Skill set at a glance
Software
- Microsoft Visio
- Omnigraffle
- Adobe Photoshop CS4
- Adobe Illustrator CS4
- Adobe InDesign CS4
- Adobe Dreamweaver CS4
- Microsoft Office
Content management
- Drupal
- Wordpress
- Expression Engine
Analytical tools
- Google Analytics
- Webtrends
Experience and Specialisms
In-depth knowledge in the latest digital media software and applications including Adobe Photoshop CS4, Illustrator CS4, Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks CS4, InDesign CS4, Omnigraffle, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
Advanced knowledge of XHTML and CSS 2.1, developing to W3C standards and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), Content Management Systems and analytical tools such as Google Analytics and Webtrends.
Extensive User Experience knowledge from planning user journeys, creating personas, card sorting, A-B testing to holding usability testing sessions in order to enhance the user experience from both a sales and services perspective.
First hand experience and involvement in MVT (Multi Variant Testing), taking the results and applying them to projects going forward.
Exceptionally detailed knowledge of e-business solutions, offline design and print production, digital media and marketing with experience in both above the line and below the line campaigns.
Creating high quality and clear Information Architecture artefacts including User Journeys, Site maps, Wire Frames, Prototypes and GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces).
Incredibly strong first hand experience of Social Media and UGC (User Generated Content) including concept creation, implementation and managing.
Methodological and enhanced project micro-management techniques and experience.
Relationship building, managing expectations and liaising with key stakeholders in projects.
Translating new project concepts into coherent engaging designs.
Assisting Studio and Project Managers in the planning, production and delivery of efficient workflows in agile methodologies such as SCRUM and Sprint.
References via my LinkedIn profile
“While working with Rob on the Online 2010 Programme he consistently demonstrated great innovation to create a fantastic user experience for the customer and on many occasions was recognised by Senior Stakeholder's for special praise. As well as Rob being a very talented UX designer he is extremely easy to get on with, a popular member of the department & I would jump at the chance to have him on board any of my future projects/programmes.”
David Campbell , Senior eCommerce Project Manager/Programme Lead, T-Mobile UK
“I have worked with Rob on many different initiatives during my time at Everything Everywhere.
From BBC-esque interfaces within the Self Serve portal to drag and drop handset comparison tools within the e-shop to Google maps mashups - Rob has been a key member of the team before, during and after project delivery. Not only does he design the experience, he runs workshops pre-project & runs analytics on the projects post-delivery so that they can be improved on.
Robs keen eye for razor-sharp design and his understanding of the underlying technology thats at the teams disposal means that not only does the final product look great, they work fanatically from an online experience too.
I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Rob to anyone looking for a top class UX designer and am looking forward to working with him on more great projects in the future.”
Ben Gazzard, Director, Fluidic Arts
Rob has the enviable ability to both design and develop to a very high standard. His methodical approach to a deliverable piece of work is consistent and precise. Rob’s thorough user-experience analysis and goals-orientated planning, aid in creating something that is not only visually striking, but functional in conveying the desired message. In my experience as a web developer, what impresses me most is the time and effort Rob spends in designing something that can be coded within given development frameworks and restrictions. This is a great attribute that I have not often seen in a designer, but one that sets Rob a class apart from the competition.
Satyan Vekaria , UI Developer - Project, T-Mobile
Rob’s innovative design and practical application of user experience principles, means you can be sure that every project he undertakes will have been through a thorough analysis process to ensure optimal performance of any digital solution; his attention to detail is quite extraordinary. I have had the privilege of working with Rob on numerous projects for clients and each time it has been great ‘user experience’ for both my company and my clients. Rob is a credit to his craft and always stretches creativity and the technological frameworks that support web design.
Paul Smith - Director, Paul Smith Creative Ltd
Rob is the consummate professional. He is extremely hardworking, thorough, detailed, incredibly accurate, fast, creative and proactive. Rob continuously delivers fantastic work, is a highly regarded team member, focused and a terrific asset. There is absolute no doubt in my mind that Rob will achieve greatness in his chosen career.
Angela Fleming (MBA) , Head of Delivery & Planning, Online, T-Mobile
Rob is a very talented designer who prides himself on innovative design that is delivered with great quality and often in tight timeframes. More importantly, Rob knows how to commercialise a design and where good design can add more than great appearance. Never one to rest on his laurels Rob is continually looking for improvements, grounded in commerciality and customer centricity as well as great design itself.
