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Shiva Vakili

UI | UX Designer, Researcher

EDUCATION

University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, AL                                        EXP GRAD: May 2024

Graduate Certificate in User Experience | GPA: 4.0                                                                                                  

 

Georgia Southern University | Savanah, GA                                                    Aug 2014 - Dec 2017

Bachelor of Fine Arts - Graphic Design | GPA: 3.96 (Summa Cum Laude)                                                                                                      

 

Allameh Dehkhoda Institute of Technology | Qazvin, Iran                      March 2006 - Dec 2011

Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture                                                                                                       

SKILLS

UI Design

Usability Testing  Interaction Design  Wireframes

Prototypes

Information ArchitectureSurvey Design  Competitive Analysis  Qualitative Research Quantitative 

Contextual Inquiry

Card Sorting

User Interviews 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

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Senior Web Designer- Team Lead | Stillwater

College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), Oklahoma State University, July 2024 – current  

                              

  • Acted as the first point of contact for all 23 CAS departments and faculty, leading design and development initiatives in collaboration with IT, Brand Management, and Web Services.

  • Directed the migration of all departmental websites from Joomla to Omni CMS, redesigning layouts to be user-friendly, accessible, and aligned with university branding.

  • Built the CAS SharePoint as a college-wide hub to streamline resources for faculty and leadership.

  • Conducted surveys and usability testing for SharePoint, departmental websites, and the central CAS site to inform design improvements and optimize user experience.

  • Oversaw college-wide accessibility compliance, including a large-scale document remediation project, ensuring all websites and documents met WCAG standards.

  • Developed and implemented SEO and accessibility policies, training departments and building long-term best practices.

  • Aligned web content with Communications team for consistent messaging and recruitment.

  • Designed custom faculty lab pages in CMS, improving usability and satisfaction.

  • Revamped departmental sites, enhancing usability and accessibility.

Focus Group Observations

Personas, Scenarios Journey Maps

Affinity Diagraming Heuristic Evaluation  Data Synthesis

User-Centered Design  Accessibility (ADA/WCAG)

Document Remediation

Compliance

Leadership

Collaboration

Managment

Strategic Thinking

Conflict Resolution

Adaptability

Emotional Intelligence

Team building

Delegation

Mentoring, Coaching

Inovative and Creativity

PROJECT

UX Researcher | User-Centered Design (UCD) | Huntsville, AL                 Jan 2023 – May 2023

BookSystem, Inc. | University of Alabama in Huntsville                                                                                                                                         

  • Collaborated with a local library software company and a local library.

  • Conducted user interviews and performed on-site observations to extract valuable insights.

  • Utilized thematic analysis techniques to unveil pivotal findings in the library software.

  • Created user-centric empathy tools, including personas, scenarios, and journey maps for the client.

 

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UI/UX Designer |Application Design | Huntsville, AL                                         Jun 2023 -Aug 2023

Independent Study| University of Alabama in Huntsville                                                                                          

  • Conducted contextual inquiry interviews and utilized thematic analysis to extract key problems.

  • Executed card sorting tests and developed a site map for clear navigation.

  • Employed Figma as the primary tool for prototyping, creating interactive interfaces, and designing deliverables.

  • Created wireframes, prototypes, and user flows to visualize and communicate design concepts effectively.

  • Developed and maintained design systems to ensure consistency across products and platforms.

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UX Researcher | Usability Testing | Huntsville, AL                                      Aug 2023- Dec 2023

Huntsville-Madison County Public Library.  

                                                                                             

  • Conducted usability testing on the HMCPL website.

  • Designed test scenarios and tasks to evaluate user interactions with the interface.

  • Recruited diverse user participants to ensure a representative sample.

  • Observed and documented user behaviors and feedback during testing sessions.

  • Analyzed usability issues, providing actionable recommendations for improvement.

  • Collaborated with the design and development teams to implement suggested changes.

  • Utilized usability testing tools and software to capture quantitative and qualitative data.

  • Contributed to the creation of a more user-friendly interface based on testing insights.

  • Presented findings and recommendations to stakeholders for informed decision-making.

  • Ensured the project aligned with accessibility standards, addressing any identified barriers

SOFTWARES

Figma

ShirePoint

Omni_ CMS

Squize DXP_CMS

SPSS

Adobe XD

Excel

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

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