Resume of Pabini Gabriel-Petit

Objective

To obtain challenging work as a user experience (UX) architect and strategist.

Summary of Qualifications

20 years of software-industry experience, managing UX design and technical publications groups; devising UX and product strategies; creating user profiles; performing task analyses; developing usage scenarios; designing, specifying, and prototyping user interfaces for desktop, client, and Web applications; performing expert reviews; planning and conducting usability tests; and defining design patterns and guidelines. Innovative, creative problem solver. Excellent leadership, communication, cross-functional teamwork, and collaboration skills. Highly productive, while maintaining excellent quality.

Technical Skills

• Expertise in UX design—including interaction design, information architecture, visual interface design, information design, usability evaluation and testing, and user-centered design techniques—developed through more than 15 years of project work and extensive study
• Expertise in UX and product strategy
• In-depth knowledge of graphic user interface, Web 2.0, and hypertext design principles, guidelines, and patterns; and all aspects of the product definition, design, and development process; and the business of software
• Graphic design and Web-publishing skills, including screen layout; XHTML/CSS page layout; icon, custom control, indicator, and cursor design; and online Help design
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with detailed knowledge of The Microsoft Manual of Style and Apple Publications Style Guide
• Familiar with Web, client/server, and networking technologies; object-oriented development principles; and agile development methods
• Operating systems—Windows, Mac OS, UNIX
• Application programs—Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Visio, Illustrator, PowerPoint, Visual Basic, Acrobat Professional, Microsoft Word, FrameMaker, Outlook, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, RoboHELP, Microangelo, Excel

Experience

Founder and Principal User Experience Architect, Spirit Softworks LLC, 2003–present

Consultancy providing a full range of UX strategy and design services.

• Designed and developed Web site (www.spiritsoftworks.com) for consultancy.
• Provided UX strategy and design and usability evaluation services to the following client companies:

Consulting Engagement: Stravati, 2006

Product and UX strategy, conceptual modeling, and UX design for a GTD (Getting Things Done) task and project management Web application that lets users share personal or workgroup project information with a community of friends or colleagues, respectively.

• Analyzed the user experiences of competitive products.
• Performed a task analysis.
• Designed workflows and RIA (Rich Internet Application) user interaction models.
• Wrote detailed UX specifications for signup, account setup, and login.
• Designed Web page layouts and custom buttons.
• Created HTML/CSS mockups of Web application pages.

Consulting Engagement: BLive Networks, 2005–2006

UX strategy and design for BLive client and Ajax Web applications, which let product support, customer service, or sales representatives communicate with Web site visitors via chat, view shared desktops, and send files.

• Performed an expert review of the BLive client and Web applications.
• Defined product and usability requirements.
• Performed task analyses, wrote usage scenarios.
• Designed workflows and interactions and wrote detailed UX specifications.
• Established standard terminology and branding; revised all menus, labeling, and error messages.
• Designed user interfaces, including screen layouts, icons, and custom controls.
• Created XHTML/CSS mockups of Web application pages.
• Created Photoshop prototypes of client and Web application user interfaces.

Consulting Engagement: Cisco Systems, 2004–2005

Worked on a UX strategy project to bring consistency to Cisco commercial desktop and Web applications for small-to-medium-sized businesses. Developed interaction design patterns and visual design standards and guidelines for

• navigation
• search
• graphs
• reports
• menus and toolbars

Consulting Engagement: Tellme, 2004

Specified voice interfaces.

Founder, Publisher, and Editor in Chief, UXmatters, 2005–present

A Web magazine (www.uxmatters.com) providing insights and inspiration for the UX community.

• Set the vision for the magazine.
• Developed a business plan for the magazine.
• Established the editorial policy for the magazine.
• Built and managing the UXmatters team.
• Designed and created the XHTML/CSS layout for the UXmatters Web site.
• Editing and publishing content.

User Experience Manager, WebEx Communications, Inc., 2000–2002

Devised UX strategy and established UX group. Managed UX design and specification, usability testing, and technical publications. Working from marketing requirements, designed user experiences and wrote detailed specifications for innovative, award-winning online meeting client software and Web applications and application programs. Contributed to product definition and software architecture.

