Marie Thacker: UX DESIGNER + DESIGN DIRECTOR

Passionate and focused design professional looking to put my extensive background of 14 years toward leading the user experience for a business’ UX or Web design team.

• Proven track record of successfully translating client’s vision and goals into a powerful and attractive design, incorporating brand concepts while creating effective user-centric features.
• Unique combination of expertise in Web design, UI/UX design, strategy, development, and targeted business goals, which contributes to a thorough understanding of the entire project lifecycle.
• Able to successfully resolve design and UI challenges, and execute effective resolutions.
• Successfully manage a team of designers to ensure proper workflow and meet strict deadlines.
• Collaborated on projects with numerous clients including ACLU, Alaska Airlines, Amazon.com, The Boeing Company, Classmates.com, The Cobalt Group, Humane Society of the United States and PopCap Games.
   

CORE COMPETENCIES

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Platforms: Mac, Windows, UNIX
Tools: Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, ImageReady, Illustrator, InDesign, Flash, Fireworks, Dreamweaver), SVN version control, OmniGraffle
Development: CSS, XHTML, DHTML, AJAX, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, Drupal

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

UX DESIGN CONSULTANT, MarieThacker.com | Seattle, WA | 1996 to Present
Serve as contract designer and art director to businesses nationwide, focused on UX design & strategy.
Ascertain client needs and vision, offering counsel on effective online solutions.

• Provide design and marketing expertise to businesses small and large, in a variety of different industries.
• Responsible for defining the creative direction of business's online presence.
• Take the majority of projects from start to finish, which includes: concepts, design, production, programming, testing, launch, and ongoing maintenance.
• Successfully collaborated with in-house design teams on a wide variety of projects for clients including Amazon.com, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, The Cobalt Group, DexKnows, Idearc Superpages, PopCap Games, and many more.
   

FOUNDER, SparkleShelf.com | Seattle, WA | 10/2007 to 08/2009
Sparkle*Shelf is a vibrant social network and webzine for fashion and beauty addicts.
Founded and managed this social network / webzine.  Contributed entirely to the concept, design, development, and maintenance for this website. Managed editorial team, developed and implemented new features, optimized overall website and conversion optimization. Acted as primary contact for biz dev, marketing and advertising.

• Successfully sold sparkleshelf.com in August '09 to a Seattle start-up
• Developed and designed the business brand, logo and identity
• Created the UX, UI and visual design for the website
• Responsible for website development, database setup, and maintenance
• Lead an editorial team of 15 writers, created content calendar, and provided  editing and approvals.
• Acted as marketing and biz dev contact
• Analyzed stats and continually optimized for conversion and usability.
• Successfully built a community of thousands of registered members unique visitors on a limited budget.
   

WEB ART DIRECTOR, PopCap Games | Seattle, WA | 06/2006 to 10/2007
PopCap Games is a leading casual game developer, releasing best selling titles such as Bejeweled, Zuma, Bookworm and Chuzzle.
Established and managed the creative vision and user experience for PopCap.com. Provided art direction, strategic planning, created innovative solutions for design challenges, managing the design team, and interfaced with other departments.

• Key stakeholder involved in strategic decisions affecting PopCap.com
• Established an in-house team of designers and front-end developers.
• Upon hire, lead a successful total site redesign, which greatly improved the usability and contributed to an
  increase in conversions.
• Manage an ongoing effort to optimize site performance that lead to increased conversion.
• Manage a wide variety of projects including site optimization, website features, HTML newsletter, marketing
  campaigns, new game releases, and customer support projects.
• Implemented customer feedback tool, and constantly analyze data for best optimization and performance.
• Required familiarity with Web Metrics data using Omniture, as well as knowledge of HCI and UI standards.
• Responsible for team planning, budget, hiring, management, contractor management, resource allocation,
  scheduling, and mentoring.
   

DIRECTOR OF UX & CREATIVE, CarDomain Network | Seattle, WA | 03/2006 to 06/2006
CarDomain Network is the web's largest community of car enthusiasts, also providing one-stop shopping for car audio and performance parts.
Lead the visual design and user experience for the company’s online community and retail store. Also managed and art directed offline marketing print collateral. Responsibilities included interfacing with multiple departments to accurately translate goals to designers, writing design briefs, provided design direction and lead the creative vision for the company.

• Required a thorough understanding of the creative design process, UI (user interface) design, branding strategy and cross-departmental project management.
• Managed a team of designers and developers, providing mentorship and team building.
• Implemented a new project process and team strategy to increase efficiency and better allocation of resources.
   

DESIGN DIRECTOR, Donordigital | San Francisco, CA (based in Seattle) | 04/2004 to 03/2006
Donordigital provides online marketing and fundraising solutions for non-profits, advocacy and candidates.
Managed the design and development for all projects supporting offices in San Francisco and Washington D.C. Responsibilities included art direction, creating visually compelling designs, and managing a team of designers and production staff. Projects included online marketing campaigns, interactive media projects, and website designs for clients such as ACLU, AARP, Amnesty International, Girl Scouts of America, The Human Rights Campaign, Humane Society of the United States and NARAL Pro-Choice America.

• Required a thorough understanding of all aspects of web design, programming, and Flash.
• Required extensive knowledg of online marketing strategies, management of employees and project management.
• Upon hire, implemented a company wide project management process and online management tool that increased efficiency and scheduling of project lifecycle.
• Introduced an increased quality standard for designs and maintain quality consistency.
• Established and managed a team of designers, developers, and production staff.
   

SENIOR WEB DESIGNER, Classmates.com | Renton, WA | 08/2002 to 04/2004
Classmates.com is a service-oriented Website with over 200 employees.
Served as lead designer and art director for a team of designers. Responsible for creating fresh concepts and designs for major projects. Interfaced daily with marketing, copywriters and developers to create visually engaging interfaces for new and existing products. Provide art direction to junior designers to improve their design skills.

• Key member involved in a major re-branding, which included development of a style guide, branding guidelines and supporting the brand across all media.
• Lead designer for corporate website redesign initiative, and redesign of email products.
   

DESIGN DIRECTOR, Ash White Multimedia LLC | Seattle, WA | 1999 to 2002
Oversaw start-up of a creative agency specializing in Internet marketing strategies and Website design.
Served as design & technical lead for all projects. Managed creative and technical issues including concept, brand management, design, and development.

•  Received recognition as “Site of the Day” from Macromedia for Flash site, ashwhite.com.
   

SENIOR WEB DESIGNER, The Cobalt Group | Seattle, WA | 1998 to 2001
The Cobalt Group assists automotive dealers and manufacturers by providing innovative e-business technology.
Created website designs and interactive Flash movies for custom projects. Oversaw projects from conception to completion, serving as liaison between Sales, Marketing, Development, and Creative teams.

• Coached new employees on Website design/development and software use.
• Served as Lead Designer and key contributor to launch of the Flash template library, which greatly improved operational efficiency and design offerings.
   

AFFILIATIONS

AIGA member, SIG GRAPH member, SIG CHI member
 

EDUCATION

BA General Art, Design and Painting Emphasis, 1996, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington