Hi, I’m Scott,
UX Design and leadership

I’m a UX designer with over ten years experience with enterprise and startup companies. My focus is on creating user-friendly user experiences that yields desirable customer outcomes and measurable business results. I pivoted from front-end development to user experience after working at a design firm called frog. Since then, I have had the pleasure of designing user experiences for companies like Microsoft, IBM, National Instruments, and recently consulting for startups.

Enterprise
Startups
B2B
B2C
SaaS
HCD
UX Design
User Research
Design Thinking
Workshopping
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Rapid Iteration
Wireframing
Storyboarding
Prototyping
Design Specs
Figma
Jira
Github
Team Leadership
Mentoring
Agile


Here are a few projects that I’ve had the pleasure of working on.

ibm design logo
IBM
IBM Cloud Computing

Senior UX Design Team Lead

I facilitate daily design scrum meetings, retrospectives and sprint planning. I work with offering managers and executive team to prioritize work for UX Leads and designers.

zenhub

Project Overview

IBM Cloud Computing Includes Bare Metal servers that are dedicated physical servers and virtual servers on IBM Cloud.
Tasked to work with the team to help support cloud computing from a UX perspective.

Design Process

Hills

Collaborated with executive team and stakeholders create to hills to inform the design.

  • A dev ops pro, can understand and choose the best configuration for her application without expensive trial and error.
  • An infrastructure admin, can provision an environment that meets his specific needs by picking saved configurations or pre-packaged options without going through the configuration process.
  • A customer (dev ops pro, infrastructure admin, shopper) can order various bare metal servers with a predictable experience that doesn’t require expert knowledge.

DesignThinkingWorkshop

Design Thinking Workshop

Helped facilitate a design thinking workshop for Bare Metal, VSI and Container teams. We discovered quickly that stakeholders wanted ordering to be as easy as ordering a pizza.

Competitive Research

Performed competitive research with other online offerings including pizza ordering systems.

Learnings
Steps are numbered so it is very clear where to start and finish.
Good eye flow & skimmable.
Excellent story telling.
Have extensible configuration areas.
Have a preview of the order.
Keep the number of steps low.

Prototype

Iterated on designs with team and crafted a prototype on learnings. Feedback and critiques informed future designs iterations.

Crafted an end-to-end story

Crafted an end-to-end story for IBM’s InterConnect conference and outbound marketing teams
by helping to consult and facilitate meetings with cross-functional executive stakeholders and executive team.
Collaborated with stakeholders to create story, vignettes and visuals.


ibmvmware

Senior UX Design Team Lead

Highest Net Promoter Score in IaaS.

Hosted design thinking kickoff workshop. Worked with offering management and other stakeholders to design the user experience. Worked with IBM’s Carbon Design system. Ongoing UX design of new features and offerings by working with offering management and other stakeholders.

Project Overview

IBM Cloud for VMware empowers customers to move and modernize VMware workloads
Tasked to work with the team to deliver the UX from ground up.

Design Process

Hills

Collaborated with executive team and stakeholders to create hills to inform the design.

  • An Infrastructure Manager can deploy a global enterprise scale SDDC informed by current requirements, SLA requirements and environments.
  • An Infrastructure Manager can move production workloads to his IBM cloud SDDC in under 4 hours and operate them according to his policies and customer expectations.
  • An IT Manager can get a view of the cloud capabilities of his current environments helping discern cost and effort to portray value to his team.

Kickoff

Kicked off the project with a hosted Enterprise Design Thinking workshop.
This aligned stakeholders with project goals and direction of the product. Workshop output included Hills and other outputs that informed the design.

Storyboarding

Collaborated with the team on a storyboard of the end-to-end user experience. In this example, our persona has a conversation about comparing and purchasing our offering from IBM Cloud.

Features

Worked with stakeholders to determine high impact features.
Speed, scale, control and restore were the highest impact features with an emphasis on backup.



Workflows

Iterated on end-to-end workflows with cross functional teams and stakeholders. Deliverables include information architecture, workflows, InVision prototypes and Sketch files.

Designs

After many iterations using the design, prototype, review process, final designs were delivered. Worked with development during the implementation process.



 


Microsoft
 Developer Division

Dev14 Vision Planning

Development Planning
Helped define the strategy for the 2014 development planning for Visual Studio. Designed workflows, strategy and consulted division wide stakeholders.

v2

v1

RAD Experience

Visual Studio
Concurrently designed run time and design time workflows to illustrate the complete developer experience within Visual Studio. Worked with Office 365 and Visual Studio teams.

visiontalking

Visual Studio Experience

Visual Studio
Worked with stakeholders to design specific experiences.
This work is confidential.

microsoftother

 VisualStudio.com

TFS Team Room

Team Rooms allow developers to communicate and view related TFS items in real time.