• Designed and specified user experiences for revisions of Meeting Center client and Web applications, OnStage/Event Center client, and OnCall Web application, dramatically improving usability, consistency, and appearance.
• Designed and specified client-software user experience for Training Center 1.0.
• Designed and specified information architecture, navigation, and interaction models for WebEx Enterprise Edition; created storyboards and mockups.
• Defined feature set and designed and specified user experience for WebEx Recording Editor 1.0, working within existing engineering constraints.
• Created storyboards for innovative collaboration and communications client.
• Designed user experience for Shopping Together, a social shopping experience.
• Established and documented design guidelines for client and Web applications.
• Mentored and reviewed work of interaction designers, graphic designers, usability test facilitators, and documentation manager.
• Developed Web-page templates.
• Designed icons, cursors, indicators, and custom controls.
• Developed standards and templates for specifications and online Help.
• Established style guidelines for WebEx publications and product terminology and documented them in the WebEx Glossary.
• Planned and established guidelines and procedures for usability testing. Wrote test scenarios, scripts, and questionnaires. Observed usability test sessions. Evaluated usability test reports and devised solutions for identified user-interface design problems.

Contract User Experience Designer & Technical Writer, Expert Support, Inc., 1998–2000

Provided UX design, expert review, and technical writing and editing services to the following client companies:

Consulting Engagement: Whistle Communications, a subsidiary of IBM, 1998–1999

Designed user interfaces for Autoconfiguration Wizard, InterJet II Setup, and WhistleWare—system software for the InterJet.

• Wrote WhistleWare UX specifications.
• Wrote and edited user and administrator documentation.
• Established style guidelines and developed the online reference Whistle Communications Style Guide, using RoboHelp.

Consulting Engagement: pcOrder, 1999

Wrote user and developer documentation for CommerceStation.

Consulting Engagement: Chemdex, 1999-2000

For Remote Link and Catalog Link—B2B e-commerce software for life sciences industry—provided expert reviews and wrote online Help.

Consulting Engagement: WebEx Communications, Inc., 2000

Provided an expert review of Meeting Center and wrote developer documentation.

User Experience Architect, Spirit Softworks, 1993–1997

Founder of startup. Devised product strategy, determined feature set, and designed an innovative user interface for a collaborative authoring application, for single-source publishing in print and on the Web, that featured tagging, document review, and version control. Specified interactions and designed visual elements, including icons. Decomposed functionality into a suite of OpenDoc parts.

Instructional Design & Training Consultant, Oracle, 1997

Developed and taught a technical-writing course for engineers.

Contract User Experience Designer, Apple Computer, 1995–1996

Contributed to user interface design for TRACS, client/server software for tracking testing assignments. Interviewed users and analyzed tasks. Designed user interfaces for test tools.

Contract Senior Technical Writer, Kaleida Labs, 1993–1994

Designed and wrote ScriptX developer guides. Contributed to naming of ScriptX core classes, variables, and methods.

Human Interface Engineer, Apple Computer, Enterprise Systems Division, 1992–1993

Designed user interactions for AppleTalk networking applications and an object-oriented development environment.

• Contributed to interaction design for Apple Internet Router 2.0 software, improving its usability and consistency. Wrote on-screen text and alert messages. Solved problems discovered through usability testing.
• Contributed to user interfaces for OpenDoc and Apple Guide.
• Wrote concise, clear alert messages for networking applications, including Apple Internet Router, AppleTalk Remote Access, and AppleSearch.
• Participated in usability testing of software products.
• Created an alert-message database in FileMaker Pro, allowing engineers to reuse or modify existing alert messages.

Senior Technical Writer, Apple Computer, Enterprise Systems Division (ESD), 1991–1992

Designed and wrote user and administrator guides, online Help, and developer documentation for AppleTalk networking products. Performed user and task analyses. Provided task-oriented instructions and detailed troubleshooting information.

Technical Communications Manager, Quantum, 1989–1991

Built Quantum’s technical publications group from the ground up. Assigned, scheduled, and supervised tasks of senior technical writers and technical illustrators.

• Created document designs for installation guides and product manuals.
• Developed Quantum Publications Style Guide.
• Edited product manuals—both developmental and copy editing.
• Wrote installation guides and product manuals.

User Interface Designer, Ashton•Tate, Macintosh Division, 1989

Contributed to user interface design for FullWrite Professional 2.0.

• Wrote specifications, on-screen text, and alert messages.
• Established functional-specification guidelines.

Lead Technical Writer, Ashton•Tate, Macintosh Division, 1987–1988

Led a team of technical writers.

• Wrote Documentation Design Specification for FullWrite Professional 2.0.
• Developed Ashton•Tate Macintosh Style Guide.
• Wrote and edited user guides for FullWrite Professional 1.0, dBASE Mac.

