Ux Designer Senior
Resume:
KELLY P. CLARK
CATONSVILLE, MD *1228
***********@*****.***
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
• Senior UX Designer/Product Designer/Interactive Designer and Strategist with over 15 years professional experience in the healthcare, federal government, financial and nonprofit sectors
• Was the product owner for Bootstrap and USWDS design systems at both SEI and CMS, responsible for their development and expansion
• A specialist in cross-functional collaboration across organizations and team structures like development and testing
• Pioneered user testing and research methodologies before UX formally existed as a discipline including focus groups, parallel testing and user surveying
• A true ‘full-stack’ UX career spanning research, strategy, design, management and process design
• Master of Information Science (MIS) degree-University of Maryland, College Park May 2000 Career Skills
• Figma collaborative prototyping
• Product management and product design
• Design system development including
USWDS, Figma and Bootstrap
• Axure/Adobe XD/Sketch prototyping tools
• Kanban, Scaled Agile and Safe experience
• Qualitative and quantitative user research
• User flow and user task analysis
• Information architecture and navigation design
• Focus groups and user interviews
• Desktop and mobile application design leveraging CSS/HTML, Angular, JQuery and REACT
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
ATTAINX-CONTRACTOR WITH USDA NOVEMBER 2023-AUGUST 2025 SENIOR UX/UI SPECIALIST
Senior UX specialist responsible for UX planning and development for the USDA’s OLA and FLEX Loan Processing System Modernization efforts; Lead UX discovery sessions with USDA Product Owners across the organization’s product offerings to align design strategies; Manage Agile team design engagement and ensure teams are functionally aligned across the Agile Train; Develop design process and mentor designers through its structure and implementation
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Plan, develop and design OLA and FLEX system loan interfaces enabling farm loan applicants to submit data online for review and approval and USDA staff to process loan applications
• Develop and own UX design process across the USDA Agile Release Train, ensuring teams are strategically and practically aligned during performance increment design sprints
• Advise product owners regarding design sequencing to maximize Safe development cycles; establish the proper design cadence to ensure developers have mockups and specifications when required
• Extend and manage FPAC and USWDS design system usage and develop new components according to organizational need
• Develop User Research Testing proposal documentation and process to validate USDA modernization efforts post-MVP release
BLN24--CONTRACTOR WITH IRS JANUARY 2023-JUNE 2023
SENIOR UX DESIGNER
RESEARCH MANAGER/LEAD UX DESIGNER
Research Manager and Lead UX Designer leading a team of five designers and researchers, all supporting BLN24’s UX contract for the IRS’s Online Services/Online Access (OLS/OLA) Online Tax Assistant; Managed research and design work cadences, ensuring user testing objectives were captured and approved by the IRS team and development; Developed UX processes for team UX design and development and ensured they were implemented across the release train
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Led the UXD design team’s monthly user testing practice including but not limited to moderated usability testing, comparative methodology analysis and selection, design model collaborative prototyping and research findings prioritization and project team delivery
• Vetted and approved designer documentation, aligning prototypes with the OLA Design System and ensured prototypes leveraged approved design patterns; mentored junior designers regarding UXD best practices
• Facilitated design discovery sessions and prioritization Lean UX workshops with business and product stakeholders during which business requirements are gathered and formalized as user requirements for design.
• Owned UX thought leadership for BLN24/ForsMarsh teams to address emerging and existing IRS/OLA design challenges such as process improvement and consistency, UX task sequencing and interdepartmental design support services
PERATON (TEK SYSTEMS)--CONTRACTOR WITH SSA/SSI JANUARY 2022-SEPTEMBER 2022 SENIOR UX SPECIALIST
Senior lead UX research and strategist on SSA’s SSA.gov and SSI Benefits Eligibility Application modernization efforts; Responsible for moderating and conducting user interviews and research including internal and external stakeholder users such as claims examiners and Subject Matter Experts (SME); Analyzed research findings and formalized their presentation for senior SSA project stakeholders, recommending strategic directions for design ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Developed facilitator guides, interview scripts and other user research documentation, testing prototype question threading and language for the applicant/end user and internal claims staff
• Collaborated with SSA Journey mapping team, leveraging our research and analysis in developing both the SSA Journey Map and Service Design documentation proposing a cohesive product management model across the SSI application process, virtual and in-person
• Facilitated and moderated qualitative user research sessions, leading participants through moderated testing regarding SSI’s eligibility and disability determination processes intended to evaluate language, question threading and applicant success in reaching a preliminary benefits determination
• Developed and implemented User Research processes supporting SSA testing and journey mapping. SOFTRAMS--CONTRACTOR WITH CMS FEBRUARY 2021-NOVEMBER 2021 SENIOR UX STRATEGIST AND INTERACTIVE DESIGNER
