Experience
Serving as the primary and senior member of the Six Red Marbles UX/UI team for over 4 years, I have become the company go-to reference for anything pertaining to what UX design efforts entail. I facilitate and mentor the collaboration of UX/UI Design with Sales, Project Managers, Learning Experience Designers, and Instructional Technologists, as well as oversee deliverables produced by fellow UX Designers, Animators, Illustrators, and Developers engaged in the design and build of market-leading learning experiences for our K-12 and Higher Education clients. I encourage collaborative teams to strive toward elegant, empathetic, and accessible solutions to client challenges, while innovating strategies to keep the project efficiently produced and within scope.
As UX Designer with a background in education, I take a holistic approach to learning experience development, placing direct emphasis on pedagogical priorities. Working closely with content creators, I deliver user-centric digital experiences that lead to successful learning outcomes for a wide variety of audiences.
Responsibilities include pricing level-of-effort, advocating for resources needed, project research and discovery, ideation and journey mapping, iterative wire-framing and rapid prototyping, user testing, visual design, and production oversight. Additionally, I have also substantially contributed insights and won internal project proposals to help refine bigger-picture human performance interactions and scalable business operations, developing process documentation and workflow efficiencies throughout.
“I was fortunate to work with Heidi at Six Red Marbles where her eagerness to take on new projects and ability to deftly acclimate to multiple new technologies illustrated her flexibility, curiosity, and commitment to lifelong learning, both for her own understanding of human learning and engagement, and in her daily strategic approach to design and develop quality edtech products.
This commitment to growth is further seen in her pursuit of domain-specific formal education and thoughtful correspondence with colleagues. Her dedicated pursuit of an ever-deeper scholarship of pedagogy and andragogy is quickly moved from theory to practice, designing for a wide variety of client needs while incorporating user-centric and accessibility concerns. Her work showed an elegant and utilitarian integration of formidable UX skills into learning experience design.”
— Michael Whalen, Senior Learning Experience Designer
Business Accomplishments
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Won a $650K two-stage app project by co-authoring a UX-heavy project proposal with an Instructional Designer. The successful realization of this project made the case for growing the UX team and pursuing more robust app development acquisitions.
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Authored a streamlined process for art direction and oversight of the international branch, facilitating communication between client requirements, UX Design objectives, and developer specifications, gaining efficiencies across time zones.
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Proposed and won company funding for a $20K internal business improvement research project, including designing a robust media library, tiered by complexity and cost for sales to reference. Efforts included designing upfront client education materials to orient new clients to the scope, review criteria, and milestones, thus preventing misalignment of expectations and improving customer experience.
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Proposed and won company funding to streamline design and production processes, and improve up-front client communication. The project’s implementation was responsible for an approximately 80% increase in design and build productivity, making interactive learning experiences affordable and scalable for smaller budgets.
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Conceptualized a scalable branching scenario flow and writing template, designed to funnel all users to the learning objective no matter the path they explore. Created real-world, play-based simulations in a risk-free, fun environment that was heralded as the signature feature in a K-6 educational app.
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Created a live, learning experience-specific, journey-mapping environment, streamlining pedagogical collaboration between ID and UX design teams by 40%, and generating clear learning-flow visuals for client and non-educational stakeholder buy-in.
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Designed a suite of templatized core course media toolbox of offerings, along with supplemental content writer’s guides, to efficiently offer a variety of engaging experiences for otherwise dry course content with smaller budgets.
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Deconstructed an existing gamified courtroom simulation to create a new version focused on ethics consultation for a law school curriculum. Created writer’s guides so that dialog would flow logically, regardless of a student’s chosen path.
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Proposed current models of Experiential Learning theory to best reach and engage a young audience in a digital simulation product. Presented to extended LXD team on gamification and game-based learning strategies for future projects.
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Conceptualized and designed a new strategy to flip the constraints and capabilities of a company's proprietary legacy software to offer a newly competitive product for current trends.
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Priced new projects in company pipeline ranging from $30k to $800K, by regularly scoping UX level-of-effort and workflows in project planning phases.
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Designed competitively timed and scored quick-recall interactives, while maintaining inclusivity and accessibility.
Transferable Skills
Project Design Lead
UI/UX Design
User Flow and Site Organization
Rapid Prototyping/Wireframing
Systems/Process Design
Accessibility and Inclusive Design
Content Management
Full Adobe Suite
Figma
HTML/CSS
Sketch
Zeplin
InVision
Print Design
Passionate approach to collaboration, thriving on what I can learn from my peers, and excited to see what we can build together.
Possess a thirst for creating engaging and intuitive user experiences to make a positive impact in the education industry.
Data-driven, empathetic and holistic perspective for the user’s experience.
Able to step into the shoes of a variety of personas to meet the user’s needs.
Systems thinker with a passion for problem solving and championing high quality and efficiency.
Well versed in accommodating technology or budget constraints while strategically meeting user needs with an eye for accessibility.
Possessing a deep interest in being part of the brainstorm to fine tune efficiencies to improve the quality of products produced, as well as the work environment for everyone.
Comfortable with ambiguity, and accustomed to thinking on my feet and/or taking calculated risks to innovate processes, delegate, and accomplish workloads to meet goals in a fast-paced environment.
Quick learner, often needing to learn a new software at every turn throughout my career, from print design, to web and product design, transitioning to building products in proprietary CMS software, ultimately leading to designing in rapid prototyping tools for custom HTML5 interactives. Looking forward to tackling virtual reality and adaptable design techniques going forward.