Contract Technical Writer, 1986–1987

Wrote user and technical guides for MIDI software and audio hardware products for Mitsubishi Pro Audio Group, Hybrid Arts, BGW Systems.

Publications & Speaking Engagements

Articles

• “Sharing Ownership of UX”—UXmatters, May 2007
• “Book Review: Information Dashboard Design”—UXmatters, April 2007
• “Ensuring Accessibility for People With Color-Deficient Vision”—UXmatters, February 2007
• “Applying Color Theory to Digital Displays”—UXmatters, January 2007
• “By the People, for the People”—UXmatters, November 2006
• “Book Review: Paper Prototyping”—UXmatters, May 2006
• “Why UX Should Matter to Software Companies”—UXmatters, March 2006
• “Color Theory for Digital Displays: A Quick Reference: Part I”—UXmatters, January 2006
• “Color Theory for Digital Displays: A Quick Reference: Part II”—UXmatters, January 2006
• “UXnet Local Ambassadors: Building a Global Community One Locale at a Time”—UXmatters, January 2006, with John Ferrara and Louis Rosenfeld
• “Welcome to UXmatters”—UXmatters, November 2005
• “Whose Profession Is It Anyway?”—Interactions, May + June 2005
• Event Review: “Getting Your Design Built”—BayCHI, February 2005
• Event Review: “The Future of Digital Product Design”—BayDUX, December 2004

For my conference reviews on UXmatters, see “Education & Professional Conferences.”

Speaking Engagements

• “Welcome to Frontiers of Interaction III”—Via video, June 2007
• “The Shifting Role of Design”——Panelist, IxDA, December 2006
• “Getting from Concept to Realization: The Role of UX in Product Development”—Keynote Speaker, Interaction Frontiers, June 2006
• “The Future of Digital Product Design”—Panelist, BayDUX, December 2004
• “User Experience: Why Do So Many Organizations Believe They Own It?”—Panelist, BayCHI, October 2004
• “Technical Writing for Engineers”—Presented a 3-day workshop at Oracle, 1997

Professional Associations & Leadership

Interaction Design Association (IxDA), Emeritus Member of Board of Directors and Local Coordinator for Silicon Valley; BayDUX, Co-Chair and Organization Liaison for IxDA; UXnet, Local Ambassador for San Francisco Bay Area; BayCHI, IxD BOF (Birds of a Feather) Leader; SIGCHI, Interactions Editorial Board Member and Guest Editor, May + June 2005 issue

Education & Professional Conferences

CHI 2007—San Jose, CA—Review forthcoming

IA Summit 2007—Las Vegas, NV—My review on UXmatters

UIE Web App Summit 2007—Monterey, CA—Tutorial: Deconstructing Web Applications—My review on UXmatters

Edward Tufte’s Presenting Data and Information, 2006—Santa Clara, CA

Future of Web Apps 2006—San Francisco, CA

Interaction Frontiers 2006—Milano, Italy

The Web and Beyond 2006—Amsterdam, The Netherlands—My review on UXmatters

Strategy06—Chicago, IL—My review on UXmatters

CHI 2006—Montreal, Canada—My review on UXmatters

• Designing for the Scent of Information
• The Goldilocks Content Framework
• Repositioning User Experience as a Strategic Process
• The Art of Speaking

IA Summit 2006—Vancouver, Canada—My review on UXmatters

• Interaction Design Symposium
• Information Architecture and Findability

DUX2005—San Francisco, CA—My review on UXmatters

CHI 2005—Portland, OR—Development Consortium

UCSC Extension, 1998—XML: The Universal Publishing Format

CHI 1992—Monterey, CA—Tutorials on usability testing

Apple Computer, 1991–1993

• Human Interface Design
• Advanced Human Interface Design
• Icon Design
• Usability Testing

William Horton Seminars, 1991

• Beyond Words: Visual Literacy for Technical Communication
• Designing and Writing Online Documentation

STC 1990—Santa Clara, CA

University of California Extension, Santa Cruz, 1990

Certificate in Management of Publications and Documentation. Completed twelve courses, including:

• Estimating, Scheduling, and Tracking Documentation Projects
• Developing a Document Plan

Santa Monica College, 1978–1983

Certificate in Interior Design and Space Planning; two-year program. Completed courses in ergonomics, color theory, drafting, rendering, photography, music theory, and dance.

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