Senior Product Designer for Softrams’s hDrive Health Engagement Management application, charged with leading the design and development team building the hDrive Mobile Health Application; Develop and test prototype for venture capital approval as well as implementing standardized UX/HCD design support for a mobile first design approach; Established the design process for the product and owned the product vision for approval ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Supervised developers converting hDrive desktop application prototypes to mobile prototypes, validating subsequent design against product requirements for hDrive functionality
• Converted nearly 150 Sketch files to a Figma prototype for functional and user review and testing, aligning functionality with desired user flows
• Developed reusable design patterns for beta and post-beta hDrive product releases based on user feedback and research captured by CMS and Softrams User Personas
• Parallel-design tested proposed dashboard layouts with internal power users to refine product strategy beyond venture capital funding; provided research findings in a ‘rolling’ fashion, presenting insights as we found them to the larger team for immediate and phased consideration
• Managed junior designer engagement in development and their task assignments MANTECH--CONTRACTOR WITH CMS APRIL 2020-JANUARY 2021 PRODUCT OWNER-HCD PROCESS AND DESIGN SYSTEM
CMS/ManTech HCD Product Owner for CMS’s ERSD Design System; Led team of three designers and developers implementing the ERSD Design System--derived from the USWDS design system--and validated component functionality; Provided strategic HCD direction for EQRS product UI design and development and established best practices for system UX design; Created the ERSD Design System approval process for the Agile Release Train
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Managed and completed ERSD Design System implementation ensuring module functionality and usability across the ERSD product experience
• Functioned as Shared X HCD team product owner and team lead, establishing team strategy and objectives for the Shared X Design team including design process and reviews
• Conducted task analysis user research with internal end users, documenting critical tasks and how these tasks are completed in the UI to inform EQRS Design System development; captured feedback as grist for future enhancements and drafted and presented findings to the executive teams
• Supervised senior HCD designer interaction with development team and determine designer resources receive necessary requirements and development insight; initiated the addition of new design models, engaging product and development resources in the process COLLABRALINK—CONTRACTOR WITH CMS APRIL 2019-DECEMBER 2019 PRINCIPAL HCD/INTERACTION DESIGNER
Provided principal UX design, research and strategy support for CMS/DSG’s MACPro and CARTS/SEDS Performance Reporting products’ redesign projects; Tested and redesigned key CMS quarterly and yearly reporting functionality for regional internal stakeholders into an overarching reporting framework; Managed CMS Appian design efforts to support their product transition from their legacy applications to the web-based reporting product
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Functioned as sole Senior HCD/UX product resource across three value streams, providing design, strategic and product support for the internal CARTS/SEDS regional reporting framework used by all CMS Regional Offices for quarterly and yearly performance reporting date
• Designed interactive CARTS/SEDS application page prototypes incorporating entire CMS annual financial plan submission form and UI components
• Conducted qualitative user research via surveys and task analysis with state MACPro users and triangulated feedback with design recommendations and evolving design standards for the CART/SEDS product
• Prototyped and focus group tested proposed MACPro enhancements to SPA Submission layout in Figma, structure and design with CMS end users, presenting prioritized, analyzed findings in presentation documentation with recommendations
UNDERWRITING LABORATORIES--INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR JUNE 2018-DECEMBER 2018 PRINCETON, NJ
SENIOR UX DESIGNER
Senior UX/Product Designer for UL's Create Learning Management System (LMS) product, an online course design and deployment framework; Responsible for usability testing, design and findings analysis and presentation as well as strategic guidance on how to remediate unsuccessful user experiences in the Create product interface; Owned the product’s vision and design strategy ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Developed parallel design prototype concepts testing Create learning module functionality, design and deployment as well as advanced user requested question types and design patterns
• Conducted usability gap analysis or existing Create UI to enhance both course creator and student experiences in the product
• Researched new product design patterns to support expanded user functionality, including but not limited to course builder and course leaner interfaces; develop and design leveraging adapted design patterns
• Led and facilitated bi-weekly Learning Services user focus groups to gather and respond to emerging user design feedback; conducted targeted task analysis sessions with Learning Services staff to identify critical path usage scenarios and use cases hidden behind work done for past Create product enhancements
INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT/UNEMPLOYED OCTOBER 2017-JUNE 2018 BRYN MAWR, PA
SENIOR UX DESIGNER/STRATEGIST
Provided core UX services such as design, user research and analysis, including but not limited to wireframes, high resolution designs, IA documentation and analysis and heuristic assessments of existing functionality and user needs; developed user scenarios that captured case-based user activity across a user interface CIBER--CONTRACTOR WITH MAIDEN RE DECEMBER 2016-JULY 2017 MT. LAUREL, NJ
PRINCIPAL UX DESIGNER/ARCHITECT
