20 Years of Experience As an Information Architect/Interaction Designer and Visual Designer

20 Years of Experience As an Information Architect/Interaction Designer and Visual Designer

Kevin Barrack

email:

phone: 650-276-6505

portfolio: waxyleaves.com

PROFILE

•20 years of experience as an Information Architect/Interaction Designer and Visual Designer

•A facility for conceiving experiences in new ways

•Mobile design experience for iPhone, BlackBerry, mobile web and some iPad

•A thorough understanding of visual hierarchy for usability

•An absolute comfort creating and proposing a design strategy to meet business requirements

•Extensive collaborative experience with researchers to evaluate testing requirements, create user testing flows and create testing prototypes

•A knack at collaboration with Engineering, Design, Writing and Business Teams

•A passionate drive to keep work fun

EMPLOYMENT EXPERIENCE

Freelance 2013 to Present

•Worked on interaction design and visual design projects.

Author, Just Keep It Simple: for Adobe Photoshop CS6 2013

•Wrote book for Kindle aimed at beginner Photoshop users who find other books assume too much about their skills.

Replicon 2012 to 2013

Senior UX Designer

•Designed the visuals and complex functionality for time tracking and reporting software

•Explored infographics solutions

•Conceived of new interactivity to vastly improve the usability of legacy software

•Created medium-fidelity prototypes using CSS animations

SAP Labs 2010 to 2011

Senior Concept Interaction Designer

•Designed for the iPad

• Designed for the iPhone

• Designed desktop and stand-alone applications

•Designed applications for executives, consumers, and industry specialists

•Created detailed wireframes

•Worked with concept leads to identify use cases and relevant research available

•Provided leadership to outside agencies, guiding them toward ideal solutions

Rearden Commerce 2008 to 2010

Senior Interaction Designer

•Reimagined key flows and pages of flagship travel commerce product

•Designed experiences for iPhone, BlackBerry and mobile web products

•Designed new methods of buying travel, adding new and complex functionality

•Created test plans for user testing

•Tackled internationalization issues

•A habit of crafting first-rate wireframes, functional specifications and interaction flows

•A proficiency at creating excellent logic flowcharts and use cases

•An ability to perform proficient heuristic evaluation, comparative analysis, content audit and content inventory

Walmart.com 2001 to 2008

Information Architect 2006 - 2008

•Solved critical navigation issues during 2006 site redesign

•Redefined CMS module setup process to optimize for ease of use and efficiency

•Defined experiences for development projects, creating use cases, logic flows and detailed wireframes to meet business objectives

•Collaborated with business partners, engineers, UI writers, UI designers and marketing designers

•Presented proposals to executives

•Specified modules which conform to ADA compliance guidelines

•Comfortable and successful public speaking skills

Designer up to Art Director 2001 - 2006

•Redesigned product page

•Defined new UI design standards for Checkout

•Proposed new file management standards for online assets

•Designed and oversaw design on development projects

•Insured seamless rollout of marketing campaigns across the site

Petopia.com, Senior Graphic Designer1999 to 2001

•Redesigned look and feel of site as part of brainstorming team

•Solved user experience problems in search process

•Designed navigation systems

•Created UI schematics

•Art directed production artists

Women.com Networks, Graphic Designer1998 to 1999

•Designed visual presentation of navigation

•Designed iconography system

•Designed featured imagery across site

•Managed and art directed Production Artist

Barbary Coast Interactive, Graphic Designer1997 to 1998

•Designed look, feel and interface for prototype educational website

EDUCATION

Academy of Art College, San Francisco, CA

B.F.A., With Distinction, Computer Art

UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA

General education studies

SOFTWARE

Proficient Use: Dreamweaver, HTML, Illustrator, InVision, Lightroom, Omnigraffle, Photoshop, Visio

Moderate Use: Acrobat, CSS, Excel, PowerPoint, Word

Some Use: After Effects

Things I used to be pretty darn good at, but haven't touched in years: Electric Image, Form*Z, JavaScript

DISTINCTIONS

•Publication in The Illustrator 7 Wow! Book (1997)

•Featured artist in the Adobe Gallery (July 1997)

•Designed and animated NBC peacock sweeper which showed primetime throughout 1997