reporting to Amazon.com Global Design Manager based in Seattle USA.
Role
- Manage the consistency of design, UI and brand development of Amazon’s European websites Amazon.uk, Amazon.de and Amazon.fr.
- Manage the team workload, recruitment, training, budget and development.
- Collaborate with the US Design team on interface development and future site design initiatives.
- Use site metrics, web labs, user testing and market research results to drive and constantly improve the customer experience.
- Manage the online and offline development of the Amazon brand in Europe working with the Global Communications and EU Marketing teams.
- Ensure good web design practices, brand usage and compliancy is implemented across sites.
My last major project was to lead the design and UI for new product lines for Sports and Leisure on the UK site, Watches on the German site and Toys on the French site. This involved restructuring the navigation across the European web sites to accommodate the new categories, creating prototype designs and extensive user testing.

October 2000 – August 2002
Amazon.co.uk - UK Design Manager
Reporting to UK Web Development Director
Role
- Manage the design and User experience for the Amazon.co.uk website.
- Work with the European Design Manager on European site design initiatives and launch of new product lines such as Electronics.
- Manage the UK design team workload, recruitment, training, budget and development.
- Manage the online and offline development of the Amazon brand in the UK working closely with the European Strategic communication team.

June 1998 - October 2000
Yell - Design and Online Brand Manager
Queens Walk, Reading RG1 7PT
Reporting to the Head of Publishing
Role
- Manage the Yell design team, consisting of 10 Designers and 2 ecommerce programmers.
- Manage workload, budget, recruitment, training and development of the design team.
- Design and develop the online 'Yell' brand and its products such as Travel and Business.
- Worked on the design, update and maintenance of the 'Yell’ site.
- Produced web sites for ‘Yell’ customers such as United Rentals and Pickfords.
- Developed e-commerce areas such as a Travel and Shopping.

1997 - June 1998
Yell - Senior Web Site Designer
Role
- Worked on the design, update and maintenance of the 'Yell’ site.
- Produced web sites for ‘Yell’ customers such as United Rentals and Pickfords.
- Developed e-commerce areas such as a Travel and Shopping.

1996 - 1997
Yell - Web Site Designer
Design the Yellow Pages web site ‘Yell’ and develop new areas such as an online guide to London.

1991 - 1995
Yellow Pages – Team Leader
Manage team of ten artists producing artwork for Yellow Pages Directory advertisements.
 
1987 – 1991
Yellow Pages - Junior to General Artist – Create advertisements for Yellow Pages.

1986 – 1987 – 2 roles after College - Window Display Assistant - Top Shop, Oxford Circus W1
Tax Officer - H.M. Inspector of Taxes

FURTHER EDUCATION:
COLLEGE: Gloucestershire College of Higher Education, Faculty of Arts 1984 - 1986
STUDIED: B.A. Hons Fine Art specializing in Sculpture
COLLEGE: Harrow College of Higher Education, Faculty of Arts 1983 - 1984
STUDIED: C.N.A.A. Diploma in Art Foundation

EDUCATION:
Swakeleys Girls Secondary School 1976 - 1983
QUALIFICATIONS:
4 'A' Levels - English Literature, Art, History and Sociology
11 '0' Levels

EVENING COURSES:
'O' & 'A' Level Ceramics 1991 - 1994
Spanish levels 1&2 1994 - 1996

INTERESTS:
I enjoy visiting art galleries, theatre, design conferences and cinema. I keep fit by running regularly. I have a passion for traveling and have over a number of years traveled independently around India, South and Central America, North Africa, Europe and South East Asia where I have enjoyed trekking and mountain climbing.

REFERENCES: Available on request.