Nick F.

Nick F.

West Orange, NJ, United States of America
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About Me

I am a creative strategist helping teams gain actionable insights into products they create, focusing on maximizing clarity, efficiency and purpose. I have agency and client-side experience leading UI/UX and other cross-functional teams to build highly-trafficked and innovative consumer, retail, enterprise & b2b, websites and apps. My qualitative research methods help inform feature prioritization, product roadmap & vision, while my pixel-perfect designs ensure the solution is communicated with the utmost respect for user’s time.

QA & Testing

Other

Work history

UpStack
UpStack
UX/UI Designer
2020 - Present (5 years)
Remote
  • Create and design web-ready digital content to support development initiatives or marketing projects.

  • Direct creative concepts and adhere to project guidelines to execute campaigns according to business needs.

  • Collaborate with the creative team to ensure designs and deliverables are being completed efficiently and on-time.

Four Lights Creative
Four Lights Creative
Lead UX Research, Design & Strategy Consultant
2020 - Present (5 years)
Greater New York City Area, United States of America
  • Generate qualitative and quantitative research insights to drive user growth and retention

  • Audit UX, UI, and analytics; conduct usability tests and competitive analysis to inform feature prioritization, product roadmap & vision

  • Craft clean, impactful and value-driven designs with “content-first” strategy for responsive websites, iOS, Android and enterprise apps

STATIONHEAD
STATIONHEAD
Head of Product Design
2018 - 2020 (2 years)
Greater New York City Area, USA
  • Performed 300+ user tests with 1,500+ potential and current users in addition to monthly qualitative exploratory and evaluative user research

  • Led iOS, Android & Web product design and tech teams to re-design and launch an award-winning music + talk social radio app

  • Re-designed and launched a fully responsive/adaptive, mobile, tablet, and desktop marketing sites targeting users, investors and press

Toys"R"Us
Toys"R"Us
Senior UX Designer
2017 - 2018 (1 year)
New York, USA
  • Led UX & UI team to redesign, test and launch a responsive omni-channel path to purchase experience, serving 40 million monthly unique visitors

  • Revamped site taxonomy and navigation based on competitive analysis, web analytics, SEO, and 100+ card sort and tree testing sessions

  • Discovered traffic patterns and conversion from primary, utility and footer navigation menus to identify hierarchy of content sought by shoppers, across different devices.

Crowdtap
Crowdtap
UX Research Consultant
2017 - 2017
Greater New York City Area, USA
  • Built prototypes and established frameworks for usability testing of a new Q&A iPhone app / marketing insights platform used by Fortune 50 clients

  • Introduced slow rhythm process for collecting stories and developing empathy with people (clients and consumers) the organization supports

  • Discovered a foundation for business opportunities and future features, by using essential user key themes in the Q&A space.

MediaMath
MediaMath
Lead UX/UI Consultant
2016 - 2017 (1 year)
Greater New York City Area, USA
  • Led user research, design studio, prototyping and usability testing for Bulk Editing and Tear-Sheet apps in the T1 ad-tech platform (8bn impressions/day)

  • Conducted audit of 24 data analytics apps, developed a UX strategy for and trained MediaMath's Analytics team in UX design principles, heuristics, user research and usability testing

  • Established UX/UI standards and defined complex workflow requirements for apps and labs developed by the Technology Solutions team

MerchantCantos
MerchantCantos
Lead UX Consultant
2016 - 2016
Greater New York City Area, USA
  • UX lead in Brunswick Group’s creative agency focusing on web strategy and design projects for Fortune 500 companies, top universities, and NGOs

  • Created information architectures, content strategies and designs based on insights from user research, stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis and web analytics

  • Conducted extensive research within the creative communication industry in pieces, with opportunity to bring a comprehensive, enhanced experience for future users.

Independent Consultant
Independent Consultant
UX, Product & Business Strategy
2014 - 2016 (2 years)
San Francisco, CA New York, NY, USA
  • Designed simple, enjoyable and rewarding cross-channel experiences for users of mobile apps, responsive sites and other digital products

  • Advised in identifying competitive product strategies, analyzing funding opportunities, and implementing value-driven initiatives

  • Built operating and financial models to forecast cash flows, investor returns, and funding needs used in budgeting and capital raising

Live365
Live365
Manager, Finance & Operations
2012 - 2013 (1 year)
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
  • Initiated ad inventory optimization analysis reducing unsold ad inventory by 40%

  • Identified and implemented reporting of operational and financial KPI metrics to achieve full business transparency.