Chris Willis , Head of eService, T-Mobile UK
Rob is a talented and well rounded UX Designer who always produced clear concise wireframing with good on brand design that surpassed all expectations within the organisation at T-Mobile. Rob worked well on his own, but was also a good team player that was always ready to go the extra mile to help anyone out with a design related query - always coming up with a good logical solution to a problem. Rob spends a lot of his own time researching all he can about current trends within the industry and a valuable team member to anyone out there looking for that someone special. Rob comes highly recommended.
Grant Neville , UX Designer, T-Mobile
Rob's a fantastic designer, and works really fast. He is very talented and multitasks effortlessly - evident from the scale of work we have for such a small design team, at a large corporate company. He's a genuinely nice guy and a fountain of knowledge.
Vishwas Rathod , UI Project Team Lead, T-Mobile
Rob was a key team player in the design team at T-mobile while I was there. His ravenous appetite for a creative & technical challenge was only matched by his high spirits and positive attitude towards his job.
Stuart Barker , Interface Developer, T-Mobile
Rob is a exceptional designer with a great eye to detail. He works in a very professional manner and clearly demonstrates expertise not just in design but overall ecommerce. I have worked on several projects with Rob and everytime he has provided better customer expereince and improved conversion through his designs. I have worked in ecommerce for 10 years and I can't remember a better designer. He would be a great asset to any company.
Liam Paulus , Ecommerce Manager / SEO specialist, T-Mobile
Working with Rob at T-Mobile has been an absolute delight. He demonstrates a high level of professionalism and commercial awareness combined with a natural ability of understanding each project from the out set. Has a great attention for detail and composition, but also the ability to work under tight deadlines with such grace and elegance. Comes highly recommended and look forward to working with such an individual with so much passion and class.
Kenneth Tse , Lead User Experience Designer, T-Mobile
Employment history
T-Mobile UK | User Experience Designer, Optimisation | January 2010 - Present
Working within the Online and Telesales team, the Optimise project team is responsible for fast, efficient delivery of projects that deliver multiple benefits to the business - whether it's an increase in conversion rates, an enhanced user experience, drive customer satisfaction or creating foundations upon which business as usual can run more efficiently and productively.
We strive to deliver first class results, delight stakeholders and business owners while operating in a small, agile time scale.
My accountabilites within this team are to support from a user experience design perspective, gathering project requirements (through workshops, stakeholder interviews etc) advising on usability, brand alignment and liaising with the wider business to ensure integration with current marketing campaigns.
I am also tasked with the project management of each Optimise piece, requiring me to work with key members of the online team such as producers, copywriters and UI development, assigning resource where needed and aligning with the studio manager's monthly resource plan.
T-Mobile UK | User Experience Designer | December 2008 - January 2010
Working within the Online and Telesales team, my main objectives as a User Experience Designer are to enhance the overall user experience on the T-Mobile.co.uk website, through optimisation of existing user interfaces and the conceptual development of new user interactions.
Secondary responsibilities include; creating engaging visual designs that positively contribute to the online experience, taking into account brand and marketing guidelines, creation of Information Architecture and design libraries and liaising with external agencies to ensure brand alignment.
Other notable responsibilities include assisting the creative team and Lead UX Designer to develop and implement an online style guide, overseeing the implementation of Above The Line campaign activity on the T-Mobile.co.uk website, applying the current Business strategy to projects, constructing detailed information architecture such as user journeys and wire frames which are then translated into captivating designs, all the time micro-managing the project and liaising with key stakeholders.
Best usability practices within the user experience can be a hard area to proposition to others with little understanding of the potential impact it has in digital and online channels, so through examples, demonstrations and the promotion of information I assist others develop their knowledge and empower them to make sound and informed decisions.
Orchard Agency / Netplay TV | User Experience Designer | October 2008 - December 2008
A supplier of creative professionals to a vast range of digital studios and businesses in the northwest of England, The Orchard Agency has a wide range of clients in many different areas of business. In my time here I was given the opportunity to work on a range of projects for Netplay TV, the largest Internet TV gaming company in the UK.
