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LINK TO ARITIZE 3D PROTO

PRODUCT DESIGN

As a Product Design Director, I have had the pleasure of leading and contributing to a variety of projects across the AR wayfinding, virtual events, education, entertainment, and marketing sectors. My portfolio includes a range of designs for apps, websites, and web apps, each tailored to meet the unique needs of my clients. From ideation to launch, I am committed to leading the creation of beautiful, intuitive, and engaging user experiences. This is a curated selection of detailed case studies showcasing my design leadership and collaboration on a variety of successful projects.

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SITE

Once someone uploads their model capture it gets sent to our servers for processing. Once it's processed it can be accessed from the content management site. Our management site has a few different functions; it hosts Nextech's AR experiences which is used by staff, and it also hosts model renderings for ARitize360.  The customer facing portion of this site was what I needed to design next.  The requirements here were to create a place where people could create an account, log in, view a content list of their models, see newly rendered model uploads in 3D, a pricing list and a checkout for purchasing.

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Arm SIgn in.png
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Pricing in Arm.png

MARKETING MATERIAL

In addition to the content management site we needed a marketing landing page to inform our clients about our new app. We needed to explain what it was, what it did, explain its value propositions, and link it to our pricing and account set up page.  

ARitize marketing page with subscribe pricing.png

CAREER SUCCESS 

DIRECTOR OF UX & PRODUCT  DESIGN  

NEXTECH AR SOLUTIONS

March 2020– Present

  

  • Aided in elevating the company from start-up to scale up by designing the Inferno Virtual Events platform, Ryerson Augmented Learning Platform (RALE), AR Object Capture app (ARitize360), and the AR viewer app (ARitize)

  • Responsible for the design of multiple AR experiences, a virtual events platform, a learning platform,  an AR product capture app, an AR content collection and viewer app and assisting the sales team with design templates. for various clients resulting in multi-hundred thousand dollar deals. 

  • Directed, mentored and coached team of 6 talented UX, UI, Visual & Interactive Designers, ensuring high-performance and growth while fostering an inspiring and inclusive work environment.

  • Led the creative on building a cohesive and consistent design system that functions across multiple products and  verticals while maintaining individual product brand identities.

  • Collaborated to strategize and build cohesive and consistent Nextech branding and design system that functions across multiple products and verticals. 

  • Responsible for ensuring the design team delivered high quality work by conducting frequent usability and design reviews, exploring user flows, building wireframes, and info architecture together, guiding team to use correct forms of research, and coaching them through user-interview  processes. 

  • Effectively presented and communicated UX and UI concepts and deliverables to teams, partners and stakeholders. 

  • Led the design, research, ideation and creation of digital interfaces across multiple platforms and devices.

  • Accountable for overall design direction of digital products in collaboration with cross-functional teams as well as technology and business stakeholders

  • A few clients include: Dell Technologies, Ryerson University, Government of Canada, Montreal Autoshow, Louis Vuitton LVMH, Telus, Amazon, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Texas, Manulife, Sun Life Financial, Rackspace & Staubli

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SENIOR UX/UI DESIGNER  

SAFYRE LABS - JEWLR.COM & LEEFIORI.COM

October 2019– Present

  

  • Responsible for all UX/UI design across two international e-commerce jewellery websites.

  • Analyzed company data, user behaviour conducted AB testing. (Google analytics, Full Story & AB Tasty) 

  • Redesigned and made improvements to multiple areas and features of both sites including: main menu architecture, header, footer, product display pages, info pages, customer product reviews, price tag designs, shopping cart, checkout and live support chat feature.

  • Maintained amicable relationships with stakeholders and development team to ensure designs were implemented successfully. 

  • A few achievements include: Price tag redesign resulting in a 4% sales increase, and checkout redesign resulting in a 7% sales increase based on AB testing.

