Branden Ushijima, Designer in Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Branden Ushijima

Verified Expert  in Design

Designer

Location
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Toptal Member Since
February 7, 2018

With over 20 years as a design professional, Branden has developed a personal design ethic focused on simplicity and user-centered empathy in his products. Specializing in user experience research and design, Branden excels as a design strategist, assisting startups and established organizations alike.

Portfolio

Work Experience

Principal Designer

2006 - 2023
Branden Design LLC
  • Assisted a variety of clients across all product subjects, platforms, and organization types.
  • Planned the strategic design for product ecosystems, including the web, app, and wearable platforms.
  • Conducted user research, including persona, use case, and user testing initiatives.
  • Designed the deliverables from concept visualizations, wireframing, and mockups to final assets.
  • Implemented the Q&A of the product and follow-up analysis after the project was launched.
  • Managed the project workflow, integrating with the client's existing internal infrastructure.
Technologies: Zeplin, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, InVision, Sketch, Mobile UX Design, Mobile UI Design, UX Design, UI Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Visual Design, Wireframing, User Flows, Mockups, App UX, App UI, Mobile Web, User Research, Personas, Mobile UX, Product Strategy, User Journeys, Information Architecture (IA), Prototyping, User Experience (UX), Feature Prioritization, Product Design, UX Wireframes, User Testing, Data Visualization, Layout Design, SaaS Design, System Design, Design Systems, Dashboards, Responsive Web Apps, Mobile, Web, Software as a Service (SaaS), Journey Mapping, Consumer Products, Web UX, Web UI Design, Web Design, Web App Design, Web UI, Mobile Design, Figma, B2C, Native Mobile Apps, Mobile App Design, User Personas, User Stories, Edtech, Education Technology (Edtech)

Director of User Experience Design

2018 - 2022
HITRECORD LLC
  • Served as design lead and strategist, taking the organization through Series A funding and contributing to an overall 50% increase in MAU and 10x engagement in the app usage.
  • Established and built the design team, including hiring and establishing design process standards.
  • Led design strategy, research, concept, and execution of Class Projects, an all-new community e-learning subscription platform.
  • Conducted user research for the entire HitRecord (HITREC●RD) ecosystem, including exploratory market fit, persona and use case development, user surveys, and interviews.
  • Contributed to products that received these accolades: (1) "Create Together" wins Emmy for Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming, 2020, and (2) "App of the Day," #1 Trending App: Community—Apple App Store, 2020 (multiple markets).
Technologies: Figma, Sketch, Zeplin, iOS, Android, OS X, Prototyping, Mobile UX Design, UX Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Visual Design, Wireframing, User Flows, Mockups, App UX, App UI, Mobile Web, User Research, Personas, Mobile UX, Product Strategy, User Journeys, Information Architecture (IA), User Experience (UX), Feature Prioritization, Product Design, UX Wireframes, Remote User Testing, User Testing, Data Visualization, Layout Design, SaaS Design, System Design, Design Systems, Dashboards, Responsive Web Apps, Mobile, Web, Software as a Service (SaaS), Journey Mapping, Consumer Products, Web UX, Web UI Design, Web Design, Web App Design, Web UI, Mobile Design, Design Leadership, Workshop Facilitation, B2C, Native Mobile Apps, Mobile App Design, User Personas, User Stories, Edtech, Education Technology (Edtech)

Director of User Experience Design

2014 - 2016
Headspace, Inc.
  • Led the agile team of product designers while shaping the organization's strategic vision as an advocate for users and partners.
  • Developed product design strategies by analyzing and documenting existing user experience practices, recommending comprehensive updates to existing UX, and identifying new feature opportunities.
  • Contributed to the design process and workflow initiatives such as product design sprints.
  • Worked closely with the marketing/acquisition team to improve onboarding, conversion, and retention of the subscription-based core product.
  • Developed the user research practices, including user testing, persona, user type, and use case development.
  • Defined the internal product ethics and the operational and design standards for all products within the Headspace ecosystem.
Technologies: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, InVision, Prototyping, Mobile UX Design, Mobile UI Design, UX Design, UI Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Visual Design, Wireframing, User Flows, Mockups, App UX, App UI, Mobile Web, User Research, Personas, Mobile UX, Product Strategy, User Journeys, Information Architecture (IA), User Experience (UX), Feature Prioritization, Product Design, UX Wireframes, Remote User Testing, User Testing, Data Visualization, Layout Design, SaaS Design, System Design, Design Systems, Dashboards, Responsive Web Apps, Mobile, Web, Software as a Service (SaaS), Journey Mapping, Consumer Products, Web UX, Web UI Design, Web Design, Web App Design, Web UI, Mobile Design, Design Leadership, Workshop Facilitation, B2C, Native Mobile Apps, Mobile App Design, User Personas, User Stories

Director of User Experience Design

2013 - 2014
DogVacay
  • Managed the UX and project for version 2.0 of DogVacay's iOS app, which included assessing and creating a new app flow to accommodate all the host management features beyond version 1.0's basic messaging features.
  • Led the UX design for DogVacay.com's mobile web efforts to allow for feature accessibility of DogVacay.com across all mobile platforms outside of iOS.
  • Developed a new sign-up flow for web and mobile (iOS) experiences, which streamlined a 12-step process into two steps.
Technologies: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Prototyping, Mobile UX Design, Mobile UI Design, UX Design, UI Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Visual Design, Wireframing, User Flows, Mockups, App UX, App UI, Mobile Web, User Research, Mobile UX, Product Strategy, User Journeys, Information Architecture (IA), User Experience (UX), Feature Prioritization, Product Design, UX Wireframes, User Testing, Layout Design, SaaS Design, Responsive Web Apps, Mobile, Web, Software as a Service (SaaS), Consumer Products, Web UX, Web UI Design, Web Design, Web App Design, Web UI, Mobile Design, Design Leadership, B2C, Native Mobile Apps, Mobile App Design, User Stories

Senior User Experience Designer

2008 - 2013
Hulu
  • Led the product design for the acclaimed Hulu Desktop, Hulu TV for PS3, Xbox, internet-enabled televisions and devices, and iOS and Android mobile device applications.
  • Art-directed the rebranding of Hulu Plus, including lifestyle imagery, website information architecture, and user experience.
  • Defined and executed the branded guidelines for Hulu and Hulu Plus (subscription service) applications.
  • Integrated social media for the "Hulu on Facebook" app, including unique Hulu features for viewing, sharing, and commenting on videos.
  • Developed the product definitions, including use case research and creating personas, information architecture, usability testing, wireframing, visual design, final asset production, and layout specifications.
  • Collaborated with the product, tech, and advertising teams and provided design leadership in expanding and mentoring new designers.
Technologies: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Mobile UX Design, Mobile UI Design, UI Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Visual Design, Wireframing, User Flows, Mockups, App UX, App UI, Mobile Web, User Research, Mobile UX, User Journeys, Information Architecture (IA), Prototyping, User Experience (UX), Feature Prioritization, Product Design, UX Wireframes, User Testing, Layout Design, SaaS Design, Dashboards, Responsive Web Apps, Mobile, Web, Software as a Service (SaaS), Consumer Products, Web UX, Web UI Design, Web Design, Web UI, Mobile Design, B2C, Native Mobile Apps, Mobile App Design
1999 - 2001

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design

California State University, Long Beach - Long Beach, CA, USA

NOVEMBER 2023 - PRESENT

Designing and Building AI Products and Services

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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