Reporting to the Head of Online I produced a variety of creative elements including HTML email templates, banners and several pages for a rewards website.
eXpansys.com | Graphic Designer & Marketing Specialist | March 2002 - December 2008
eXpansys is the largest online retailer of Mobile Phones, Smartphone’s, Ultra-Mobile PCs and Pocket PCs. During my employment here I've had the opportunity to work with several of the largest Mobile Communication brands such as HP, Nokia, Samsung and HTC.
My role as a Graphic Designer for eXpansys involved working on both online and offline projects to generate traffic for the website through a variety of methods and projects. Such projects included but wasn’t limited to: brochures, flyers, vouchers, email campaigns, partner/affiliate websites and large-scale point of sale.
With assistance from the Marketing team I managed all projects from concept to publication having liaised with the client at every stage, further maintaining and evolving them to suit changing market conditions. I have also edited existing artwork created by external agencies to follow briefs set by the Marketing manager.
Awards and achievements
Q2 Directors award at T-Mobile (Now Everything Everywhere)
I was presented with a Directors Award for my performance at T-Mobile in Q2 of 2010. Most notably because I was the only designer at this time, we had several business critical projects running as well as business as usual and a large campaign had just started that we had to integrate in all creative.
I managed and prioritised my work load and delivered without sacrificing quality, my attitude and behaviors were quoted as exemplary through this challenging time by our team leaders.
T-Mobile - Increased online self service satisfaction to its highest point over a 2 year period
As the User Experience Designer for the Optimisation team within online at T-Mobile, one of my favourite projects in 2010 was the optimisation and refresh of the online self service channel on T-Mobile.co.uk. We redesigned the user experience to create a completely customisable logged in landing page where users can reposition panels, remove them or minimize them as they please (think BBC-esque). We also refreshed the design and introduced a virtual tour video of the My T-Mobile service.
This had a huge positive effect on the satisfaction scores, increasing it by 4 points to the highest over 2008 – 2010 (ref. ICCA report), it also increased design improvements by 13 points and technical reliability by 12 points - a huge credit to the hard work from the Optimisation team and Online Self Service team.
You can see the complete project here - My T-Mobile Optimisation project.
Best in class experience - BlackBerry and T-Mobile.co.uk
As one of the earlier Optimisation projects, we reviewed the BlackBerry presence on T-Mobile.co.uk. Previously there was simply a single landing page with the latest BlackBerry phone, which even though it performed well, didn't really spotlight and explain the benefits of BlackBerry smartphones. Plus we knew through user feedback that our customers were seeking more information when making that important decision to buy or not.
So, we created a new whole "zone" in order to merchandise and promote the fantastic range of BlackBerry handsets, calling out the individual features like BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), BlackBerry Mail and Apps.
As a direct result of the Optimisation project, within four weeks we saw increased sales of BlackBerry packages by 23% on T-Mobile.co.uk, a 109% increase in sales via the "zone" and peak conversion rates had doubled.
Since then the BlackBerry zone has undergone several tweaks, taking into account usability testing and new product launches and has continued to build on its success which is shown in the increasing results on a monthly basis. It is also regarded as "Best in class" by BlackBerry amongst the UK mobile network operators.
You can view the original zone as per the launch here - BlackBerry Zone on T-Mobile.co.uk
And the updated zone case study can be seen right here - Updated BlackBerry Zone on T-Mobile.co.uk and the live version here - Buy BlackBerry on T-Mobile.co.uk
T-Mobile.co.uk tops usability study
For the second consecutive year T-Mobile came first in research by customer experience benchmarking company; Global Reviews. Assessed in over 500 criteria including content and tools, customer support, prospective customer information, purchasing process and site utility T-Mobile came first with a score of 66%. See http://www.cellular-news.com/story/40887.php for more information.
During 2009 we had radically changed the customer experience on T-Mobile.co.uk, including a redesign and moving to a 1024px resolution so coming first in a usability study of the main network operator websites is a credit to the hard work, dedication and passion of the online team.
Completely self taught XHTML, CSS and JQuery
Although I enjoyed offline creative work, I found I couldn’t quite get the level of impact and involvement with viewers as you could with online and digital. I wanted to create content that users can navigate through, interact with and really enjoy, so I was prompted to begin learning HTML and CSS by hand, through trial and error and online tutorials/forums.
I can now confidently develop websites to W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) validation and to WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), it also comes in handy for developing UX prototypes!
