user interface design for the web
<< index

Résumé

I'm a user interface designer looking for opportunities to tackle interesting usability challenges that will grow my skills at cognitive and visual design prototyping techniques.

Contact Info

Andrew D. Simchik
contact@druidesign.com
Foster City, CA

Skills

  • User interface design
  • Rapid prototyping
  • HTML, DHTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript
  • Usability testing
  • Multinational usability
  • French (conversant)
  • Spanish (basic)
  • Japanese (basic)

Fulltime work

Producer, Usability Specialist for Vendio (San Mateo, CA) July 2002 - present
Usability expert on Production team responsible for complete user experience of Vendio online sales management service and Dealio comparison shopping engine and deal community.
  • Design and implement interactive applications and marketing web pages using PHP, JavaScript, and HTML.
  • Design and produce graphic elements, including interface icons, button graphics, banner ads, and display text.
  • Administer usability evaluations by recruiting and scheduling subjects, running tests, and writing test reports and recommendations.

Highlights include:
  • Dealio Toolbar browser plug-in, enabling users to view a rotating feed of hot deals and alerting them when it finds a lower price on a product they're browsing.
  • Dealio Lists application design, enabling users to create wishlists with built-in comparison shopping.
  • Evolution of Dealio website from simple product search and deals community to a fully integrated mashup of products, deals, and coupons.
  • Sales Manager Inventory Edition, a bulk-edit-capable inventory management system for high-volume online sellers, winner of eBay's Star Developer Award for Most Innovative Application in 2005.
  • Full Vendio site rebranding and redesign.
  • Lead design role on numerous Vendio features, including Template Workshop, Reviser, and Buyer Appreciation.
Senior User Interface Designer for AvantGo (San Mateo, CA) May 2000 - November 2001
  • Designed and tested user interface elements for both consumer and enterprise AvantGo services, including the AvantGo Wireless feature.
  • Ensured cross-platform (Palm OS, Windows CE, and RIM) visual and functional consistency.
  • Designed and implemented functional and informational pages for the web site using HTML, PhotoShop, Mason, and perl.
  • Led navigation design and site map creation using Visio for full redesign of the site in 2Q01.
  • Administered focused usability testing to validate major design projects.
User Interface Designer for Xerox Corporation (Rochester, NY) January 1997 - May 2000
  • Designed user interfaces for scanning, prepress, and print submission client applications.
  • Wrote behavior specifications and feature descriptions; created conceptual and logical designs; created and prototyped physical designs using Visual Basic, Visual C++, PhotoShop, and HTML; supervised usability testing.
  • Participated on a team responsible for producing feature nomenclature for use on all Xerox products.
  • Designed, wrote, and edited Help system for DigiPath prepress application (DocuTech Scan & Makeready) using RoboHelp.
  • Designed and modified user interface components using Visual Basic. (Contracted through CDI in Penfield, NY and hired permanently in January 1998.)

Freelance & consulting work

Webmaster for ComedySportz San Jose (San Jose, CA) 2005 - present
  • Redesigned and maintain web site and online ticket sales.
  • Produced web resources and online registration for ComedySportz World Championship 2006.
  • Maintain announcement and discussion email lists for the team.
  • Not only am I the San Jose ComedySportz webmaster, I'm also a performer (since 2002).
Usability Consultant for Destination-U May 2005 - November 2006
  • Provide usability evaluations of wireframes and web pages in progress.
  • Sketch rough mocks of navigation and page redesign recommendations.
Usability Consultant for Alphasmart (Los Gatos, CA) 2002
  • Provided usability evaluations and recommendations for Windows-based administration software.
Web Producer for AvantGo (Hayward, CA) December 2001
  • Returned briefly to help AvantGo with a variety of graphic and web production work.

Education

University of Rochester September 1992 - May 1996
  • Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Cognitive Science & English Literature (magna cum laude)
  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Golden Key Honor Society
  • Drama Center (house officer, 1995-1996)
  • Committee on Performing Arts (board member, 1995)
  • LOGOS literary magazine (editor, 1992-1993)
UCLA Extension
  • User-Centered Prototyping
  • Designing Visual Interfaces
Human Factors International
  • Introduction to Graphical UI Design
Rochester Institute of Technology
  • Printing Technologies of Today and Tomorrow
Xerox Corporation
  • Designing Multinational User Interfaces
College of San Mateo
  • Japanese Language (2 years)
Skyline College
  • Drawing (1 semester)

Other interests and activities

improvisational comedy, musical performance, writing, drawing