Experience

• Senior Product Designer Owens & Minor - Global Healthcare Product Provider

  Richmond, VA • April 2024 to March 2026
  • Led design strategy and product discovery for a ground-up rebuild of a legacy hospital inventory management application.
  • Designed and prototyped a mobile hospital inventory management application with  RFID capabilities.
  • Co-created the initial version of a design system for Owens & Minor applications and managed further iterations, integrating accessibility, brand, and user feedback.
  • Established a new user research program, using initial surveys to assemble a core user group of 50+ users and running numerous user research sessions with clinicians, inventory specialists, and hospital administrators.

• Principal Product Designer UXcellence - Freelance Product Boutique

  April 2013 to Present
  • Designed and developed the responsive redesign for The Incomparable, a prominent podcast network featuring dozens of podcasts with hundreds of episodes spanning more than a decade of content.
  • Created The UX Compendium, a comprehensive set of Sketch templates to simplify the creation of UX artifacts ranging from personas and scenarios to site maps and wireframes.
  • Built UXcellence, a web site on user experience, product design, and development with over 70 articles and cataloging more than 300 UX-oriented books.
  • Authored a monthly newsletter for UXcellence, sharing valuable tools, resources, articles, and new books relevant to UX designers with over 500 subscribers at its peak.
  • Designed and built ColorBot, a tool for converting colors, creating color palettes, and generating accessible color names.
  • Conceived and developed the UX Tool Belt, showcasing UX methods and tools to facilitate planning UX processes.
  • Created Photoshop templates for holiday cards, trading cards, invitations, and more, with several thousand product sales across Etsy and Creative Market storefronts.
  • Designed an 8-bit pixel font, that was featured in a Threadless iOS app.

• Senior UX Designer Advance Auto Parts - National Automotive Parts Retailer

  Richmond, VA • March 2016 to December 2023
  • Spearheaded design and prototyping for many features of a web-based point-of-sale system that was successfully piloted and subsequently deployed to all stores nationwide.
  • Led the creation of a cross-platform design system, building and documenting over 70 components with more than 400 variations, 50+ design tokens, and dozens of color and type styles.
  • Mentored and trained a global team of designers on using Figma, user experience best practices, and user research methodologies.
  • Designed and prototyped features for a multi-million dollar B2B e-commerce platform catering to professional garages and mechanics, encompassing parts procurement, vehicle fleet management, and order tracking.
  • Conducted usability testing and discovery sessions with general managers and store team members to improve the point-of-sale system and determine high priority enhancements.
  • Designed and prototyped the interface for a mobile inventory tracking system.
  • Collaborated with third-party systems such as Reflexis and Workday to integrate and apply brand styles seamlessly.

• Lead Product Designer DieHappy - Startup Focused on Mobile Lifestyle Apps

  Richmond, VA • June 2015 to October 2015
  • Led research and discovery efforts for diverse product concepts within an early-stage startup.
  • Created and refined multiple mobile app prototypes using Sketch and Invision.
  • Crafted a product prototype for a mobile lifestyle app centered on living a balanced life.
  • Designed a product prototype dedicated to journaling meaningful adventures, accomplishments, moods, and other personal achievements.
  • Created a product prototype for a platform focused on sharing photos and memories with close family and friends.
  • Brainstormed promotional tools and branded clothing ideas to build a brand around the concept.

• UX Lead SingleStone - Consulting Agency

  Glen Allen, VA • April 2014 to June 2015
  • Conceived and prototyped a Customer Effort Score dashboard product as a proof of concept for a new in-house product.
  • Designed and developed the responsive front-end for myVDOT, a citizen portal enabling thousands of Virginians to report road issues and track repair status.
  • Designed content-driven templates for Markel Specialty Insurance, ensuring brand consistency across their diverse insurance programs and products.
  • Contributed to the design of internal web applications and dashboards for organizations such as the International Missions Board, AMF Bowling, and Advance Health.
  • Lead the front-end development and translated static desktop mockups into a responsive redesign for the DuPont Community Credit Union website.
  • Developed a new responsive website for the rebranding of SingleStone.
  • Designed print collateral for various marketing initiatives at SingleStone.