 

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PRODUCT DESIGNER  

TRIBAL WORLDWIDE - DDB 

January 2019– March 2019

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  • Designed and presented meticulously branded UX & UI design projects to multiple clients

  • Performed UX research and testing like: note taking, card sorting, usability tests, and user interviews for Volkswagen and Tourism Nova Scotia 

  • Collaborated with a content strategist to complete a discovery project to establish improvements and recommendations for the Made With Nestle website

  • Conducted preliminary research, learned google analytics, performed a heuristic evaluation, compiled stakeholder interview questions, conducted stakeholder interviews & synthesized information for presentation of results for Nestle

  • Designed and presented mobile & desktop responsive landing pages and marketing pages under tight deadlines. Process included mood boards, sketches, wireframes, mockups, from low to high-fidelity interactive prototypes for Tourism Nova Scotia and McCain's

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VISUAL DIRECTOR  

JOE FRESH 

March 2018– September 2018

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  • Responsible for visual direction for all 350+ Joe Fresh locations internationally

  • Conceptualized visuals for storefront window displays, store interiors, showrooms, pop-ups and trade shows

  • Built design plans, and successfully led visual design team to implement  installations 

  • Brought new artistic vision by introducing and incorporating 3D elements, unique prop materials, lighting, and graphic guidelines 

  • Design process included creation of mock-ups, mood boards, material tests, prop design, fashion styling, concept presentation, and logistical planning 

  • Directed graphic designers, stylists, merchandisers and store planner for implementation of all exterior and interior visual displays, graphics, styling & budget

  • Communicated with stakeholders to ensure concept aligned with business goals

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VISUAL DISPLAY MANAGER

SPORTING LIFE

September 2010 – March 2018

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  • Responsible for end to end oversight of visual display projects for national luxury sporting goods chain

  • Accountable for developing concepts, building design plans, and ensuring design teams successfully execute installations across all locations 

  • Provided oversight for the execution of visual installations for all 9 stores with a total of 70 storefront windows and interiors on a 5 week basis  

  • Responsible for all in-store graphic design including: vendor signage, window vinyls, backdrops, murals, and other graphic props

  • Created visual mockups, material tests, project schedules and managed resources for monthly display changeovers

  • Accountable for conceptualizing and designing storefront windows alongside visual director, designing and creating window props, training and mentoring team members, outsourcing prop production, sourcing tools, materials, supplies and furniture

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PHOTOGRAPHER & ORGANIZER  

DR.SKETCHY'S TORONTO CHAPTER 

January 2007- 2012  Dr.Sketchy Website

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  • Organized planning and execution of public figure drawing sessions with partners and was the official photographer of Dr.Sketchy’s Toronto

  • Credited photographs printed in National Post, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, NOW magazine, Eye magazine, and featured work on German TV networks

  • Arranged for models and performers to pose for sessions, styled outfits, set up lighting and stage arrangements before shooting and maintained an amicable atmosphere to keep models at ease during the session

  • Produced 500 – 1000 shots per session for use on the event blog and gallery shows as the exclusive photographer

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This button links to the ARC prototype

Welcome Version 1

EDUCATION & SHORT COURSES

DIPLOMA  

USER EXPERIENCE / USER INTERFACE DESIGN 

BrainStation  (Read more about my career transformation here)

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Related Coursework: Interface Design, Product Design, Human Centered Design, Responsive Design, Design Strategy & Research, Information Architecture Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, User Interviewing, Persona Creation, User Journeys, User Stories, Accessibility, Heuristic Analysis​, Visual Identity, Brand Development, Design Patterns, Typography, Design Thinking

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BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS  

PHOTOGRAPHY / SCULPTURE & INSTALLATION ART 

OCAD University

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Related Coursework: Film and Digital Photography, Sculpture, Installation Art, Print Design, Design in 3D Spaces, Materials Design, Printmaking, Concept Development, Art History, Furniture History, Costume History, Film & Television Analysis, Sociology, Anthropology