As the Principal UX Designer, designed Maiden RE 360 Portal’s internal Claims Processing Dashboard Interface, providing full UX lifecycle and visual design and research support; Developed and tested the Information Architecture (IA) and site navigation as well as internal usage scenarios for the portal across internal User Scenarios to ensure internal process alignment; Administered qualitative testing on Claims users to align their behavior with the IA and UI
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Analyzed existing MAARCUS Claims application UI and provided heuristic assessment of emerging interface design; summarized and prioritized findings and provided best practice recommendations to remediate user interface usability limitations
• Designed and developed Axure UX prototypes, modeling and testing in parallel how various layouts could surface hidden, high value content and functionality to claims users and their clients
• Conducted user workflow analysis and assessed potential impact on the user interface (UI) for future product development; developed research document prioritizing and weighting our user findings
• Facilitated user task analysis sessions and validated findings with existing design patterns; provided recommendations for future design phases to maximize user engagement and accessibility for the MAARCUS product
MATLEN SILVER--CONTRACTOR WITH MERRILL LYNCH FEBRUARY 2016-JULY 2016 HOPEWELL, NJ
SENIOR USER EXPERIENCE/USER INTERFACE DESIGNER
Provided UX design, strategy and research for Merrill Lynch’s award-winning ML One financial planning application, including but not limited to template wireframe development, IA development, user research and heuristic UI analysis; Assessed existing ML One interfaces and developed ‘next generation’ solutions to enhance product user experience
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Designed high fidelity wireframes and worked collaboratively with senior product stakeholders to refine UX design needs for the coming fiscal year within the ML product; coordinated the conversion of designs to prototypes by the development team to ensure style consistency
• Wrote and administered user surveys to elicit feedback for deployed ML One and Optima user interfaces to assess cognitive load, user flow gaps and navigation inconsistencies; drafted documentation suggesting specific recommendations to tighten user flows and introduce more design consistency across the interface
• Implemented UI controls from ML One’s Design System library and worked collaboratively with development to ensure agreed upon implementation criteria were satisfied for deployment NTT DATA--CONTRACTOR WITH SEI AUGUST 2014-OCTOBER 2015 OAKS, PA
SENIOR USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER AND STRATEGIST/DESIGN SYSTEM PRODUCT OWNER Functioned as ADE Design System Product Owner, responsible for component development, testing and standardization; prototyped streamlined user experiences for SEI’s ADE financial application, including enhancements to financial advisor dashboard and middle office administrative interfaces supporting financial advising applications
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Led team of 5 designers working across the ADE application on design system component development and ensured weekly alignment with evolving style guidelines, developed while the design teams were extending the existing product’s functionality to our clients
• Designed and wrote ADE user surveys in collaboration with the Financial Advisor Market Unit to elicit feedback regarding existing and proposed ADE UI designs and analyzed findings and applied them to proposed parallel design solution testing
• Led and facilitated usability discovery focus groups intended to elicit feedback regarding proposed design patterns and incorporated evaluated feedback into documentation and design; subjected parallel user dashboard concepts to broad usability testing
• Conducted Split A/B parallel testing of potential ADE dashboard design solutions with ADE end users— financial advisors and middle office staff--and assessed the potential impact of user feedback to existing ADE interfaces; compiled recommendations in a prioritized matrix for consumption, providing weighted analysis for each suggested course
DOW JONES AUGUST 2013-JULY 2014
NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ
SENIOR USER EXPERIENCE ARCHITECT
Designed user experiences for Dow Jones DJX News Portal product, a unified, responsively designed interface for all Dow Jones institutional product offerings—Factiva, Real Time, etc.—in the financial trader and wealth management spaces
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Assembled conceptual user workflows to inform wireframe and design module development discussions, capturing user functionality and user flows across the DJX application
• Developed annotated wireframes for pending functionality including the DJX Dashboard navigation and integrated news filter management, ensuring the functionality scaled from desktop to tablet to mobile formats in a seamless manner without unreasonable user load
• Designed IA and subsequent product navigation for News Plus user templates that reconciled the need for visual simplicity and desired end user personalization
• Prototyped DJX Module iterations based on product team user requirements; provide consultative support assisting product managers in determining what approach best suits both business and user needs
• Strategized with Product Owners regarding product needs and leveraged their client knowledge in interactive collaborative design sessions
Portfolio
https://bison-perch-g24f.squarespace.com/
EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND AUGUST 2000
Master of Information Science (MIS)
College Park, MD College of Information Studies (CIS) MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY MATRICULATED JANUARY 1993 – MAY 1997 Masters Program, English Literature (MA)
Upper Montclair, NJ
ABD
RUTGERS – THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY MAY 1990 Bachelor of Arts, Political Science (BA)
New Brunswick, NJ
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