Unveiling a Process
On my journey, I discovered an insightful gem: a process that guides the building, leading, and directing of UX teams, helping shape software platforms and the experiences that follow. This precise and efficient approach cuts through the extraneous to identify what is essential, optimizing creative energy, keeping cross-functional teams moving, and delivering amazing products. Its effectiveness shines in complex environments where tasks, timing, roles, and relationships must harmonize for the organization, team, and product to succeed.
As a UX Architect and Product Designer, I transform complex processes into intuitive user interfaces. My services span user research, interaction and visual design, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing. By collaborating closely with stakeholders, I align design strategies with business goals, continuously iterating based on user feedback.
Inside the UX Workflow | View the Flow Diagram
Mirror of Change
An outcome of the process can be immediately understood by looking at what is called the "Before and After." These short, single-screen design exercises are achieved in a few hours, incorporating the four key disciplines of the UX Diamond: research, interaction design, visual design, and prototyping. The "Before" image shows the state of an experience as it was; the "After" image displays the improved output, demonstrating a clear, user-centered transformation.
This method not only highlights the immediate impact of UX improvements but also emphasizes the iterative nature of the design process. By focusing on critical areas of user interaction and feedback, the "After" state showcases enhancements in usability, accessibility, and delight. These visual comparisons effectively communicate the value of UX design, making complex improvements easily understandable and actionable for stakeholders.
See Results |
Process: United Airlines | BattleCamp | Bambee | Flashfunders
Mission, Critical
Fault-tolerant, high capacity, massively parallel machines, responsible for completing billions of transactions, tracking financial ledgers and guaranteeing the airplane you’re in ... lands. XYPRO SecurityOne™ helps secure such critical infrastructure.
Those computers move and shake our world, but you have probably never heard of them; HPE NonStops. They’re expensive, super exclusive machines with a niche set of users running purpose built custom software.
See Results |
Screens:
Global Search,
Security Intelligence,
Object Security,
Event Intelligence.
Relevance is Key
At MD Insider our goal was to create a software platform easing the burden in finding the highest quality doctor near you, and specific to your needs. The result is a highly relevant score, based on objective doctor performance, not subjective review scores. I was responsible for leading, managing and directing the UX process and design efforts. See the culmination of our efforts at Cedars-Sinai. Here is a motion concept used to explain doctor scores,
and a proposal I presented when introducing the idea of ditching the doctor score.
See Results | Research:
Moderator Script |
Session Notes |
Summarized Results |
UserTesting.com sessions
Driving Beyond Limits
Merging a love for keyboard racing, computer games, and interfaces, I captured every exhibition and championship during a recent Forza Horizon 4 playthrough. To elevate the experience above common gameplay footage, I recorded my keyboard input and presented it as a real-time overlay using a themed keymap built for NohBoard. The cockpit POV footage features unbeatable difficulty, manual shifting, and no assists, showcasing intense performances. I mastered the audio to normalize signal, focus the stereo image, highlight specific frequencies, and reduce compression artifacts, emphasizing the engines' visceral nature. The full video showcases 160 races with 85 cars clocking in over 7 hours long.
See Results |
Full Video |
Championship Races |
Race Log Spreadsheet |
Steam Guide
Iterative Thought
From simple doodles emerged a study of iteration. A few rules were established: draw squares that connect to one another without crossing the boundaries of any previous square. Over many generations of hand-drawn images, the squares began to elongate, distort, curve, and eventually overlap, enveloping one another. In some drawings, you can see accumulation, fills, and other stylized flourishes with large swaths of negative space. Later drawings introduced surface detail, typography, color, and perspective. In this latest iteration the artist is removed from the rendering process, with only a reference image and specific prompt engineering driving the final visualization.
See Results |
Autodraw on Instagram
The Art of Selection
Generative art benefits from advances in big data, machine learning models, neural networks, and software tools. It is controversial because it can create deceptively hyper-realistic visuals that lack an authentic human source of inspiration. Instead, it provides a simulation of an approximate source through the use of algorithmically created symbols and signs, pretending to be a faithful copy of an original. These tools displace the human mode of externalized expression in image creation, generating real-time, computed simulacra instead.
