Who I Am
Kate Simmons, Good Shovel for Hire
(a.k.a. Information and User Experience Architect)
Email me for rates, references, proof that I know what I’m doing–all that good stuff.
What I Do
I define.
I make client goals and user needs play nice together.
- Requirements gathering
- Customer interviews
- Audience definition and targeting
- Inventories of existing resources
I spy.
I research what the other guy is doing well. No need to reinvent the wheel. I also recognize what the other guy isn’t doing well. No need to reinvent that either.
- Competitive analysis
- User research
I model.
- Sitemaps
- Wireframes
- Interactive prototypes
- Activity flow
- Metadata strategy
- Workflow
- SEO
I manage.
- Project management
- Testing coordination
- Resource management
I advocate.
For the user, but also for the client. I get it: there is no user without something to use, and there is nothing to use without business sponsorship. User-centered design can and must do it all.
- Section 507 compliance
- Ongoing analysis
- Maintenance (“care and feeding”)planning
What I Use
Sitemaps
- Omnigraffle
- Visio
- Axure
Prototypes
- Axure
Wireframes
- GoMockingbird
- Balsalmiq Mockups
Administration
- Word
- Excel
- PowerPoint
Design
- Photoshop
Code
- Dreamweaver
- HTML5
- CSS
Content Management
- Oracle Universal Content Management
- Oracle Site Studio Designer
Where I’ve Been
HealthPartners, Web & New Media/UX Team
Bloomington, Minn., 2007 – present
Role: Information Architect
Reproductive Medical Associates of New York
Role: Freelance web editing
Ryan Partnership
Minneapolis, Minn., 2007 (short-term contract)
Role: Traffic Manager
Mid-America Union, Communication Department
Lincoln, Neb., 2006 – 2007
Role: Webmaster
Union College, Marketing Communications
Lincoln, Neb., 2004 – 2006
Role: Copyeditor, news and features writer
