Keith Gill
UX / UI / IxD / Visual & Motion Designer
A bit about me...
but first, feel free to download my resumes.
The PDF is "pretty" while the RTF is ugly but applicant tracking system (ATS) compliant and slightly more thorough.
Having grown up in northern California, I can't imagine living anywhere else. Well, maybe Italy or Kauai...but I would always have the desire to return home; to this State of Awe.
AWE: a strong feeling of respect and also wonder.
These same feelings strike me everytime I walk along West Cliff, camp in Big Sur or ski in Tahoe. Living the dream and feeling truly grateful to call Santa Cruz my home.
But I didn't always live here. I lived in Orange County when I attended Chapman Univiersity studying Literature (emphasis in Creative Writing) and San Diego after graduating (emphasis in procrastination). But thanks to my family, friends as well as the rugged coast and proximity to Tahoe, I returned to northern California to eventually study design.
And I love what I do.
A bit about my design process...
Discover
Within the Discovery phase I am typically tasked with ideation, user research, interviews and competitive analysis in an attempt to frame the problem.
Define
The Define phase should reveal insights and opportunities, albeit they are still hypothesis. More brainstorming occurs when we pose the question, "How might we...?" Paper prototypes or lo-fi wireframes are not unusual at this stage.
Design
I typically create, test and rapidly iterate clickable Balsamiq wireframes during the Design phase. It's also best to reach internal stakeholder consensus upon basic interactions, then test those assumptions externally with customers via usability studies.
Deliver
The Deliver stage can conjure hi-fidelity clickable mockups or simple front-end code that can be more widely distributed and tested. The tools are many, but I prefer Sketch and InVision. After testing, iterating and more polish, I use Sketch for style guides and Zeplin for specifications.
Skills
This is by no means the end-all list as toolsets and processes change over time and per-project. I have found that the ability to learn and be flexible is crucial in this industry.
Rest assured I have experience with the product life cycle from concept to completion. But don't take my word for it, have a look at my portfolio.
Arsenal
Balsamiq, Sketch, Principle, InVision, Photoshop, Illustrator, Zeplin, Markly, After Effects, Cinema 4D, HTML5, CSS3.
In no particular order...
I've produced work for…
16
Experience
Throughout the years I have had the great fortune to work with some fantastic companies and their customers.
I have worked in Marketing, within Engineering, through solo gigs to collaborating with large enterprise teams. Throughout it all, from bubble to bust, the products I have helped to shape, and indeed my very career, have always been in the hands of the customer.
Sr. UX Designer Epicor Software Inc.
Contributed to Epicor's first SMB SaaS offerings, FFL Compliance Manager and SubscribeNow. Assisted in the redesign of Epicor's flagship SMB product, Eagle N Series. Managed two design agencies; one for the creation of Ace Hardware's The Supply Place and the other for the creation of a 55" LED touchscreen highlighting Epicor offerings at tradeshows. Worked on multiple mobile designs for iOS, Android and Windows including Eagle Mobile+, Mobile Manager, Mobile Shopper, Mobile Lookup, Tablet POS and BisTrack Delivery. I also ran usability studies internally and externally for mobile offerings and point of sale touchscreen displays. And there's more...just ask me.
December 2009 - March 2017
Lead UX / UI Designer & Createive DirectorZmanda Inc. A Carbonite Company
As Lead UX / UI Designer I designed and developed (HTML & CSS) both open source SaaS offerings Amanda Enterprise and Zmanda Recovery Manager for MySQL.
I concurrently served as the Creative Director, designing multiple iterations of the corporate website including internationalization efforts, customer administration portals as well as landing pages. I was also the sole Visual Designer for all on-line and off-line content such as tradeshow banners, posters, business cards, flyers, data sheets, white papers, Flash animations, video bumpers, 3D and other graphics. I managed all aforementioned assets as well as a third party agency for our final rebranding mission.
January 2006 - June 2009
UI DesignerNetwork General
A short contracting gig wherein I pitched in to design and code the front-end (HTML & CSS) of Network General's flagship product, Sniffer Enterprise Administrator, a network and application performance analysis product that was later purchased by NetScout.
October 2005 - January 2006
Freelance DesignerSafeway Inc. - Quantum Intech, Inc. - Surf Simple
While contracting for Safeway I created over 100 Flash animations to train new employees on in-store processes related to the meat and poltry department. The training modules were replete with ActionScript quizzes and short videos.
At Quantum Intech I worked with my brilliant friend and developer Alfredo Knecht to help model and animate the emWave, a hand-held device that monitors your heart's rhythm and provides feedback to reach coherence and reduce stress.
Surf Simple. What can I say? Did anybody get paid for working on the Callstorm Telephone Notification System? Lesson learned...if you haven't filled out any HR documents in the first couple of weeks, then it's highly unlikely that “the checks in the mail.”
November 2003 - November 2004
UI DesignerDirecTV Broadband
This was the year that I truly cut my teeth on HTML, CSS and Flash. Hired to create a new corporate intranet by consolidating two existing sites, I began practicing UX methodologies such as card sorts, stakeholder interviews and heuristic evaluations long before I ever heard the term User Experience. Sadly, the day before our big roll-out the entire broadband division of DirecTV was sacked. Oh well, I'll get 'em next time!
Febuary 2002 - December 2002
UI DesignerNeoforma Inc.
Having graduated from design school in '98 I stuck around to tutor part of the curriculum and became a teacher's assistant for Lightwave 3D and Premiere Pro. So when the right job came along I didn't hesitate to jump at the Data Entry opportunity at Neoforma. Wait, what? I stuck it out for 6 months until they learned I had other talents, namely design skillz. I thought I was hot 5h!t.
I went on to manage over 1,500 on-line panoramas, coordinating with Engineering, Sales and Product Managers to hot-spot revenue generating hospital equipment within each panorama. There was of course a myriad of other design tasks, but I've already bored you.
It was a wild ride! I was employee 21 and when we went public we held the record for the 16th highest single-day IPO price increase. Alas, all good things must come to an end.