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SKILLS & SOFTWARE 

  • Sketch

  • Adobe Photoshop

  • Adobe Illustrator

  • Figma

  • Invision

  • Google Analytics

  • AB Tasty

  • Full Story

SKILLS

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  • Teamwork & Mentorship

  • Leadership & Management 

  • Flexibility & Compromise

  • Receiving & Giving Feedback 

  • Collaboration

  • Conceptual Development

  • Interface Design

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  • Visual Communication

  • Human Centered Design

  • Strategy & Research

  • Wireframing 

  • Prototyping

  • Usability Testing & User Interviewing

  • Responsive Design

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  • UX Writing

  • Brand Development & Identity

  • Experiential Design

  • Design Accessibility 

  • Art Direction

  • Photography & Retouching

  • Visual Art

SOFTWARE

PERSONAL​ INTERESTS

  • Accessibility in Design

  • Psychology

  • VR & AR

  • Playing Baseball

  • Traveling

  • Creating Video Art

  • Costuming & Fashion

  • Film & Television

  • Attending Drag Shows

  • Furniture Restoration 

  • Inclusive Design

  • Karaoke

SPECIAL FEATURES AND CHALLENGES

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My first steps were to understand the Map Dynamics platform with my lead UI Designer.  We had an onboarding meeting with the Map D team to learn about the platform functionality, purpose, clientele and users.  The takeaways were; this platform's purpose was originally to create floor plans and maps for in-person events like trade shows, festivals, and exhibitions.  The platform was also semi-self-serve and the back end was substantially built out. We also learned clients were onboarded taught to create their own events aside from map creation. We started by created a site map of the attendee facing portion of the web app to which would help us in listing specs and requirements.  Our main task for phase one was to modernize and elevate the visual design, improve accessibility, and make minor UX improvements. 

INTERACTIVE NETWORKING

As a Product Design Director, my journey is a fusion of passion, creativity, and a love for coaching that began in the vibrant city of Toronto. From a young age, my canvas was the world of art and design, evolving from creating art and photography to studying Sculpture, Installation Art, and Photography at OCAD. My roots in experiential design within retail spaces honed my knack for crafting UX in physical environments, a love that propelled me into leadership.

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In my role, I discovered the joy of coaching and mentoring, a passion that fuels my excitement for seeing designers flourish. My journey began in visual display, where my drive and love for coaching led me into leadership, shaping my skills in creative direction and guiding new designers. Transitioning into UX was a natural evolution, bringing with me a wealth of skills that now contribute to my success as a Product Design Director.

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Leading a dynamic team, I'm on a mission to infuse excitement into the world of technology, not just creating solutions but weaving connections. Over 12 years of design leadership have seen me shape compelling user experiences, from SAAS and B2B solutions to analytics platforms, virtual events, AR, and cutting-edge 3D design software. Beyond titles, I'm a coach and mentor, finding joy in simplifying the complex and crafting deeply personal, engaging experiences.

Off the design grid, you'll find me on the softball diamond, sharing laughs at a comedy bar, or belting out tunes at a karaoke joint. Life, like design, is about letting the good times roll!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I lead a dynamic team of designers, channeling our creativity into crafting innovative and interactive experiences that redefine the possibilities of AR and AI technology. With over 12 years of design leadership, I've perfected the craft of shaping compelling user experiences, ranging from pioneering SAAS and B2B solutions to crafting interfaces for analytics platforms, virtual events, AR, and cutting-edge 3D design software. My expertise extends beyond traditional boundaries, fostering innovation and strategic design thinking in every project.

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I'm not just a Product Design Director; I'm also a coach and mentor. I find joy in navigating the twists and turns of creative problem-solving, fueled by the passion to make the complex simple. My commitment to crafting engaging, accessible, and practical experiences is more than professional – it's deeply personal. I thrive on developing high-impact concepts, collaborating within diverse teams, and relishing the challenge of solving complex problems. Because in the world of design, it's not just about creating solutions; it's about creating connections.

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Off the design grid, you might find me on the softball diamond, cracking up at a comedy bar, or belting out my favourite tunes at a karaoke joint. Let the good times roll!

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