Tasked to create a team room experience from scratch. Hosted design workshops, consulted stakeholders, iterated on designs and performed usability testing. Gathered stakeholder sign off and delivered workflows and redlines.

The outcome is a popular team room experience that compliments the Visual Studio Online experience.

teamroom

teamroomvidsmall

teamroomvidsmall

TFS Prototyping Toolkit

Microsoft project managers use PowerPoint to communicate their ideas to stakeholders.

Unfortunately, PowerPoint isn’t the best prototyping tool, so I designed and developed this fully functional PowerPoint toolkit to allow Microsoft teams to create higher fidelity Ux prototypes.

During discovery, design and development, I collaborated across multiple teams and hosted multiple brown bag talks.

The TFS Prototyping Toolkit is still in use today.

toolkitvid

tfstoolkit2

tfstoolkit1

apisandbox1

“New Open APIs for Office 365: These REST-based APIs for mail, files, calendar and contacts will empower Android, iOS, Windows or Web developers to leverage over 400 petabytes of Office 365 content to deliver enhanced productivity to the millions of Office 365 subscribers. Available today through the Microsoft API Sandbox for Office 365.”
– Forbes

Napa allows Micorosoft Office developers to build, manage and maintain custom office Add-ins.

Onsite Assessments


An end-to-end, cross platform experience with Onsite Assessments


assess0

Onsite Assessments is an onsite hazard assessment application that allows field sales agents market products based on hazard types and entries.


Vision brainstorming

oavb


Design workshops

assess31


Vision story

assess32

assess4


Final deliverable

assess5



Further information on this project is confidential.

 Holomaps

HoloMaps is a HoloLens mapping application that gives you a personalized
and contextual way to explore the world.

HoloMaps was my Microsoft Hackathon project. This was a lot of fun.


HoloMapsLinda
Use HoloLens for mapping by leveraging existing 3D mapping data. You can explore the world in 3D with terrain mapping and detailed imagery. Plan a trip, see the weather of your destination or find a landmark. View your trip from all of your devices.




Here is the storyboard for the video.

HoloMaps Story


 Startuy

A fun conceptual re-imagination of the Windows Start screen

startuy1

Features

– Start screen tiles
– Video and overlay theme packs
– Accelerometer and swipe sensitive parallax video and camera backgrounds
– Parallaxing overlays
– Customizable with your own video backgrounds and overlays

A fresh experience

“[…]There is one thing, however, that could completely change your opinion on the Start screen. Simply called Startuy, the concept you’re seeing here is a re-imagination of the Windows Start screen, bringing lots of great features on Windows 8.1.”
SoftPedia

startuy2

startuy4

Why was Startuy created?

For fun! I created Startuy from ideation to deployment, keeping it scoped to a Minimal Viable Product. I worked on it for an hour a day during lunch for a few months until it was complete.

Application Goals

Come up with an original application concept
Make everything from scratch
Use the best tools
Author in C#
Talk to hardware
Support in app purchases
Deploy to a Surface RT device
Bend the Ux rules
Pass the Windows App Certification Kit
Use the Windows Store dashboard
Pass Windows Store certification
Launch

  • Come up with an original application concept

    • I’ve been wishing that the Start screen could do this for some time
  • Make everything from scratch

    • Code, images and video
  • Use the best tools

    • VS 2012, VS 2013, Blend, Remote debugger, Fireworks, Photoshop
Read more
  • Author in C#

    • Could have wrote it in a fraction of the time using JavaScript
      • Relearn C#
        • Find sample code and documentation
          • Only partial code examples existed
          • Watched video demos from Build, pressed pause, then copied the API calls
        • Found strange problematic edges to the code
          • The emulator doesn’t accurately reflect the RT device UI
        • Use the Package.appxmanifest
          • Scaled icon assets would sometimes show an error
  • Deploy to a Surface RT device

    • Deploying to remote machine was easy, but took time
    • The emulator sometimes had different results than the device
  • Bend the Ux rules

    • I didn’t really like the swipe from edge gesture.
    • So, I made a hotspot along the right edge of the screen
  • Talk to hardware