Driven to keep current with technology, gamification techniques, and pedagogical learning theory, recently completing a graduate certificate in eLearning and Instructional Design at Northeastern University.
Keen attention to detail in layout, design, editing, proofreading, prepress, and file preparation for smooth baton passes between departments.
“I had the pleasure of working with Heidi at Six Red Marbles. Heidi was brought in as a visual designer but due to some organizational changes she quickly had to step into a more multi-faceted UX designer role. Her responsibilities included execution as well as oversight of all UX and design projects. She also provided design instruction and guidance to our offshore team.
Heidi created designs and iconography for e-Learning Web sites and courseware. Among my many interactions with Heidi, was a project to build Interactive tutorials for a publishing client. She was instrumental in both a creative and Learning Design role for this particular project. The client was very pleased with the final product and Heidi should be credited for providing her User Experience, Visual Design and Learning Design expertise to complete that project to the client's satisfaction. Heidi is an extremely hard worker with a wonderful sense of accountability and responsibility. I hope we have the opportunity to work together again”
— Maureen O’Donnell, Senior Project Director
Service Chronology and Accounts
C U R R E N T R O L E
Six Red Marbles, Inc.
Senior UI/UX Designer & Learning Experience Design Associate (Full-Time Permanent)
Medford, MA & Remote | EdTech Design Agency | January 2020 - Present
Lead UI/UX & Visual Designer (Full-Time Permanent)
Medford, MA | EdTech Design Agency | August 2018 - Present
• AARP • Achieve 3000 • Apple • Before Racism • Boston Museum of Science • Coursera • Edmentum • FitMoney • Google • Hand to Mind • Institute of Integrated Nutrition • International Money Fund • KPMG Novel Scholars • Lexia Learning • MacMillan • MindUp • Mentoring Minds • Project Managers Association • USciences • Wayside • West Academic •
New England BioLabs, Inc.
Graphic Artist (Part-Time Contract; In-House)
Ipswich, MA | Life Science Research
• Brand Guideline Documentation • Calendar Design • Social Media Engagement Strategy • Marketing Collateral • Product/Event Advertising • Podcast editing/production • Publications • Sustainability Report •
PRRI, Inc.
Web & Visual Designer (Full-Time Permanent)
Beverly, MA | Medical Association Management and Conference Planning
• AAHS • AAPPS • AAPS • AATS • AFMR • ASPN • ASMS • ASA • ASAF • CHSS • HVS • ISMICS • ISPAN • MCACS • NEAUA • NESS • NSPS • PSRC • PTS • PSNC • SPU • SCVS • SSAT • SSATF • SAVS • WTSA •
Innovative Foto, Inc.
Production Artist (Full-Time Permanent)
Salem, NH | Entertainment Kiosk Manufacturer and Photo Products
• Adler Planetarium • AMC Entertainment • Busch Gardens • Cinemark • Discovery Place • Disney • Field Museum • Forever 21 • Franklin Institute • Hershey Park • M & Ms • Madame Tussauds Attractions • The Museum of Science and Industry • Nigel Barker • Pittsburgh Zoo • Rainforest Cafe • Ripley’s Believe It or Not • San Diego Zoo • Shedd Aquarium • The STRAT Hotel • Urban Outfitters •
Appleseeds, Inc.
Production Artist (Full-Time Permanent)
Beverly, MA | Clothing Catalog and Online Retail
• Appleseeds • Linen Source • Monterey Bay • The Tog Shop •
Pangea Tools, Inc.
Online Content Manager (Temporary Contract)
Waltham, MA | EdTech Industry (K-8)
• Houghton Mifflin Harcourt •
FableVision Learning & FableVision, Inc.
Designer & Illustrator (Temporary Contract)
Dedham & Boston, MA | EdTech Industry (K-8)
Chamber Publishing Group, Inc.
Assistant Art Director (Full-Time Permanent)
Salem, MA | Print Publishing
Community Guides, Directories, Maps, and Small Business Advertising Space
• Acton • Arlington • Back Bay • Boston • Carlisle • Danbury • Hartford • Haverhill • Lexington • Malden • Middleton • Melrose • Portland • Stanford •
Bright Beginnings Preschool
Teacher and Curriculum Coordinator (Full-Time Permanent)
New Fairfield, CT | Preschool and After-School Care
Custom die-cut brochure designed as an expo tote stuffer to advertise New England Bio Labs new product.
Custom calendar project designed as a marketing tool for New England Bio Labs advertising digital tools and bio products, and company culture, while featuring photography submitted by customers. Selected customer's photos were contest winners for a social media engagement initiative.
Vend flow created to show the paths a user could take in Nigel Barker's Photobooth. Contributed both UX design and video editing to realize this photo booth software install.
Catalog Layout adhering to 4 title's different style guides and image color correction work done for Appleseeds, Inc.
K-8 on-line science lessons created for Houghton Mifflin Harcourt while at Pangea Tools, using their custom content management system. Collaborated with animators, copywriters, photo researchers, and quality assurance to build engaging visual demonstrations and age appropriate user interfaces for navigation of presented science concepts.
Software One-Sheets for FableVision Learning in their whimsical children's illustrated style.
Sight words illustrated in Flash with a wacom Tablet for Lexia Learning language software. Done while working for FableVision, Inc.
Ad space designed for a variety of company branding styles.