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Sr. User/Design Researcher / Information Architect Specialist

User Experience Designer

Curricula

Updates

User/Design Research, Information Architecture, Navigation Design, User Experience Design, User Experience Architecture, Product Design, Interaction Design, Mobile User Experience, User-Centered Design, Rapid Prototyping, Interface Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Project/Product Management, Computer Web/Programming, HTML, CSS, HTML5/CSS3, SEO, Adobe Creative Suite, and Usability Testing.

For additional updates, please refer to the résumé Web page.

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Continuing Education

Udemy

Law of Attraction Life Coach Certification (Accredited) ( 2020 )

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Google Workshop for Design Sprint Process

◼ Participated in workshop
◼ User research methods—IDEO/Stanford’s d.school ( 2017 )

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Harvard University

◼ Harvard i-Lab
◼ Increasing Your Creative Capacity
◼ Reviewed online video ( 2016 )

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Stanford University

◼ Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
◼ Reviewed online video; cutting edge research ( 2016 )

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City College of San Francisco

◼ Computer/Web Programming
◼ CNIT 132, HTML5 & CSS3; SEO; coding from scratch
◼ Completed 1 semester course ( 2012 )

Textbook:

◼ Basics of Web Design HTML5 & CSS3 (Felke-Morris)

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AcademyX

◼ Computer/Web Programming
◼ Completed 9 Certificates ( 2011-2012 )

Readers:

◼ HTML Fundamentals
◼ HTML Advanced
◼ HTML5 & CSS3
◼ CSS Fundamentals
◼ CSS Advanced
◼ Dreamweaver CS5 Fundamentals
◼ Dreamweaver CS5 Intermediate
◼ Introduction to Programming with JavaScript
◼ Introduction to Ajax

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NN/g Nielsen Norman Group, Usability Week

◼ Information architecture (IA)
◼ Navigation design (NS)
◼ Usability testing
◼ Web usability
◼ Mobile user experience
◼ Designing complex applications & Websites
◼ Intranet information architecture
◼ In-person training with Dr. Nielsen, Ph.D., and others* ( 2011 )

* NN/g instructor for IA/NS: Ms. Whitenton, Master of Library and Information Science degree from University of Washington

Readers:

◼ Information Architecture 1
◼ Information Architecture & Navigation 2
◼ Usability in Practice: 3-Day Intensive Camp
◼ Fundamental Guidelines for Web Usability
◼ Interaction Design
◼ Designing Complex Applications & Websites 1
◼ Designing Complex Applications & Websites 2
◼ Designing Complex Applications & Websites 3
◼ Mobile User Experience 1
◼ Mobile User Experience 2

Supplemental Textbooks:

◼ Designing Web Usability (Nielsen)
◼ Homepage Usability 50 Websites Deconstructed (Nielsen)
◼ Usability Inspection Methods (Nielsen)
◼ The Design of Everyday Things (Norman)
◼ Handbook of Usability Testing (Rubin, Chisnell, Spool)
◼ Don’t Make Me Think, Revisited (Krug)
◼ Information Design (Jacobson)
◼ E-Learning (Clark, Mayer)
◼ Designing Social Interfaces (Crumlish, Malone)
◼ A Project Guide to UX Design (Unger, Chandler)
◼ The Elements of User Experience (Garrett)
◼ IA for the World Wide Web (Morville, Rosenfeld)

MAEd Graduate College of Education

San Francisco State University

Master of Arts Education ( 2008 )

“ The curriculum covers cognitive and learning theories, needs assessment, instructional design models and strategies, visual and web-based designs, information architecture, usability testing, knowledge and performance assessment, and project management. ”

Dissertation Title:

An Online Tutorial for Instructional Designers
to Learn about Information Architecture

◼ The IA Model ( 759 pp., 60 pp. )

This research project is relevant to user/design research, user-centered design, user experience design, user experience architecture, information architecture, product design, interaction design, sketching and drafting, interface design, project/product management, usability testing; how doing user/design research dramatically improves products, including why taking a systematic approach produces products that ultimately work better for end users; IA/IXD/UXD deliverables (wire framing and site maps) that are required for producing and designing these products.

Dr. Hyun, Ph.D., Harvard University, assisted with relevant research parameters.

Other contributing Professors were:

◼ Dr. Beatty, Ph.D.
◼ Dr. Michaels, Ph.D.
◼ Dr. Hemphill, Ed.D.
◼ Dr. Foreman, Ph.D.
◼ Dr. Cheng, Ph.D.
◼ Dr. Gates, Ed.D.
◼ Dr. Dierke, Ed.D.

◼ Internships successfully completed for program.

TPW Cert Department of English Language and Literature

San Francisco State University

Technical & Professional Writing Certificate ( 2005 )

Equivalent to BATPW

Major/Emphasis:

Technical and Professional Writing, Graphic Design, FrameMaker, Information Architecture (IA), User/Design Research, Usability Testing; vocational training, learning by doing.