I've dipped my toes into this world, and it's fascinating. The process and results are truly revolutionary and I'm not using hyperbole here. Generative art is here; the future is now.
See Results |
Seer of Selection on Instagram
Get Your Ride On!
Zwift and IndieVelo are massively multiplayer online cycling programs enabling users to interact, train and compete in their virtual worlds. Users attach a bike to a smart trainer detecting power output and biometric performance data while providing resistance; challenging the athlete to emulate the real world through the game world.
I've ridden thousands of hours in the simulations over the last few years but don't spend much time interacting with the world while in it - I set it and forget it, as they say.
To increase engagement and lessen my lurker tendencies I've leveraged the Elgato Stream Deck line of products to provide an elegent yet practical solve with quick and easy shortcuts, as opposed to tapping away on a keyboard or fumble with a mouse. I crafted icons, mapped key commands and designed a layout in a profile you can download from the Elgato Marketplace. I even have a snazzy solve for mounting the device to your bike.
See Results |
Zwift Forums |
for Zwift |
for IndieVelo
Melody Refined
Music is near and dear to me. It is a tool to create, a form of expression; my place of bliss and flow.
I financed and directed a remaster of my full-length 2006 release of Provenance with Gabriele Brombin on illustration and Gene Williams mastering. The objective was to bring up production values of the album to contemporary standards, elevate the sonic presence of the compositions and sweeten the aesthetic presentation. Released as a Bandcamp exclusive on 02-22-2022.
See the Artwork |
Preview on Bandcamp |
Preview on Soundcloud |
Watch on Youtube
Makin' Games
CryEngine (by Crytek) enables modders to get into the game engine and build dynamic experiences as the developer would. Coming from a 3D background I was familiar with complex software, so this was a comfortable space for me. Most of my time was spent learning the ins and outs of CryEngine, how to build maps and fill them with content by leveraging existing assets the developer used in the game. Story, music, sound effects, and gameplay elements I created when needed.
Mischief in Paradise |
on ModDB |
Gameplay |
PC Action Article |
FreezeFrame |
on ModDB |
Gameplay |
Soundtrack
Nights Lost in Flight
A classic straight from a golden era of gaming. Microprose F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0 was a flight simulator tasking you in plunging behind enemy lines and take surveillance photos, destroy SAM radar installations or sink a gun boat without being seen. For that generation of game it was beautifully complex and stunning in detail and I spent hours in it. To properly experience the simulation required a paper keyboard overlay with 87 key commands, which has been lost to time.
Enter the Elgato Stream Deck; a small configurable keypad with customizable LED displays for each key. I put two and two together and re-created the icons from the paper overlay (styled in the spirit of the originals), mapped the key commands to the Stream Deck, defined a layout methodology, exporting to a Stream Deck profile you can download for use in the game. No paper overlay required. Now available for Stream Deck MK1, MK2, Mini, Plus, and XL.
See Results |
on Elgato Marketplace |
on ModDB |
Remastered Keyboard Overlay |
on Steam
Invasion of Improvisation
Building on interests in my recent Stream Deck modifications for Microprose F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0, I decided to completely overhaul the icons, layout schemes and profile maps to new hardware Elgato recently announced. With the new products came improved screen resolutions, control options and refined software integration - so I jumped at the opportunity and extended support to a total of 5 Stream Deck models.
The precursor to F-117A was F-19 Stealth Fighter. Same themes, simpler graphics, but epic gameplay. It was a big release for Microprose setting the course for its flight simulation series over the next decade. With a similar gameplay and control scheme to F-117A it was a logical choice to support the game with a custom set of icons, layouts and profiles for use with the Stream Deck. No paper overlay required. Now available for Stream Deck MK1, MK2, Mini, Plus, and XL.
See Results |
on Elgato Marketplace |
on ModDB |
Remastered Keyboard Overlay |
on Steam
Trip the Night Fantastic
Storytelling takes on multiple expressions with the many mediums technology enables today. Mix a Long Dark gameplay stream, weave in a drama through voice and musical cues, enhance and tell a new narrative. A hiker comes across a worn book chronicling the story of one man's ill-fated adventure from a time forgotten. This visual telling of his last days is "The Lost Journal of a Stalker."
Episode One | Season One
