AARON DAVIDSON
UI Designer
UI Developer
UX Architect
Photographer
Tech Entrepreneur
contact@aaron-davidson.com
Feel free to take a look around.  If you like what you see,  Let’s Get In Touch!

introduction

I am a highly passionate, self-motivated, and innovative UI/UX designer & developer with a keen ability to adapt well to change and manage tight deadlines with grace under pressure.
In addition, I have cultivated 20 years of industry experience successfully combining UX/IA/HCI principles with business strategy at various stages across the product lifecycle.
In addition, I have a exceptional track record of leading the design and development for a number of customer-facing brand websites that have cumulatively generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue.
The ability to code what I create - and essentially act as a cross-functional bridge between the conceptual “right-brain” approach and practical “left-brain” approach - uniquely positions me to perform a variety of tasks at a very high level.

Technical Expertise

Design

Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Premiere, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, Cinema4D.

Front End Web Development

HTML5, CSS3, Sass, JavaScript, jQuery, ReactJS, AngularJS, AJAX, XML, Node.js, Gulp, Babel, Git, MySQL, MAMP,
Bootstrap, Foundation, Skeleton, Visual Studio, IntelliJ, Sublime Text, WordPress, Responsive Design, Mobile/Tablet Design

Prototyping Tools

AxureRP, Balsamiq, Omnigraffle, Justinmind, Sketch, InVision, Webflow, Microsoft Visio, iRise, Figma

Desktop Publishing

MS Office, G Suite, Adobe Acrobat, SendGrid, Smartsheet, JIRA, Trello

UX Expertise

UX Strategy

requirements gathering
function allocation
user analysis
task analysis
competitive analysis

User Research

user interviews
user personas
user stories
data analysis
survey design

Information Architecture

card sorting
content audit/inventory
content strategy
taxonomy sets
flows and journey maps

UI Design

wireframing
protoyping
development
testing / debugging
iteration
Interaction Design / IxD
W3C best practices

Usability

heuristic evaluation
A/B testing
multivariate testing
HCI principles / human factors
& ergonomics
WCAG 2.0 and Section 508
accessibility guidelines

Analytics & CX

understanding of SEO/SEM techniques
understanding of the engagement strategies necessary to optimize customer experience.

Education

The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Strategic Communication Design, 2004

Work Experience

VMLY&R - Detroit, Michigan

Senior UI/UX Designer

(April 2020 - Present)
Currently leading UI/UX development within two cross-functional teams across multiple workstreams within the Ford/Lincoln automotive account to communicate key concepts and illuminate meaningful experiences that we bring to our customers.
Leverage data and design to optimize customer journey experiences within the FordPass mobile application ranging from Onboarding, Drive and Ride, Service and Maintenance to Rewards and Partner Services.
Create mobile-first web pages that communicate the potential value of SYNC to Ford owners, drive preference by telling a human-centric story, and differentiate each version from the possibilities they create by utilizing UI/UX design, enticing copy,
and arresting imagery.
Work closely with the eCommerce team to create pixel-perfect high-fidelity desktop and mobile compositions from provided wireframes, components and business requirements, within complete alignment of the brand’s digital design system.

Vertex Innovative Solutions

www.vertexinnovative.com

Chief Technology Officer, Founder

(March 2019 - Present)
Leading the effort to establish the organizational vision, build a strategic roadmap and promote the core values that serve as the foundation for our holistic approach to developing innovative solutions to transform business enterprises.
Collaborate with leadership team in order to define, design, and deliver high-quality products and enhancements that are sustainable and optimized to meet the unique needs and demands of our clients.
Initiate and cultivate relationships with top-tier technology and business partners, which allow us to efficiency scale and extend our level of service offerings across a multitude of practice areas.
Track and monitor key performance indicators, and engage with business and operation teams to establish quarterly and annual goals and objectives for products and features.
Advance new ideas, tools, technologies, and methodologies that can improve productivity, optimize workflow, enhance our SDLC, and elevate the UX we deliver.

