MicroMasters in Design Thinking

Rochester Institute of Technology

October 2019

Graduate Certificate in IT Project Management

University of Washington

August 2019

Undergraduate Study in History

Oklahoma Christian University

April 2007

SENIOR TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH, & DESIGN ANALYST

Dates: August 2008 to Present

Locations: Albany NY, Miami FL, Oklahoma City OK, and Portland OR

Project 1: Paper Goods Retail Store Redesign, R&D Team Lead

Facing decreasing retail sales at brick-and-mortar retail locations, the client initiated a multi-phase research project to determine the best way to increase in-store customer engagement and deliver new sales opportunities through layout optimization.

• Joined the project during launch as research SME to set project goals and establish a roadmap with key stakeholders, and later was named research team lead.

• Led staff of more than forty researchers and analysts, working across three shifts.

• Worked with engineering and IT departments to develop digital tools for tracking customer movements through over 200 stores using remote video observation.

• Compiled heatmaps to determine what product displays drew the most interest.

• Used digital tools to analyze and synthesize the collected data to create detailed specifications used by the design teams when building new floorplan prototypes.

• Created a demographic map to identify the ideal subjects, based on the client’s established target consumer profile, to recruit for interviews and focus groups.

• Oversaw the collection of customer feedback from qualitative studies conducted by the research team to test new layout and product display designs. 

• Tested the final design by using the tools from the first phase to create new heatmaps, which showed a more even customer distribution throughout the whole store, and which corresponded to an increase in volume of sales.

Project 2: Custom Race Jerseys for SparkPeople, Project Leader

SparkPeople wanted a jersey for an ultra-marathon team of runners, made up of real users of their services, that they planned to sponsor to highlight their brand.

• The jersey design had to be all weather and unisex so that one design would be usable by all members of the race team, regardless of size of weather conditions.

• Conducted cost/benefit analysis of material and production options and briefed the client with a recommendation for the best material and manufacturer option.

• Oversaw laboratory durability testing and field trials of prototypes with runners, and incorporated user feedback into the design and build of the final product. 

• Worked with key stakeholders in management to ensure the design adhered to brand guidelines while balancing cost, performance, and comfort considerations.

• Managed the project timeline so that the jerseys were tested, manufactured, and shipped to the team members in time for the first spring race of the season.

Project 3: Reduce Spoilage at Produce Distribution Warehouse, Senior Analyst

Leadership from grocery chain was concerned by losses due to spoilage to produce at the warehouse and established a team to study the situation and develop a solution.

• Conducted on-site visit and observed deliveries from suppliers could be left on the loading dock for over an hour before all produce was stored in refrigerated units.

• Interviewed floor workers and found most time was lost searching for the pre-set location for each item from a twenty-page, unsorted paper listing binder.

• Analyzed warehouse records and confirmed a 1-to-1 correlation between the time it took to store a specific produce delivery and the items that were lost to spoilage.

• Provided the client with journey maps to explain the issues workers were facing. 

• Researched automated tracking software, met and vetted vendors, then selected and oversaw deployment of a software and hardware package that guided floor workers to the first open shelving unit, recorded the location and item as it was placed, and gave directions to pickers when collecting orders for store delivery.

• Wrote a Python script that provided automatic updates to corporate management that tracked losses to spoilage that confirmed the new system was yielding results.

• In the first month, the new system saw a more than 70% increase in time from delivery to storage and 35% increase of order picking efficiency. As a bonus, the system’s navigation function ensured no workers would be in the same location at the same time, which eliminated almost all on-floor accidents and worker injuries.

Project 4: Creation of the Heritage Travel Plan, Senior Research Analyst

Legacy Tree Genealogists LLC requested an analysis to determine if there was a way to offer existing customers a new product or service without increasing overhead costs.

• Used a script to scrape data from customer satisfaction surveys and found many customers expressed interest in visiting places related to their family history.

• Analyzed research methods and determined that all the information necessary to create customized a travel itinerary (addresses of houses, landmarks, historical sites, family churches, etc.) for the customers already existed in the LTG records.

• After briefing management, met with genealogists, and using the collected data from interviews and customer feedback, set guidelines, and developed templating for the first-to-market and now industry standard “Heritage Travel Plan.”

• Completed the first travel plans personally to ensure the framework created an itinerary usable by the customers and met LTG minimum viable product standards.

Project 5: Market Testing a New Luxury Passenger Vehicle, Lead Researcher

The manufacturer of a new entry-level luxury vehicle was seeking information on their potential customer base to best tailor advertising efforts to that market segment.

• In the first step, vehicles were placed in areas frequented by people from a variety of background to see who was interested in the vehicle by offering email signups. 

• Connected email addresses collected in the field to social media accounts and from data on those accounts gathered basic demographic info on potential customers.

• Sent out surveys to all members of the three largest demographic groups.

• From those who completed the survey, several members of each of the three identified demographic profiles were selected at random and offered the chance to drive the vehicles for a week, during which they would record video diaries.

• Other respondents were asked to participate in either monitored test drives or in focus group discussions to collect multiple views and experiences on the vehicle.

• Analyzed the data provided from the three test groups and developed a series of sample customer profiles with the demographic characteristics of the people most interested in the vehicle, as well as a report detailing the key decider aspects of the vehicle, as indicated by participants, for the client’s marketing team.

