Experience Designer & Content Strategist

Botanists Hill

March 2023 to present

Creating a luxury getaway experience in south-eastern Tasmania, including styling, branding, and developing a content strategy and social media presence.

Content Design & Strategy Lead

IBM Partner Ecosystem

June 2022 to March 2023

As the Content Lead on the IBM Partner Ecosystem team, I worked with executives, marketing, creative consultants, and other designers to develop content and the website for the launch of IBM Partner Plus.

• Content strategy: Developed a content strategy for the site, and for individual pages.

• Information architecture: Designed the information architecture.

• Design system use and best practices: Used design system components and mentored other content creators in best practices for using components to tell a story.

• Competitive analysis and research: Conducted analysis of competitor sites, as well as customer research, reviewing vocabulary and information architecture, for program alignment.

Content Design & Strategy Lead

IBM Carbon Design System & Carbon for IBM.com Design System

August 2018 to June 2022

As the Content Lead on the Carbon Design System team, I was responsible for the narrative of the design system as reflected on the website, making sure that every page was helping people build products with reusable pieces, as efficiently as possible. I supported internal and external product teams with well-architected and comprehensive guidance that was self-serve and best-in-class.

• Storytelling: Managed content strategy and content creation for the website to support the Carbon purpose and ensure the message was being communicated effectively.

• Information architecture: Created a new website IA that transformed the site from a library of assets to one that supported new and regular users of the design system. Read more on Medium: Carbon’s new information architecture.

• Template design: Developed documentation templates for components and patterns to empower teams to create their own consistent and comprehensive guidance.

• Content designer support: Enhanced the design system’s content guidelines to help UX writers across the company drive consistency of experience through content.

• Content development: Wrote and edited content across the site. For specific design system guidance, see the Empty States pattern.

• Carbon for IBM.com design system: I moved to the IBM website design system to work on their content strategy and storytelling, component usage guidance templates, and all things content.

August 2018 to June 2019
Prior to working on Carbon, I worked as a Senior Designer for the Watson Design Group, working with product designers to follow content and UX best practices for the Watson Assistant chatbot, various product application screens, product tours, and onboarding.

Senior UX Designer

Lifesize Video Conferencing

June 2015 to July 2018

Experience design for videoconferencing solutions across web, desktop, mobile, and hardware devices.

• Lead UX designer for redesign of web app and new line of videoconferencing room systems.

• Produced sketches, wireframes, flows, and prototypes at varying levels of fidelity throughout the design and development cycle to validate requirements, test usability, and ensure product acceptance.

• Content strategy: Managed strategy across products for consistency of language and appropriate tone and voice.

• Cross-functional collaboration: Generated and iterated on designs, and negotiated viable solutions that balanced user needs, business goals, and engineering possibilities.

• Conducted usability tests with sketches, wireframes, flows, and prototypes at varying levels of fidelity throughout the design and development cycles.

• Worked within an Agile framework: Approaches included sprinting ahead and fraction notations for user flows.

Head of Publishing

The Secret, film and book series

January 2007 to May 2014

For seven years, I managed the product and communication channels for The Secret film and book, and four subsequent New York Times bestsellers. Translated into over 50 languages, with worldwide sales 30 million+.

• Content design and development: Managed the design of books and digital assets through ideation, editorial, layouts and visual designs to final production in English and 50+ languages.

• Content strategy: Developed a strategy for repackaging existing content to increase audience engagement between book releases and expand the brand’s global awareness.

• Website design and management: Orchestrated a comprehensive audit and refresh of the company website after user research uncovered the need for a change in direction and messaging.

• Global brand management: Developed identity and marketing guidelines, as well as translation guidelines and style guides to protect the company's intellectual property.

• Social media program establishment: Worked with industry experts to establish social media policies and practices.

Information Design Manager

Stored IQ

April 2006 to December 2006

I joined forces with my former CTO from Mshow to help him established the user experience and documentation functions for a new start up that was later acquired by IBM.

• Information architecture: Held planning sessions with Engineering and Product Marketing.

• User experience design: Worked with stakeholders to analyze user roles and designed user interactions across the product.

• Content strategy: Created and managed style guide and vocabulary. Developed user guide to support deployment.

Information Design Group Manager

Polycom Video

February 2002 to April 2006

Manager of the Information Design department and member of the Human Factors team of Polycom’s video division.

• Information architecture: Overhauled documentation solution after determining issues through usability reviews, Support data, and observation of users. Re-designed the documentation set to fully support all user roles.

• Human Factors team member: Contributed to all aspects of product design, including the product vocabulary and labeling.

• Localization management for user interface and documentation: Reduced annual translation costs (from $300,000 to $30,000) through an increased use of illustrations, a standard vocabulary, and a single source content process.

• Formed a network of writers across Polycom divisions worldwide, and defined global standards across publications.