SmartPay - Cincinnati, Ohio

Senior UI/UX Architect

(March 2019 - February 2020)
Led all aspects of the customer experience journey from the initial customer touchpoint through acquisition flow and customer relationship management and retention.
Executed brand standardization through a well-documented design system that established hierarchy and consistency across all common UI components, enhancing the UX that we delivered to our customers and strengthening brand recognition, reputation, and engagement.
Regularly researched and strategized ways to displace competitors by resolving current industry pain points and anticipating customer needs with innovative, intelligent solutions that firmly embrace user-centered principles as a foundation.

R&S Solutions - Jackson, Tennessee

Senior UX Manager

(March 2018 - August 2019)
Led the effort to build a ground-breaking e-commerce product portal that is projected to disrupt and redefine the pharmaceutical distribution landscape. Among a multitude of associated tasks, I have independently gathered requirements, conducted interviews, authored documentation, and developed the UI/UX guidelines that were implemented into the final product development.
Independently led and executed the research, design, development, testing, and deployment of the company website.
The website rebuild reenergized the brand, optimized user engagement, and led to an increase in page traffic of over 400% to date.
Established and promoted design guidelines and best practices, supported business and service teams with immersive user research, created UX design documentation to effectively communicate interaction concepts, and presented key milestone deliverables to executive stakeholders.

Triplefin - Cincinnati, Ohio

Senior Front End UI Engineer/UX Architect

(July 2015 - December 2018)
Responsible for leading the architecture, design, development, implementation and support of fully responsive mobile ready customer-facing website portals, microsites and applications for leading global pharmaceutical companies, utilizing HTML, CSS3, JavaScript & jQuery within a proprietary framework.
Communicated directly with clients, external agencies, and internal resources in order to facilitate the completion of project tasks within targeted timelines in an agile development environment, ensuring that both business objectives and technical requirements were balanced with user needs.
Regularly managed help desk tickets, provide escalation administration and support services to the IT help desk, and manual deployment of assets into production servers.
Managed front end design and development team. Additionally, liaised and provided guidance to mobile and server side development partners while maintaining project owner status. 
Functioned as a User Experience/Interface Design SME and help to educate and evangelize for the critical importance of establishing UX strategy as a core tenet within the organization’s business model.

ClarkDietrich Building Systems - West Chester Township, Ohio

Remote UX/UI Developer – (Contract)

(January 2016 – February 2018)
Responsible for the conception, design and development of a fully responsive customer-facing SPA (single-page application), utilizing Adobe CC, HTML, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, and Durandal as the primary front end architectural UI components.
Executed full life-cycle enterprise UX structural audit, including requirements analysis, user analysis, competitive analysis, prototyping, usability testing, and debugging.
Frequently collaborated with internal stakeholders by leveraging a variety of engagement strategies and collaboration tools, including: Cisco WebEx, Lync, iRise, Dropbox, and Slack.

Triplefin - Cincinnati, Ohio

Software Engineer

(March 2014 – July 2015)
Tasked with building the architecture, design, development, implementation and support of customer-facing websites, microsites and applications for leading global pharmaceutical companies, utilizing HTML, CSS3, JavaScript & jQuery within a proprietary framework.
Performed full life-cycle enterprise UI/UX development for brand strategy and innovative new product development, including requirements analysis, estimation, prototyping, usability testing, and debugging.
Integrated digital assets with critical legal requirements in order to transform static templates into functional responsive websites that are fully compliant with FDA, HIPAA, and Section 508 regulations.