    • File system, camera and accelerometer
      • Author code for the file system
        • Sample code and documentation was complete
      • Author code for the camera
        • No basic sample code
      • Debug the accelerometer
        • Not supported by the Visual Studio Emulator
          • Took time to debug on a device due to deployment
  • Support in app purchases

    • Setting up in app purchasing was surprisingly easy
      • Just match the product license in your code with the one on the online dashboard
  • Pass the Windows App Certification Kit

    • Failed at first due to performance
      • Added a delay to load the movies, so it started faster
    • Run this often and from the beginning of development.
  • Use the Windows store dashboard

    • Very nice. Easy to use and set up
  • Pass Windows Store certification

    • Failed certification many times due to crashing
      • Tried everything to reproduce but not enough data to debug
    • Submitted with release notes that read
      • “Could you please include some/any more detail on why it failed?”
        • Passed
  • Launch

    • Handful of positive articles
    • People would like to see it integrated into the start button
  • Lessons learned

    • Use a familiar technology
    • Lack of basic starting points ‘springboards’ dramatically slowed down development
      • Boilerplate code would really help here
        • Perhaps on the getting started page
        • This would be a big win
    • Test the device often because the emulator isn’t always accurate
    • Validate your app with the Windows App Certification Kit often
    • Check your app into the store for approval early and often
      • Catch problems early
      • Just don’t release it to the public until you’re ready
    • Leak your app before it launches
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NI
National Instruments

Senior UX designer
Dedicated to the LabVIEW family of products

Performed research, hosted design workshops, consulted stakeholders,
iterated on designs and performed usability testing. Gathered stakeholder sign off.

LabVIEW Next Generation

LabVIEW is a system-design platform and development environment for a visual programming language. I was tasked to update the UX from the existing LabVIEW platform experience.

nextgen concepts

nextgen2

LabVIEW Web UI Builder

LabVIEW Web UI Builder gives you the ability to develop lightweight, web-based thin client applications through graphical programming. These applications serve as graphical user interfaces GUIs that enable users to remotely monitor and control LabVIEW-based measurement and automation systems through a web browser.

dialoglv3

web labview

LabVIEW System Designer

LabVIEW system designer supports visual programming at a higher level of hardware abstraction.

sysdiag 2

Designed holistically

Designing a product family

Tasked to collaborate with stakeholders to define the UX for a family of products. Holistic design approach to keep the product family aligned. Generated style guides and delivered UX guidance across product teams.

productfamily

Designing the details

…select experiences that I have worked on.

ni1

Research

Performed market research and user studies.
Here are a few snapshots from my market analysis at NI Week.

ni8

Designing the welcome experience

LabVIEW Education Edition needed a fresh welcome experience for their student target audience. Here is a hi-fidelity design that I designed and modeled for stakeholder review and user testing.

Designing the ribbon

After reviewing the application commands holistically,
I gathered feedback, performed card sorting sessions and iterated. I found that customers typically perform configuration operations and design operations separately. As a result, I created two contextual ribbon tabs when a control or indicator has been selected: Configuration and Design. It has performed well in user testing.

ni3
ni4

Designing controls and indicators

My goal was to keep the interaction models consistent, but the challenge was to keep them extensible. The result is this lightweight but powerful context menu.

Designing generic workflows

The LabVIEW visual programming language allows blocks to be arranged in any fashion adding to their complexity. I finely tuned the workflows and interaction models due to their complexity.

generic actor

ni56

Designing field validation

I designed for field validation in the ribbon. This is especially tricky when one field relies on another and becomes a problem when when modal error dialogs interrupt the user’s rhythm. Allowing fields to stay in an error state when the user moves on to another resolves this problem.

Designing the palette

Pallets can be large. When expanding a branch, the label isn’t always visible.
To increase label visibility, I placed the lable vertically to the left of the expanded branch.

pallete2

ni6

Designing visual programming interactions

I was careful to only display the labels when the mouse was near the block. Then when wiring starts, the blue wire spool would appear. The wiring target becomes larger during a mouseover to make it an easier target.

Designing levels of abstraction

There are many ideas about how interact between low and high levels of abstraction. These designs illustrate how to wire between the levels of hardware and software abstraction.

sysdiag

pivot2

ni7

Designing the color picker

While iterating on the color picker, our usability studies revealed that users primarily use the color pallet instead of the granular color picker. So, I moved the pallet to the top.

Designing for touch

I worked on the early UX designs for LabVIEW Next Generation
on touch enabled devices.

Stakeholders were very enthusiastic.

labviewtouch
iphone labview smaller

probes2

Designing hardware interactions

I worked on the experience of LabVIEW connecting to hardware clocks and processors. During our user studies, we found that it adds value to display the health level of a wire.