  • Re-modeled music royalty calculations based on current agreements with US and UK performance rights organizations

Avenue Live
Avenue Live
Head of Product & UX
2012 - 2014 (2 years)
Wayne, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Designed a voice-powered mobile streaming and e-commerce platform, with 1,300 influencer profiles ($2mm budget)

  • Conducted industry research; conceived product specs, authored a patent

  • Initiated on-boarding marketing campaign resulting in 1,300+ claimed profiles

Live365
Live365
Director, New Products
2012 - 2014 (2 years)
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
  • Oversaw the company’s growth strategy as a key advisor to CEO on rebuilding the internet’s largest broadcaster platform, with over 5000 professional broadcasters.

  • Designed interactive music, sports, education, and comedy iOS & Android apps used by industry’s content creators, curators and consumers

  • Managed budget and operational reporting for broadcasting, VIP and advertising groups

BandReject
Manager & Digital Strategist
2011 - 2012 (1 year)
New York, USA
  • Successfully managed four national-touring artists, while ensuring a high level of exposure.

  • Oversaw cross-channel digital strategy for content promotion, distribution and amplification.

  • Lead and helped a cross-functional team to develop ideas that brought together brand goals and objectives.

DTE Energy
DTE Energy
Sr. Strategy and M&A Analyst
2008 - 2011 (3 years)
Ann Arbor, Mi, USA
  • Spearheaded a competitive auction for the company’s natural gas assets resulting in $15mm savings for the Michigan energy consumer

  • Developed a 3-5 year energy efficiency strategy to ensure alignment with legislative and financial goals

  • Identified and valued four diversified energy companies for cash and stock purchase

Citi Investment Banking
Citi Investment Banking
M&A Analyst
2006 - 2008 (2 years)
New York, USA
  • Valued multinational companies under various strategic scenarios using DCF, LBO, and Accretion/Dilution analyses

  • Executed a variety of global M&A transactions in the energy, power, technology, communications, and consumer industries

  • Liaised with executives, but also delivered board and management presentations and led site visits.

BPW Capital Advisors
Intern, Fund of Hedge Funds
2005 - 2005
New York, USA
  • Performed extensive peer group, evolution, and correlation analyses for current and prospective hedge fund managers

  • Built relationships with the executives of potential target investments.

  • Achieved goals in a shorter span, by effectively using analyses of gathered data.

IBWJ, Inc
President, Co-Fonder
2004 - 2006 (2 years)
New York, USA
  • Founded first deal-aggregator financial publication with revenue stream, in market research reports and advertising.

  • Promoted the publication and managed to engage and employ 17 Columbia and NYU students.

  • Advertised publication reached over 3000 subscribers, across 100 undergrad and business schools.

Showcase

Stationhead, Head of Product Design
Stationhead, Head of Product Design
  • Stationhead is a mobile social radio platform for radio hosts.

  • It enables radio hosts to create talk and music shows, engage with their audience, and conduct interviews.

  • The product strategy redesign led to a 10X increase in user growth, 40% retention improvement, media coverage, and investor interest.

Lead UX/UI Designer, Toys R Us
Lead UX/UI Designer, Toys R Us
  • Toys R Us is a retail company specializing in clothing, toys, and baby products.

  • The Lead UX/UI Designer led a project to redesign the navigation architecture for Toys R Us.

  • The redesign included a refined taxonomy, a fully responsive mega navigation, utility and footer menus, and site analytics integration.

Lead UX Researcher/Strategist, Crowdtap
Lead UX Researcher/Strategist, Crowdtap
  • Crowdtap is an online community that rewards users for providing opinions on Fortune 50 companies.

  • The Lead UX Researcher/Strategist was responsible for defining and executing company UX strategy, including user research, usability testing, feature prioritization, and prototyping.

  • The role involved collaborating with a team of 3 designers to ensure a user-centered approach to the project.

Lead UX Designer, MediaMath
Lead UX Designer, MediaMath
  • MediaMath is a leading programmatic company in the ad tech industry.

  • They handle approximately 8 billion impressions per day.

  • As Lead UX Designer, they designed and validated the T1 platform app, establishing UX standards and generating over 30 designs in two months.

Education

Education
BA, Economics
Columbia University
2002 - 2006 (4 years)
Education
User Experience Design Immersive
General Assembly
Education
Master of Social Work - MSW
Rutgers University
Education
Post-bac, Psychology
University of California, Berkeley