alex o'neal's UX/IA résumé
Why hire someone who only uses half their brain?
You have left-brain work that needs a tech-savvy, logical, detail-oriented comprehension of your business needs, and right-brain work that needs an artistic, big-picture, spatial approach with an instinct for user experience. Get an experienced, technically skilled, deeply knowledgeable user experience strategist who can apply both sides of her brain to your projects.
I have a passion for making information accessible, understandable, and usable, and love working with others to make that happen. Seeking a benefited position with a forward-thinking company that allows me to continue to grow both the technical and creative sides of my personality.
Who I am
Most recent stats
- For major social network, targeted UX strategy increased 1→many user communication 181%, 1→1 communication 22%, and drove active user-generated content up 134%
- For B2B site, application redesign increased click-through 122% and application engagement 175%
The big picture
- 11+ years usability, UX (user experience), HCI, IA; visual language, site flow, use cases, func. specs, wireframes, prototyping, testing, strategy
- 15+ internal search, metadata, taxonomy
- 13+ years print and digital graphic design
- 11+ years external search (SEO)
- Proven track record applying user analysis and usability/IA to achieve B2B, B2C goals
- Experience working with/presenting to a variety of teams, from executives to engineers to marketers
- Graduated with 4.0/4.0 GPA while working full-time
- Numerous work awards; outstanding references
Current, previous titles
- UX Manager, Site Experience Product Owner (for United Online's Classmates, the web's oldest social network)
- Content Manager/IT Analyst (Texas Instruments)
- Knowledge Engineer (Nortel Networks)
- Project Manager (first time: AMIGOS Bibliographic Council)
- Art Director (Merit Industries)
What I can do
10+ years experience:
Windows 3.1-XP Professional; Mac OS 7.x-X.x; HTML/XHTML; JavaScript/DHTML; Microsoft Office (Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word); Macromedia/Adobe Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash; web metrics tools ranging from SurfReport to Omniture SiteCatalyst, HBX (with ReportBuilder), and WebIQ; web architecture, server maintenance, graphic design, training, usability testing and research, SEO/SEM; text editing/coding, prototyping; taxonomy, tagging, metadata, keyword/best bets
5-10 years experience:
CSS; XML, ASP/JSP, PHP; Adobe CS1, CS2, CS3 (PhotoShop, Illustrator, InDesign, ImageReady, GoLive); Microsoft Project, Visio; Interwoven TeamSite; Microsoft IIS, 2000 Server
1-5 years experience:
Endeca; Microsoft SharePoint; Pajek (social network analysis software); Quantcast, Compete, Comscore; Miva Merchant; RetailPro; RealMedia; Camtasia; Drupal
What I've done
UX Manager, Site Experience Product Owner
United Online (Classmates.com)
Apr. 2008 – Present, Seattle, WA
Imported to Seattle to lead UX strategy for the Internet’s oldest social network, evangelizing, building consensus, and integrating UX into project flow. Mentor creatives in UX; improved usability testing. Currently work as certified Scrum (Agile) Product Owner for two Seattle-Hyderabad development teams: Hendrix (site experience), and Vanguard (search/acquisitions, checkout). Since re-organization, report to VP, Product Development (previously reported to VP, Creative, and VP, Product). See stats above.
- Helped integrate user experience into transition from waterfall to Scrum (Agile) development environment. Stepping into Site Experience Product Owner role, increased project velocity more than 50% within three months by introducing more collaborative, targeted approach and empowering/clearing blocks for development team.
- Within first month, introduced self-developed approach to user-generated experience to evangelize user perspective across departments. Goal: get people thinking from the user's perspective, and surface new engagement and content opportunities. Broadened taxonomy from UGC (user-generated content) to include UGA (user-generated activity) to better understand UGX (user-generated experience): UGC+UGA=UGX.
- Developed, wrote, and presented company-wide brown bags:
- Why Taxonomy Matters: Taxonomy From the User Experience Perspective, July 2008
- Social Networks, January, 2009
- Measuring What Matters, August, 2009 (organizer, cross-departmental seminar; one of four presenters)
- Part of three-person road map team in 2008 (team consisted of VP, Product, Sr. Product Owner, and myself as UX Manager); ongoing contributor to UX and product strategy into 2010. Occasionally entrusted with managing other special efforts (e.g., shepherding a legal project, or developing and managing UX integration into the Scrum process).
- Applied SNA (social network analysis) to understanding user experience, UGC, UGA. Introduced 1→many, 1→1, and 1→none analysis, active vs. passive UGC, and more. Partnered with business intelligence data miner to pursue formal social network analysis, including determining appropriate software (Pajek) and developing approach to integrate with existing site metrics and analysis.
- Developed holistic user experience quotient (XQ), tracking not only overall trend of combined web engagement, user-generated experience, and customer satisfaction, but granular patterns associated with trend. Researched prior industry attempts extensively, addressing previous challenges; worked closely with Business Intelligence/Reporting to assure source data quality.
