> Matthew Rea Design - Interface design with people in mind. Dallas TX software GUI designer, usability professional, and all around good guy.

Summary Experience & Skills

Senior User Interface DesignerDallas, TX
Texas Instruments, Education Technology
December2003 - Present

Lead User Interface Designer on various product lines. (Desktop and small screen device software)
Gather requirements and develop user stories through a variety of different methods including, site visits and contextual inquiry, task analysis, user interviews, and focus groups.
Create conceptual GUI designs which are refined and tested with users via sketches, storyboards, and paper prototyping sessions.
Work closely with Product Development Manager, Technical Leads, and Quality Assurance to understand and identify design trade-offs, development, test, and schedule risks. Work closely with pilot sites and customers to ensure product implementation is consistent with user expectations and behavior.
Conduct heuristic evaluations on existing products and make recommendations for improvements.

Major Deliverables: Task Analysis and Observation, Wireframes, Sketches, Storyboards, Prototypes, GUI specs

Products: Connect-to-Class? Software, TI-Navigator? Classroom Learning System, TI-NSpire? Software, TestGuard?

Product Development Manager Dallas, TX
Texas Instruments, Education Technology
June 2006 - March 2008

Translate high level product and business strategy objectives into product requirements and user stories by interfacing with educators and customers through contextual inquiry, interviews, and focus group testing to identify key market needs.
Define and prioritize functional requirements; work closely with Interface Design, Technical Leads, and Quality Assurance during implementation to represent customer and business needs.
Collaborate with Marketing, Packaging, Web, and Training departments to plan software release, launch, and product roll-out.
Recruit, manage, and support pilot site classrooms using pre-release versions of TI desktop and handheld software. Report product readiness and make release recommendations to the business from a variety of sources including: pilot site surveys, pilot usage forms, site visits, interviews, and QA test results.

Major Deliverables: Focus Group and Survey results, Competitive Analysis briefs, Functional and non Functional Requirement specs, Release-Readiness reports

Products: Connect-to-Class? Software, TI-Navigator? Classroom Learning System

Visual DesignerDallas, TX
Texas Instruments, Education Technology
July 2002 - December 2003

Design consistent look and feel for Texas Instruments educational software by creating a unified visual and icon vocabulary using a common icon library and design templates for installation screens, CDs, product tutorials, splash and about screens, etc.
Design product brand identity and application icons for various software products.

Major Deliverables: Various graphic and icon files, CD interface and design templates, style guides

Web DesignerDallas, TX
FutureNext Consulting, Inc. (acquired by Digiknow)
August 2000 - October 2001

Work with external clients and marketing departments to create intranets, extranets, and consumer websites for various Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies.

Major Deliverables: HTML, CSS, image files and style guides

Web DesignerCincinnati, OH
Global Cloud, Ltd.
May 1999 - August 2000

Design and develop data-driven intranets, extranets, and consumer websites for various clients including The United Way and Miami University.
Logo and branding design for external clients and in-house products.

Major Deliverables: ColdFusion, HTML, CSS, image files and style guides

Miami University, Oxford, OH, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Design (1999)

Continuing Education & Training

Available upon request