CIP International - Fairfield, Ohio

Design Consultant

(January 2013 – July 2014)
Created custom signage for a variety of retail stores, layout custom design work in elevations and presentations drawn to scale, utilizing Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and AutoCAD.
Revised existing renderings and layouts using advanced image manipulation and photo retouch techniques according to client specifications.
Improved several client websites to optimize the user experience. Increased site performance by minifying CSS & JavaScript code, which in one case led to an 87% increase in conversions within 6 months.
Successfully created contract-winning design proposals on a weekly basis, which cumulatively generated hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue for the company.

Starcom USA - Chicago, Illinois

UI UX Designer/Senior Graphic Designer

(Feb. 2011 – Nov. 2012)
Collaborated with developers and programmers in the conception and production of UI/UX digital assets for iPad, iPhone, Android, web and mobile devices.
Proficiently guided creative projects from concept to completion, including client and vendor meetings, estimation, billing, and process documentation.
Developed and maintained HTML/CSS3/jQuery responsive websites and email campaigns. In addition, I tested sites for cross-browser/cross-device compatibility issues and performed analytic solutions with Google Analytics.
Convened with various departments to discuss project objectives and requirements; interpreted client needs, developed and presented intelligent design solutions.

Marsh & McLennan - New York, NY

Web Developer/UI Designer

(May 2010 – February 2011)
Responsible for the UI design, UX development, deployment and maintenance of web sites, banner ads, emails, icons, and other multimedia content.
Developed front-end (XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, AJAX) semantic code supporting multiple enterprise-wide web-based financial applications.
Prioritized tasks and efficiently managed strategic workflow while regularly providing reliable time estimates for project completion within budget.
Demonstrated the ability to take direction and work collaboratively, both in a fast-faced, results-oriented office environment, and remotely from home with minimal supervision.

WKRC-TV Channel 12 (CBS/The CW affiliate) - Cincinnati, Ohio

Broadcast Graphic Designer, Chyron/Deko Operator

(November 2005 – March 2010)
Created logos, layered compositions, and promotional material daily for print, broadcast and web utilizing Adobe After Effects, Dreamweaver, HTML, CSS, Illustrator and Photoshop.
Worked under extreme pressure and tight deadlines to multitask and fulfill special requests from several departments for multiple live newscasts and newsbriefs.
Maintained sole accountability as the only member of the department on duty five nights a week.
Animated computer graphics live on the air for an average of 27 newscasts a week (in addition to the regular newsbriefs, bulletins, pre-production work and special programming).

Prone Interactive Media, LLC - New Orleans, LA

Graphic Designer/Photographer

(April 2005 – August 2005)
Collaboratively conceptualized with multiple clients in order to develop successful advertising and brand strategies, and arrived at the most intelligent design solutions.
Worked within existing guidelines of the client brand to develop successful design concepts.
Obtained required approval for all phases of a project, working well under pressure and responsibly meeting all deadlines and budget requirements.
Responsible for creative direction of external website, including development of structure, data flow and user interface components.

F & W Publications Inc. - Cincinnati, OH

Copywriter

(October 2004 – March 2005)
Worked collaboratively with creative counterparts to produce strategically executed copy for a variety of client work across all media (including print advertising, direct mail, digital, and social).
Meticulously edited and proofread copy for accuracy, grammar and punctuation, while adhering to AP style guides, brand standards and established best practices guidelines.
Presented copy concepts to executive and cross-functional teams as needed before reviewing final copy for pre-production.
Demonstrated strong conceptual thinking, generating breakthrough ideas that pushed the boundaries of creative excellence; and displayed a keen understanding of marketing needs and consumer attitudes.

The Ohio State University - Columbus, OH

Web Designer/Web Developer/Technology Assistant, College of Education

(September 2003 – June 2004)
Created flyers, posters and logos for student organizations utilizing Illustrator and Photoshop.
Instructed students and faculty on web development and graphic design techniques to use when creating interactive presentations.
Redesigned and updated existing web sites for faculty utilizing Frontpage, Fireworks, and Photoshop in order to enhance and enrich OSU courses with multimedia content.

Contact

Telephone
513.655.6446