• Lead UX Designer Launch Media Network - Startup Building Gaming Communities

  Richmond, VA • November 2012 to February 2014
  • Played a key role in the substantial growth of GameSkinny from a couple of thousand total visits per month at its start to over a million unique visitors per month.
  • Oversaw design and front-end development, mentoring junior developers on best practices for front-end development.
  • Designed, developed, and refined a user-friendly interface for content creation on GameSkinny, striking a balance between simplicity for new users and robust features for experienced writers.
  • Conceived and implemented a gamification system, effectively encouraging active engagement from both writers and readers by unlocking rewards for continued participation.
  • Wrote much of the microcopy on interactive elements and calls to action, using analytics and event tracking to gauge the most effective options.
  • Documented new features and wrote guides aimed at enhancing writing skills and encouraging participation within the community.

• Interaction Designer Snagajob - Startup Focused on the Hourly Job Market

  Glen Allen, VA • May 2011 to November 2012
  • Created an interactive prototype for a mobile web app facilitating search for and application to part-time jobs using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP.
  • Conducted rapid and iterative in-person and remote testing of prototypes with users to validate effective and engaging solutions.
  • Designed interactive prototypes for new products and features using HTML/CSS, Axure, Photoshop, and InVision.
  • Orchestrated remote and in-person user research sessions on a weekly basis, engaging job seekers and small business owners for purposes of discovery, product viability testing, market research, and usability testing.
  • Designed, implemented, and analyzed unmoderated A/B split tests and heatmap click tests, evaluating the effectiveness of microcopy, call-to-action design, and changes to flow and interaction for improved engagement.

• Webmaster Virginia Commonwealth University

  Richmond, VA • May 2007 to May 2011
  • Managed the Technology Services website and associated blogs.
  • Designed and developed web applications, including:
    • FileDrop: a web-based file-sharing system, enabling university members to send large files over the web before file-sharing services were commonplace.
    • A-Z Index: an organized catalog of all VCU websites, searchable by keywords, with a robust back-end for managing website metadata, viewing search and engagement statistics, and generating brand and accessibility compliance reports for university web developers.
  • Maintained and enforced web and mobile app design standards for the university, conducting regular reviews to ensure adherence to brand guidelines, web standards compliance, and Section 508 accessibility improvements.
  • Managed and provided technical support for university-wide web applications, including blogs, web search, iTunes U, wikis, and Urchin web analytics.
  • Conducted regular training sessions educating employees on using the university’s Movable Type blogging platform.
  • Wrote documentation for supported applications.

• Web Developer Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center - Nonprofit Organization

  Richmond, VA • May 2003 to May 2007
  • Designed and developed the main VALRC website along with multiple other sites for various projects, conferences, and marketing initiatives.

Education

• James Madison University BS Media Arts and Design, Interactive Design

  Harrisonburg, VA • August 1998 to May 2002
  • Minors: Computer Science and Technical Writing
  • Co-Executive editor, Curio magazine, a student-produced annual feature magazine
  • Online editor & web designer for The Breeze, student newspaper

Volunteer

• Editor & Producer A List Apart

  January 2017 to June 2024
  • Edited articles to assist writers in refining their concepts and aligning with A List Apart standards and styles
  • Reviewed submitted articles, providing constructive feedback, suggesting further directions, and contributing to decisions on acceptance or rejection.
  • Produced articles using Expression Engine and later WordPress for publication.

• Webmaster Echo Lake Elementary School PTA

  June 2016 to July 2022
  • Created a website for my son’s elementary school PTA using Craft CMS.
  • Designed a new logo incorporating the school’s dolphin mascot and created corresponding print materials, such as shirts, flyers, and more.
  • Hosted and maintained the PTA site on Digital Ocean, providing training to PTA members for updating and maintaining the site.

Writing

• 

  The Wax and the Wane of the Web

  Feb 29, 2024 — Forget death and taxes. The only certainty on the web is change. Ste Grainer takes a brief look at the history of the web and how it has been constantly reinvented. Then he explores where we are now, and how we can shape the future of the web for the better.

Skills

User experience

• Design systems
• Product discovery
• Usability testing
• User research
• Analytics
• A/B testing
• Personas & scenarios
• User journeys
• Information architecture

Visual Design

• Responsive design
• Interface design
• Mobile app design
• Iconography
• Illustration
• Photography
• Print design
• Animation

Development

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• Accessibility
• Progressive enhancement
• Performance optimization
• PHP
• MySQL

Software

• Figma
• Sketch
• Adobe CS
• Axure
• Craft CMS

Business

• Agile/Lean methodology
• Git and version control
• Marketing
• Stakeholder alignment
• Strategic planning
• Technical writing