Resume of Pabini Gabriel-Petit

Objective

To obtain challenging work leading user experience (UX) design, research, and strategy for an innovative company developing Web, mobile, or desktop applications.

Summary of Qualifications

Over 20 years of software-industry experience, managing UX groups; devising UX and product strategies that meet customer and business needs; envisioning, designing, specifying, and prototyping innovative, award-winning user interfaces for desktop, client, Web, and mobile applications; planning and conducting generative user research, expert reviews, and usability tests; performing task analyses; developing user profiles, or personas, and usage scenarios; and defining and documenting design patterns and guidelines. Innovative, creative problem solver. Excellent leadership, communication, cross-functional teamwork, and collaboration skills. Strong advocate for user-centered design, but accustomed to balancing needs of users with technical, business, and time constraints. Highly productive, while maintaining excellent quality.

Technical Skills

• Expertise in UX design—including conceptual modeling, interaction design, visual interface design, user interface text, information architecture, and information design—developed through more than 20 years of project work and extensive study
• Experience in generative user research, usability evaluation and testing, and user-centered design techniques—including task analysis, user profiling, and scenarios
• In-depth knowledge of design principles, guidelines, and patterns for hypertext and graphic user interfaces—including Windows, Mac OS, and Web applications; all aspects of product definition and development process and software business
• Excellent graphic design skills—including screen and page layouts; icon, custom control, indicator, and cursor design; and Photoshop prototypes
• Web prototyping—including XHTML/CSS page layouts
• Excellent writing and editing skills, with detailed knowledge of style guidelines
• Familiar with Web, client/server, mobile, and networking technologies; object-oriented development principles; and agile development methods
• Operating systems—Windows, Mac OS, UNIX
• Applications—Dreamweaver, Photoshop, PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Visio, OmniGraffle Professional, Illustrator, Acrobat Professional, Excel, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Skype, Outlook, WebEx, Movable Type, Yahoo! Mail, Gmail; Google Calendar, Analytics, Docs, and Sites; WebOffice, Basecamp, etcetera

Experience

VP, User Experience, scanR, Inc., 2008

Led UX strategy and design for scanR, a consumer application that lets users scan documents and whiteboards using a mobile phone’s camera and view them online.

• Collaborated with VP of Product on product strategy and marketing messaging.
• Collaborated with product team on design solutions. Wrote detailed UX specifications, conducted specification reviews, and iterated designs and specifications based on team’s feedback.
• Completely redesigned mobile Web application and site, improving its workflows, usability, and appearance, and devising an innovative interaction model for viewing document pages on a mobile phone.
• Redesigned Web site home page, navigation, marketing and signup pages; designed a new tour; and wrote marketing text for site. Designed a Japanese home page and Web-page navigation to satisfy unique requirements for Japanese market.
• Made incremental improvements to scanR Web application, designing a getting started wizard to ensure a successful first-time user experience and new features such as a photo uploader and Help panel, using Ajax interaction models and providing interactive user assistance.
• Created HTML/CSS mockups of Web pages for desktop and mobile browsers, Photoshop mockups of Web application pages, icons, buttons, and image resources.
• Created color palette and design and accessibility guidelines for scanR applications.
• Created lexicon for scanR products and wrote UI, marketing, and user assistance text.
• Worked collaboratively with Product Manager on designs for BlackBerry and Windows Mobile applications, refining their workflows and interaction models, and created user interface text and image resources.
• Managed contract visual designer, working on BlackBerry application and illustrations.
• Created wiki for all UX documentation and resources.
• Provided support to development, reviewed implementations, and reported bugs.

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

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

• Designed and built Web site (www.spiritsoftworks.com) for consultancy.
• Provided services to the following client companies:

Consulting Engagement: scanR, 2007–2008

Conceptual modeling and UX design for scanR Web application—including interaction design, visual design, and information architecture.

• Completed first iterations of redesigns for home page, getting started wizard, and gallery and page viewer for scanR Web application, designing workflows, Ajax interaction models, and navigation. Wrote detailed UX specifications and created mockups of Web pages and image resources in Photoshop.
• Created user profiles based on customer research.

Consulting Engagement: Google, 2007–2008

Conceptual modeling and UX design for Google Orders 1.0, an Ajax Web application that let employees process and approve AdWords orders more efficiently and effectively, so had significant business impact.

