Project Design
Resume:
Kelly Noah
Chicago, IL *****
312-***-**** **********@*****.***
www.kellynoah.com
LEAD USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER
Five years of experience in the financial services industry excelling at simplifying and solving complex
transactional problems. Known for creating elegant solutions that meet both the business goals and the needs of
the users. Successfully led projects from discovery to product launch, always keeping users at the center of the
process. Equally competent as a big-picture visionary and a detail-oriented designer.
Thorough and structured approach to user experience processes. Quickly understands and immerses in new
domains. Delivers a high quality of work, with passionate presentation skills. Comfortable with ambiguity and
turning research findings into actionable designs.
SELECTED UX SKILLS
Card sorting Persona development Task analysis
Competitive analysis Rapid prototyping Usability testing
Contextual inquiry Requirements gathering and User research (planning &
documentation execution)
Functional and interaction
specifications Stakeholder interviews Wireframes
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
HeathWallace, July 2008 to Present
LEAD INFORMATION ARCHITECT
HeathWallace is a user experience consultancy specializing in the financial services industry.
Hired as a key member of the Information Architecture (IA) team for a highly complex global internet banking
project for one of the world s largest banks. Introduced up-front user research to the company and led UX efforts
for projects from discovery through project launch.
Transformed the company s understanding of research from just usability testing into a full suite of research
methodologies so that all projects start with some form of a discovery phase to understand the problems at
hand prior to starting design.
Spearheaded the discovery process for clients, helping them to focus on the goals that would have the
highest impact for their users and their business. Translated these goals into requirements documents that
act as our roadmap for subsequent phases of work.
Owned the requirements for a complex set of internet banking functions. Oversaw research in several
international locations; ensured that requirements were maintained in future iterations of the design, and
issues users encountered were quickly relayed back to our IA team.
Introduced interactive wireframes to the company resulting in clients understanding our proposed designs
more quickly, so we received valuable feedback faster. The wireframes are also used as a basis for iterative
user research and specifications for development teams, shaving time off our project timelines.
DePaul University, Instructional Design & Development (IDD), August 2006 to March 2008
MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST (GRADUATE ASSISTANT)
Brought on as a jack-of-all-trades to help with designing materials and websites, assisting in faculty trainings,
and helping to structure curricula. Created an HTML/CSS course template to be used for online courses within
the School for New Learning (SNL) at DePaul. Led a research project regarding student attitudes toward faculty
evaluations and presented to faculty at an IDD-sponsored conference.
Allstate Financial, June to August 2007
USER EXPERIENCE ARCHITECT (UXA) INTERN
Conducted stakeholder interviews, usability tests and contextual inquiry alongside other teammates, often
leading the sessions myself. Worked to understand and clarify the requirements for projects and propose
suitable design solutions. Developed task flows and affinity diagrams to help translate raw data into design.
Exceeded expectations for Allstate interns, owning projects much sooner than was expected. Teammates
saw me as a fellow UXA and handed me project work with little-to-no supervision.
Clarified requirements for projects, ensuring I understood the technology and system constraints along with
the business and user needs. Designed wireframes and presented to users and internal stakeholders (from
development, content, business, and legal and compliance) to gain sign-off from all parties involved.
Beyondmedia Education, April 2002 to June 2006
TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR
Created all design-related materials (web, print, video) for the non-profit organization. Managed bookkeeping for
the company and oversaw budgets that grew from roughly $60k to $300k during my tenure. Designed curriculum
for and led workshops teaching web design, video and photography skills to youth and young adults aged 8 to
26. Acted as office manager and tech support, keeping office organized and computers up and running.
Created a website for the organization that reflected the questions and goals of multiple audiences: donors,
funders, program participants and potential volunteers.
Worked with our accountant to transform the bookkeeping system, simplifying end-of-year financials and
learning to forecast future budgets for the organization.
Co-taught a web design class for high school students, creating the curriculum and inviting guest artists to
speak about how they use technology in their work. Students built websites from scratch by the end of class.
EDUCATION
M.S. Human-Computer Interaction, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, March 2008
4.0 GPA Graduated with honors Winner, NextBigThing @ CTI (Business Idea Competition)
B.A. Interactive Multimedia, Columbia College, Chicago, IL, June 2001
Graduated with honors
TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
Adobe Creative Suite CSS Microsoft Office Suite
Axure RP Pro HTML Microsoft Visio
Balsamiq Mockups JavaScript OmniGraffle Pro
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