◼ Internship successfully completed for program.

ID&T Cert College of Extended Learning

San Francisco State University

Internet Design & Technology Certificate of Completion ( 2001 )

Major/Emphasis:

User/Design Research, Information Architecture (IA), User Experience Design (UXD), Interaction Design (IXD), Product Design, Usability Testing, Web Design, Interface Design, Project/Product Management, Computer/Web Programming; vocational training, learning by doing.

Update: Computer/Web Programming, HTML, CSS, DHTML, JavaScript, UNIX, Apache, BBEdit, Dreamweaver, Adobe Creative Suite.

◼ Internships successfully completed for program.

MAIA School of Design Graduate Program

San Francisco State University

Master of Arts Industrial Arts ( 2000 )

“ The program is designed for students who want to pursue professional work in design firms, teaching, project management, strategic planning for design firms, or management roles in technology. We emphasize problem-solving competencies, both conceptual and practical. Students in the program study visual communication design and product design with an interdisciplinary perspective. Students with a wide range of backgrounds work with a graduate advisor to design an MA program that meets their career goals. Based upon focused research into a chosen design problem, students develop a specialized area of study in graphic design/visual communication design, [information architecture/user experience design/interaction design], product design/manufacturing, industrial technology, project management, [product management], or digital media. Many students prepare for doctoral work at other institutions. ”

Dissertation Title:

An Online Tutorial for Digital-Media Designers
to Learn about Web Navigational Systems

◼ The NS Model ( 195 pp., 30/40 pp. )

The research project is relevant and included user/design research, user-centered design, extended into user experience design, information architecture, interaction design, usability testing (on making heuristic evaluations); how this relates to designing better products, derived from user/design research.

What I did in the IA/IXD/UXD MAIA major/emphasis:

User/Design Research, Information Architecture (IA), User Experience Design (UXD), Navigation Design, Information Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Project/Product Management, Usability Testing.

Both of the interdisciplinary design programs definitely allow and encourage learners/students to design their own specialized program of study.

The MAIA graduate-level program was very distinctly separated from the undergraduate BAIA program, since it was accomplished and completed as a graduate-level program. Therefore, I majored in IA/IXD/UXD and very deeply extended far into user-centered design, including interaction design and other relevant components.

Dr. Iandoli, Ed.D., Harvard University, assisted with relevant research parameters.

Other contributing Professors (for both the MAEd and MAIA) were:

◼ Dr. Beatty, Ph.D.
◼ Dr. Michaels, Ph.D.
◼ Dr. Hemphill, Ed.D.
◼ Dr. Foreman, Ph.D.
◼ Dr. Cheng, Ph.D.
◼ Dr. Gates, Ed.D.
◼ Dr. Dierke, Ed.D.

◼ Internships successfully completed for program.

BAIA School of Design Undergraduate Program

San Francisco State University

Bachelor of Arts Industrial Arts ( 1999 )

IA/IXD/UXD concentration, specialization, and major/emphasis:

The program was designed around the same curriculum (MAIA) for user-centered design and for doing:

User/Design Research, Information Architecture (IA), User Experience Design (UXD), Navigation Design, Product Design, Interaction Design, Interface Design, Drafting and Sketching, Project/Product Management, Usability Testing; various internships successfully completed.

Dissertation Title:

HTML Editors—Their Practical Use in Web Design ( 41 pp .)

It also included information architect research, derived from doing internships and about HTML coding.

Other Concentration:

Graphic Design, Graphic Design History, Typography, Color Theory, Animation, Multimedia, Product Design, Adobe Creative Suite; general education.

◼ Internships successfully completed for program.

BFA Graphic Design Department

California College of the Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts ( 2002 )

“ It is one of the premier fine arts and design institutions in the United States and a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD), a consortium of thirty-six leading art schools in the United States and Canada. CCA [California College of the Arts, Graphic Design Department] is also widely regarded as one of the leading art and design institutions in the world. ”

Completed 4 courses: Graphic design, 3D visual dynamics, art history, drawing—reviewed first—received highest A.

AS & AA School of Fine, Applied, and Communication Arts

City College of San Francisco

Associate in Science & Award of Achievement ( 1995 )

Major/Emphasis:

Graphic Design, Typography, Graphic Design Research, User/Design Research, Adobe PageMaker, Photoshop, Illustrator, FreeHand, and QuarkXPress; prepress production, printing, finishing; general education; vocational training, learning by doing.

◼ Internship successfully completed for two (2) semesters.

Other Programs

DIPLOMA Heald Business College

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA Lynbrook High School
A California Distinguished School

Pianist Extracurricular Activities—Classical Piano Performance Preparation—Leschetizky to Raab; worked with Juilliard-trained Professors.

Specific User/Design Research, IA/IXD/UXD Curricula

Education—Credentials/Degrees—
Professional Qualifications

Synopsis of Program

University Accreditation