• Interviewed and observed users to understand their needs and tasks.
• Devised workflows and interaction models, wrote detailed UX specifications, and created page mockups and image resources in Photoshop—including buttons and icons.
• Developed conceptual models and mockups for a social Help application.

Consulting Engagement: Stravati, 2006

Product and UX strategy, conceptual modeling, and UX design for version 1.0 of a social GTD (Getting Things Done) task and project management Web application. Analyzed user experiences of competitive products. Performed a task analysis and designed workflows, Ajax interaction models, and page layouts. Wrote detailed UX specifications. Created XHTML/CSS page mockups and image resources.

Consulting Engagement: BLive Networks, 2005–2006

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

• Performed expert review of BLive client and Web applications.
• Defined product and usability requirements.
• Established standard terminology, branding, and color palette. Revised all user interface text, including menus, labels, and error messages.
• Performed task analyses. Wrote usage scenarios.
• Designed workflows, interaction models, and user interfaces, including icons and controls. Wrote detailed UX specifications. Created XHTML/CSS mockups of Web application pages; Photoshop prototypes of client and Web application user interfaces.

Consulting Engagement: Cisco Systems, 2004–2005

UX strategy and design. Brought consistency to Cisco commercial desktop and Web applications for small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs), improving user experience and reducing development costs. Developed interaction design patterns and visual design standards and guidelines for

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

Consulting Engagement: Tellme, 2004

Designed and specified voice user interfaces (VUIs).

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

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

• Set vision and developed business plan for magazine.
• Established editorial policy and style guidelines.
• Designed and developed XHTML/CSS layout for UXmatters Web site.
• Recruit and manage UXmatters team and contributors.
• Edit, format, and publish content.

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

Devised UX strategy, built UX group, and managed UX design and specification, usability testing, and technical publications. Designed user interfaces and wrote detailed specifications for innovative, award-winning online meeting client software, Web applications, and desktop applications. 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 an 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.
• Designed icons, cursors, indicators, and custom controls.
• Developed HTML/CSS templates for Web pages, online Help, and specifications.
• Devised and documented product terminology and style guidelines.
• 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 design problems.

Contract User Experience Designer & Usability Professional, Expert Support, Inc., 1998–1999

Provided UX design and specification and expert review services to clients, including WebEx Communications, Chemdex, and Whistle Communications.

User Experience Architect, Spirit Softworks, 1993–1997

Devised product strategy, determined feature set, and designed an innovative user interface for a collaborative authoring application, for single-source print and Web publishing, with multi-level undo, tagging, document review, and version control. Specified interactions and designed visual elements, including icons. Decomposed functionality into a suite of OpenDoc parts.

Contract User Experience Designer, Apple Computer, 1995–1996

Designed user interfaces for TRACS client/server software and test tools.

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

Designed interactions and wrote on-screen text for AppleTalk networking applications, including Apple Internet Router 2.0, improving their usability and consistency. Designed an innovative object-oriented development environment with a dynamic layout grid. Facilitated and observed usability tests and solved usability problems. Contributed to user interfaces for AppleSearch, OpenDoc, and Apple Guide.

Technical Communications Manager, Quantum, 1989–1991

Built Quantum’s technical publications group. Assigned, scheduled, and supervised tasks of technical writers and illustrators. Designed and edited installation guides and product manuals. Developed Quantum Publications Style Guide.

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

Contributed to FullWrite Professional 2.0 user interface design. Wrote UX specifications, user interface text, and alert messages. Established specification guidelines.

Lead/Senior/Contract Technical Writer—9 years of experience

Designed and wrote user and administrator guides, Help, and developer documentation for Expert Support, Kaleida, Apple Computer, Ashton-Tate, Mitsubishi Pro Audio Group, Hybrid Arts, and BGW Systems.

Publications

Web Magazine:

UXmatters (www.uxmatters.com)

Articles:

• “Specialists Versus Generalists: A False Dichotomy?”—UXmatters, February 2009
• “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), Founder, 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 Emeritus Editorial Board Member and Guest Editor, May + June 2005 issue

Education & Professional Conferences

• CHI 2007—San Jose, CA—My review on UXmatters
• 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 Applications 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—Apple University Courses:
• Human Interface Design
• Advanced Human Interface Design
• Icon Design
• Usability Testing
• University of California Extension, Santa Cruz, 1990—Certificate in Management of Publications and Documentation. Completed twelve courses.

• 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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