Content Manager, XA, IT Business Analyst
Texas Instruments
Jul. 2006 — Apr. 2008, Dallas, TX
Owned online experience for specific B2B and B2C Texas Instruments applications and products, including RFID, MSP430, broadband, and TI Developers Conference. Project managed major launches. Performed front-end development, navigation design, IA, UI, web-ready graphics, multimedia, internal search, and SEO.
- Part of core search team and core actionable analytics initiative for TI.com.
- Developed application-based strategy for RFID audience: restructured navigation, home page UI, and content redesign led to 122% click-through increase from home, 175% increased application engagement, and 29% increase in product views. Developed wireframes, site flow, UI, navigation, and SEO content analysis in keeping with TI.com best practices and branding.
- Integrated four separate taxonomies for microcontroller MSP430 presence; improved home page design, surfacing previously hidden call to action and increasing usability.
- Synthesized taxonomy from 17 different schemata for launch of interactive RFID parametric search. Developed integrated taxonomy, learned two database applications, and entered all data for full launch capability—in three days. "Alex singlehandedly saved the launch," reported my manager.
- Maintained, updated, and controlled taxonomy for documents, data-driven pages, and e-commerce product pages via internal information management databases.
- Analyzed keywords, content, Web IQ research, path analysis, metrics, and more. SEO (search engine optimization) efforts lifted organic search and web engagement results across the board for pages I supported. Also maintained and tracked internal "best bets" keyword search.
Graphic Design/Web Development/SEO consultant
Consultant
Mar. 2001 — Mar. 2009, Dallas & Austin, TX
Clients as self or DBA (doing business as) Numinocity include:
- InStep Austin: Web/SEO Consultant, Graphic Artist, Database Admin
- Merit Industries: Art Director, Photographer
- Christ Church (largest U.S. Episcopal parish): System Administrator (over 40 computers ranging from Windows 3.1-XP Professional and Mac OS 8-X, run in a terminal server environment)
- PLANT (Public Library Administrators of North Texas): Project Manager, UI design, graphic artist
- Inthegno jewelry: webmaster, e-commerce, jeweler
Web Content Manager, Knowledge Engineer
Nortel Networks
April 1996 — Feb. 2001, Richardson, TX
Numerous awards, several promotions for web work performed 1998 — 2001:
- Web Content Manager. Project managed data migration from Nortel's largest partner site into personalized application. As Site Evolution Coordinator, integrated 160+ "rogue" product sites and company site schema into a faceted taxonomy for site–wide personalization. Worked with SMEs (subject matter experts) in many groups to determine needs and build consensus.
- Knowledge Engineer. Webmaster, Nortel Information Center. Developed back- and front-end IA, created branded UI, increased security; doubled visits.
- Sr. Database Specialist Developed multimedia (flash, video) training site
- Database Specialist Resolved year-old issues in less than two weeks. Efforts resulted in 35% increase in downloads; error rate reduced from 43% to 0.5%.
- Pre-Feb. 1998: steady contract work providing desktop and IT support.
Sr. Library Technician/Project Manager
AMIGOS Bibliographic Council
1991-1993, Dallas, TX
Performed internal search optimization, taxonomy, and metadata conversion for cataloged items; cataloged new inventory; provided project management, training, and supervision for individual client libraries efforts. Promoted in under four months.
Database Administrator/Special Project Manager
Chippenhook, Ltd
1990, Lewisville, TX
For custom projects at a premier jewelry display/fixture company, I did it all: developed and maintained a Paradox for DOS database; developed and costed new products; designed displays; and created wireframes and diagrams with CAD.
How I keep getting better
Education & professional development
- Summa cum laude B.S., psychology, Texas Woman’s University, May, 1999; concentrations in computer science, biology, art; some graduate studies
- Leading vs. Managing, IMS (Institute for Management Studies), April 2010
- Certified Scrum Product Owner, SolutionsIQ, January 2009 (integrated UX into Agile transition)
- Conflict Resolution & Management, 2009
- Performance-based Interviewing, 2009
- Five Earley & Associates taxonomy webinars, 2009
- Endeca Search and Navigation (2007)
- Leveraging the Digital Platform, Google, (2006 and 2007)
- The Brown Symposium (featuring Read Montague and Ed Deiner), Southwestern University (2006)
- 2003 Presenting Visual Information (Edward Tufte)
- 2001 Worldwide Usability Tour (Jakob Nielsen)
- Extensive online and class-based computer science coursework.
Self-authored presentations and papers
- Designing for Purpose: Perceptual Control Theory and User-Centered Design (2009)
- Measuring what Matters (one of four presentations, Classmates brown bag, 2009)
- Why Taxonomy Matters: Taxonomy from the UX Perspective (Classmates seminar, 2008)
- Social Networks (Classmates brown bag, 2009)
- Toward a More Cognitive Knowledge Management (technical paper, LocalNet2000, 2000)
- Structured Creativity (Consultant presentation promoting creative problem-solving, 2003)
- Interpreting Autism from the Language Acquisition Perspective to Better Understand Emotional and Linguistic Development (TWU, Annual Research and Creative Arts Symposium, 1999)
