resume of
Pat Higgins, UX Strategist
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MY SKILLS
UX STRATEGY | SERVICE DESIGN
PRODUCT MANAGEMENT & MARKETING
COPYWRITING
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MY JOBS
UX Content Strategist | Consultant Herndon, VA – Sept 2008 to current As an independent digital strategist, I help enterprises create or update content, identify and correct usability issues, and enhance the user experience on websites, apps, products, and online services. My involvement is both strategic and hands-on with deliverables that include research and discovery, messaging strategies and content creation, SEO, user flows, persona studies, wireframes, usability testing, content audits and migrations, taxonomies, and more. I am currently working on a large content migration assignment with Tendo for a client on the Adobe AEM platform. See clients list > Senior Content Strategist: Celerity McLean, VA – Sept 2018 to March 2019 I shaped content experiences to create useful interactions for clients and end users. Work included: creation of a digital strategy playbook; current state content gap analysis; new content creation; mapping content for migration to new platforms; interfacing with developers and project managers on scheduled sprints; discovery work and research to understand audience needs and top tasks; marketing copywriting including case studies and blog content. Director of Web UX / Content Strategy: American Military University (American Public University System) Manassas, VA – Jan 2013 to Sept 2018 I was a leader on the Marketing web team managing this online university’s 4 prospect-facing websites. Directly managed copywriters and content strategists and influenced a team of front-end web designers to rebuild the sites to be mobile responsive with all new content. Conducted multiple rounds of usability testing following a large CMS migration and redesign. Did research and pre/post usability testing and performed heuristic studies of competitor websites. Helped to redesign the new student enrollment application and course registration flows. Managed 500+ pages of web content in two CMS platforms on a daily basis. Converted the university’s online voice from “we” to “you” in order to personalize the student experience. Cut through the chaos of a decentralized CMS while teaching contributors how to effectively produce content that drives conversions. Built a new student knowledgebase (Help Center) to convert more than 600 scattered FAQs into 130 searchable articles. Was a marketing brand champion and created a content repository for the B2B team to select on-brand messaging for partner marketing. Wrote marketing copy for social media, PPC campaigns, Marketo A/B tested landing pages, print and radio advertising, and 2 dozen+ print assets. Assisted the CMO by writing executive communications plans. Helped bring to market more than 30 academic programs and a native mobile application. Mentored the graphic design team to apply their print knowledge to effective digital design. Consultant: Tata Communications Herndon, VA – Apr 2010 to Dec 2012 As a principal member of a product management team, I helped bring to market a new metered cloud computing service called InstaCompute. The product allowed B2B customers to use hosted servers in the cloud on a pay-as-you-go basis. I was responsible for: website architecture and UI design of the marketing website and back-end service management portal, including the design of an ecommerce check-out flow; website usability testing; requirements gathering and Agile project management; brand content strategy; copywriting of web content, video scripts, auto responders, error messaging, and email communications; sales support documentation; business process creation. Consultant: Parallels Herndon, VA – Feb 2009 to Apr 2010 Drove design requirements and created a 25-page service provider portal for this virtualization leader. The B2B portal was used by Parallels to generate leads, drive conversions, and enhance relationships with partners in the hosting and cloud computing industry. Also wrote all the website content, email campaigns, technical articles, data sheets and training guides, and helped to brand a new technical certification program. Senior Copywriter / Content Strategist: Network Solutions Herndon, VA – Mar 2006 to Sept 2008 Created and managed the customer facing content for this multi-million-dollar ecommerce storefront. Wrote persuasive web marketing copy as well as technical documentation for post-sales customer support. Drove customer messaging for the launch of 7 new product lines plus a complete redesign of the user’s account manager portal, for which I wrote the tool copy, support resources, video demos and the marketing campaign. Developed the process used by all the product owners to submit content requirements to the web team. Worked daily with a team of UX and front-end designers on iterative micro-conversion releases. Staff Writer / Account Executive: The Shopper Chesapeake, VA – Feb 2000 to Sept 2005 Wrote feature articles and ad copy while servicing accounts for this monthly magazine (circulation 100,000). Articles were full-page stories designed to increase client advertising results and retention. Marketing Coordinator: I. Levy & Associates, Inc. St. Louis, MO – Jan 1997 to Aug 1999 Created marketing collateral and planned advertising on a national scale. Managed resellers and trade shows. Creative Director: Words in Print, St. Louis, MO & Manassas, VA – Nov 1987 to Jan 1997 Performed creative work and managed marketing, sales, and accounting as the owner of this marketing communications agency. Specialized in designing print collateral and training clients to create their own assets. |
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MY EDUCATION B.A. in Communications Journalism – Shippensburg University - Outstanding Journalism Student Award; 3.6 GPA Professional Development: NN/g Certified UX Strategist 2017; University of California Interaction Design Specialization (via Coursera): Human-Centered Design, Design Principles, and Social Computing, 2016; NN/g The Human Mind and Usability, 2015; 8-Shapes Communicating Design, 2008; FutureNow Persuasive Online Copywriting, 2008; Bruce Clay SEO, 2008; Xerox Professional Selling Applications: InDesign, InVision, Sketch, Adobe Cloud, Mural, HTML/CSS; Domo, Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics (Omniture/SiteCat); CMS: Adobe AEM (CQ), eGain, Site Executive; PM: Jira, RoboHead, MS 365; Usability testing: UserZoom, UserTesting.com, Optimal Workshop |