Project 6: APG State of the Industry Survey, Senior Researcher

After a decade of unprecedented industry growth, the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) wanted to conduct a multi-year state of the industry survey.

• Worked with researchers from the APG and came up with the goal of finding out where the APG could use its resources to best help its members be successful.

• Developed plan for how data would be collected and processed, then presented the document for approval, and got a signoff, from the project leadership team.

• Collaborated with APG researchers on questions to be included in the survey.

• Created a custom program to look for key indicators of happiness and success from the respondents, in both their personal and professional lives.

• Used the Python data analysis libraries to review the happiness and success indicators, both positive and negative, and then search through other information collected in the survey (workload, pay level, type of work performed, education) to look for correlations between member success and the work they performed.

• Researched salary and working conditions in other service industries for a baseline to compare against the results from analysis of the APG industry survey. 

• Charted the results of the analysis and wrote an executive summary that was used in the final report to help set the roadmap for the future of the organization.

Project 7: Native American & Canadian First Nations Consulting, Research & Analysis SME

• Conducted a comprehensive audit of tribal membership rolls as part of a legal dispute over leadership and disbursement from casino earnings by designing an automated system that took current tribal membership rolls and compared entries from those with archived historical records to either confirm that a given member was definitively descended from one of the original members of the tribe who signed a treaty with the U.S. government, or flagged their entry for review by the tribal lawyers, saving thousands of man hours of research.

• Helped existing Métis groups develop frameworks and standards for allowing new membership that met existing federal guidelines, after a 2016 Canadian Supreme Court ruling gave the Métis the same rights as other Indigenous peoples, instantly transforming these groups into official tribal organizations.

• Worked with the descendants of Native Americans who, as children, had been secretly kidnapped away from their parents and moved across the border into Mexico with the help of Catholic priests (as part of their efforts to "civilize the savages") to reconnect with their extended families and tribal identities.

Project 8: Reproductions of 19th Century Containers, Senior Designer

Historic sites and national parks in the Pacific Northwest needed containers that could be used for both functional storage and as props in their exhibits and displays.

• Many of these sites face limitations for any on-site storage and were seeing an increase in the amount of material that needed to be stored for special events.

• Presented a proposal to construct period correct containers which could be built by staff and volunteers for material costs and hide the storage in plain sight.

• Using period artwork, descriptions from journals, and artifacts from archaeological digs, oversaw the creation of designs and rough prototypes which were reviewed and approved by stakeholders at the sites and historians specializing in the period.

• These pieces were of high enough quality they could be included in the museum displays as props themselves, while also holding equipment and materials that the museum needed to have on hand, but only used a few times a year, like tableware, cutlery, and linens for formal events such as weddings or props and costumes that were used in the museum’s large-scale annual summer living history programs, which accounted for a large percentage of the annual attendance and revenue.

• During the construction phase worked as a fabricator on the carpentry team and assisted craftsman working with leather, fabrics, and metal and on final assembly.

• After more than a decade of use the containers are still in use and have been used as a template for builds by other historical organizations across the country.

Project 9: Historic Building Revitalization, Research Lead

When updating the properties for modern use developers need to know what parts of the building are original, and thus require preservation, and guidelines on maintaining historical character while also ensuring the buildings meet all modern accessibility requirements.

• Searched through municipal archives, museum collections, and private materials for any documents or images that could give insight into the original look of historic buildings; including photos, blueprints, and even descriptions of properties in letters, newspapers, and personal diaries.

• Drawing from the source material, highlight which aspects of the current structure are original and creating floorplans and elevations to depict the original look of the properties.

• Consulted with historical preservation experts on methods for protecting existing elements in the buildings that could be at risk of damage during renovation and restoration, where possible, of damaged pieces.

• Conducted searches for period appropriate décor elements and hardware to replace those that had been lost or were too heavily damaged to be refurbished, and worked with local crafters on creating replacement pieces.

• Provided guidance on ensuring the renovation efforts preserved as much of the historical character of the buildings as possible while bringing them up to modern codes for accessibility, i.e. ADA compliance.

Project 10: Post-Disaster Land Renewal, Research Analyst

An agricultural and forestry group in the western United States wanted to switch to more environmentally friendly methods after a severe season of storms and fires devastated their property.

• Conducting damage assessments of crops and trees to determine what, if anything, could be saved.

• Identified major operational failure points that occurred during this disasters and laid out plans for natural firebreaks, on-site watersheds and local/native planting to limit future soil erosion.

• Assisted scientific research teams in collecting and processing soil and water samples from client's operations to determine the suitability for replanting and other safety concerns.

• Acted as client liaison, interfacing with local National Forest Service officials and experts from area universities for ongoing assistance, such as sustainability training courses.

• Contributed to final report, specifically in regards to maintenance and upkeep procedures necessary on the properties to prevent or limit potential damage of a future event.

Languages: English (native/expert), German (moderate), French (beginner)

Programming: 8+ years Python 3 (specifically for data analysis and system modeling); 5+ years JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Dart

Writing: Research reports, technical manuals/guides, advertising and similar copy

Software: MS Office, GSuite, Adobe CC, Affinity CS, Sketch/InVision, Painter/Sketchbook, Git, Slack

Project Management: Scrum & Agile, Kanban, Six Sigma & Lean, UML