Designing the front panel

Visual and interaction designs for Front Panel controls and indicators.

lvcontrols3

lvskin1

lvskin3

lvskin2

Patents

Consulting


Our vision is to open research to the world. We accomplish this using a decentralized clinical trial platform proven to help get effective therapies to patients faster.

Senior Interaction Designer

Contractor through Braintrust

  • I contribute the overall UX functionality of recruiting, study builder and eConsent
  • Iterate on flows, wireframes, mockups and interactive prototypes with key stakeholders

Redesigning the calendar look and feel

Current calendar was difficult to read, use and was outdated.
Using Figma, I updated the style to help define Medable’s data visualization design language.


Other project details are confidential.

Fabric is a headless e-commerce platform that gives brands and retailers tools for building any type of buying experience at scale.

Senior Product Designer

Contractor through Braintrust

  • Dedicated to the Product Inventory Management system while contributing to other projects.
  • Responsible for partnering closely with the Design Team, Product Managers, and Development teams.
  • Focus on solving complex challenges and crafting experiences that highlight Fabric’s unique capabilities.
  • Involved in the end-to-end design process, creating user flows and wireframes, building user interface mockups and prototypes.

Tasked to enhance Fabric’s existing design work


Prototyping

Iterated on designs with stakeholders and crafted prototypes from learnings. Feedback and critiques informed future designs iterations.


Ideation

Performed iterations using the design, prototype, process until the project has sign-off.

 

Project details are confidential

Cisco HyperFlex allows you to modernize infrastructure from the data center to the edge, power traditional and cloud native applications, simplify DevOps enablement, and optimize operations across distributed environments..


Senior User Experience Lead

Contractor through Insight Global


I collaborate with teams working on Intersight and the Cisco HyperFlex Application Platform. Ongoing UX design of new features and offerings by working with design, development and project management

Project details are confidential

Design Talent Screener

As a Technical Screener I am one of the faces of Braintrust; the first interaction candidates have with our network. My primary role is to help evaluate talent before they are admitted to the Braintrust platform and help them understand the unique value proposition of Braintrust.

Tasked to assess a candidate’s technical skills and level of experience to determine if they are a good fit for the platform. I also explain the nuanced benefits of the Braintrust network for talent, and why it is advantageous to work with us.

  • Review job descriptions, identify key elements of the role, and develop questions to ask in an interview setting that will help determine if a candidate’s skillset is a match.
  • Screen a high volume of candidates to assess their technical capabilities and experience to determine if they are a good fit for the role
  • Clearly and succinctly describe Braintrust and its value propositions to talent. Help them to understand how we’re different and why it matters.
  • Compile detailed and organized notes from the interview. Hand off qualified candidates to the Talent Matching team.
  • Keep up to date reports of where all applicants are in the process. Help develop automated email replies to keep candidates informed of their status.
  • Assist new talent through the profile completion and application process to specific roles posted on Braintrust.


 




Drop The Mic Microphone

The worlds first microphone that plays your recording when dropped

Gets a laugh and solidly built.

Terrific gag gift/boss’ day gift.

Great Classroom Prop

Soo Fun!!

Not just for kids

Designing a physical product

I designed a physical product from ideation to marketplace. I worked with manufacturers, built prototypes, performed user testing, and created a website. I launched it on Amazon and have sold over 7,000 units. This has been a lot of fun!





How to use

  1. HOLD – Hold the button to record.
  2. SPEAK – Say and record anything necessary for a mic drop.
  3. DROP – Drop the mic to play back your recording.

Where to use

Drop the mic at parties, the office, at school, weddings,
anywhere a mic drop is necessary.

Details

HIGH QUALITY – A solid and durable feel.
EASY TO USE – Hold button to record, plays back when dropped.
BATTERIES INCLUDED – Drop The Mic right out of the box.
RECORDING – Up to 15 seconds of recording and playback.
SIZE – Standard microphone size.
VERSION – Premier Edition.



Everything I learned from dropping the mic

Learnings
Ideation
Funding the idea
Designing the casing
Prototyping the electronics
Testing the experience
Manufacturing the prototype
Testing the prototype
Acquiring patents
Designing the package
Designing the website
Manufacturing the product
Shipping through customs
Selling with Amazon fulfillment
Acquiring sales online
Selling in stores

Presentation of my learnings

Thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to view my portfolio.

Please feel free to email me anytime.

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© Scott Postma