Brandon Olmstead
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
St. George, UT, United States
Toptal member since February 10, 2022
Brandon is an experienced product designer and strategist with a strong track record delivering working software across diverse sectors and company sizes, from startups to Fortune 10, e.g., Abbott, ADP, Airbnb, CVS, Dell, and PepsiCo. He has expertise in user-centered design, data-driven insights, lean innovation, visual design, collaborative leadership, and problem-solving. Brandon has led 125+ individuals across 15 teams, delivering award-winning applications.
Portfolio
Redesigned Calendar Experience | Increased User Engagement 3x
SaaS Application Design | Won Multiple Usability Awards
ComeUntoChrist.org | Saved Call Center Agents Two Hours Per Day
Work Experience
Sr. Staff Product Designer
VMware
- Led user experience design for large corporations (CVS, Broadcom, Abbott, Kohls, Dell) and internal VMware initiatives (Spring, Carbon Black), utilizing the VMware ecosystem to deliver enterprise-wide digital products across various client projects.
- Defined UX and design strategy, championed the development of lean, user-centered software solutions, introduced AI automation, managed cross-functional global teams, and collaborated with C-level clients.
- Captured and translated user insights into actionable design solutions by crafting wireframes, mockups, and interactive prototypes for web and mobile interfaces.
Staff Product Designer
Sunnova
- Revolutionized solar design system, improving efficiency and reducing installation time and costs.
- Championed AI innovation, collaborating with data scientists to refine learning models and leverage emerging technologies.
- Shaped strategy guiding C-suite leadership to reduce project scope, prioritize user experience, and align with business goals, earning praise for research and a well-designed application.
- Crafted wireframes, user flows, hi-fi prototypes, and animations to simulate advanced interaction design in both 2D and 3D spaces.
Fractional Design & Leadership
Hunt Club
- Transformed recruitment firm experience by leveraging user research, the power of connections, referrals, and AI to identify top talent.
- Designed B2B talent relationship management platform expediting portco hires for top VC and PE firms (i.e Bain Capital, Westcap).
- Operationalized personal and company networks with advanced analytics, matching, search, automated communication, and nurturing tools.
- Launched mobile 1st B2C talent network and job board, connecting seekers with personalized matches and enabling individuals to monetize on successful referrals and placements.
- Promoted user-centered design throughout the entire product lifecycle. Guided and coached staff, ensuring optimal team performance.
Principal Product Designer
Kohl’s
- Designed revamp of the point-of-sale associate and consumer checkout systems, focusing on improved usability, reducing overhead, and increasing customer lifetime value.
- Advised VPs, aligned vision, and facilitated leadership workshops.
- Conducted user research to mitigate business risk and understand needs, behaviors, and motivations, informing design decisions for staffing, training, loyalty, credit, and checkout processes.
- Broke down silos, enhancing collaboration between product managers and engineers.
Fractional Design & Leadership
CVS Health
- Aligned CVS on a shared vision, minimizing churn across multiple product teams in the Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) ecosystem.
- Initiated a service design initiative identifying revenue recovery opportunities in formulary management, rebate, and claim adjudication processing.
- Defined a comprehensive service blueprint for numerous products and operations based on user research.
- Presented findings through a UX storyboard to Senior Leaders, fostering empathy and inspiring improvements in PBM experiences.
- Established a portfolio management team to bridge business leaders' needs with product teams, enhancing efficiency. Developed a playbook, trained leaders, and mentored designers.
Lead Product Designer
Abbott Laboratories
- Revitalized COVID-19 testing experiences through enhanced record management, telehealth, scheduling, and testing apps for various project types (B2B, B2C, and B2B2C).
- Improved mobile App Store and Play Store ratings significantly.
- Received recognition through multiple prestigious awards for our team's prompt COVID-19 response.
- Implemented AR and AI for automated self-testing, reducing wait times and saving costs, contributing to substantial sales growth.
- Achieved tight deadlines, addressing global outbreaks (India), collaborating with corporate partners (United, American Airlines), and managing surprise events (PGA, FIFA tournaments).
- Established a WCAG-accessible design system in Figma for mobile and web apps, while managing a team of designers.
Principal Product Designer
ADP
- Launched an AI-driven outplacement platform to retain talent, support separated workers, and reduce employer separation costs.
- Achieved broad adoption, positive ratings, and a high success rate.
- Facilitated workshops with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to generate innovative ideas.
- Prioritized features based on impact, feasibility, and risk tolerance as a balanced team. Informed decisions via user research validation.
- Created user flows, wireframes, and interactive prototypes, ensuring accessibility within ADP's design system.
Principal Product Designer
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Led the design and optimization of internal CRM and Android mobile applications for call center agents and field representatives, leading to improved efficiency, personalized workflows, and increased user engagement.
- Optimized Android app, resulting in a triple increase in user engagement, elevating Google Play rating from 3.2 to 4.4 stars, and reducing battery drain from 19 to 46%. Led 6 designers and 12 researchers between 3 projects.
- Conducted global contextual inquiry, analyzed findings, and improved user goal-setting experience.
- Coordinated redesign of the CRM tool using the latest design system standards, improving accessibility and usability through close collaboration with the design system team while migrating from Sketch to Figma.
Sr. UX Designer
Airbnb
- Developed professional hosting tools, including data migration, multi-calendar, bulk listing, payment, and API interfaces.
- Facilitated access to a significant number of new listings, resulting in notable booking revenue lift and adoption by numerous businesses.
- Collaborated cross-departmentally to shape projects, driving app-wide design and policy changes.
- Conducted generative and evaluative user research to inform project decisions and assess existing products. Compiled comprehensive reports, delivering actionable insights to senior leaders.
- Crafted wireframes, mockups, personas, and high-fidelity prototypes for web and mobile interfaces.
- Worked closely with engineering teams, providing detailed specifications for design implementation.
Head of Product Design
Lodgable
- Launched a comprehensive channel management platform, encompassing listing management, data integration, accounting, integrated business websites, payment features, and an app marketplace.
- Led the platform to achieve top usability ratings on GetApp, G2, and Capterra for three consecutive years.
- Established key metrics and analytical tools to track user satisfaction, engagement, adoption, retention, and usability.
- Managed project timelines, budgets, and hiring. Provided guidance, mentorship, and upskilling opportunities to both junior and senior designers.
- Forged partnerships with major online travel agencies (Expedia, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, Airbnb) and airlines.
- Developed a comprehensive design library and ensured consistent branding across all platforms.
- Facilitated successful collaboration between teams, stakeholders, executives, and partners to refine business strategies and drive growth.
Creative Director/Interaction Designer
CoDesign
- Established client base with PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Ford, Procter & Gamble, and pro athletes.
- Worked closely with clients, delivering impactful visual and interaction design solutions across digital and physical mediums.
- Scaled team from 2 to 20+, fostering high performance.
Education
Minor in Computer Science
Brigham Young University - Provo, UT
Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and Marketing
Brigham Young University - Provo, Utah, United States
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Visual Design | Computer Graphics
Brigham Young University - Provo, Utah, United States
Certifications
User Research Methods
Interaction Design Foundation
Conducting Usability Testing
Interaction Design Foundation
Mobile User Experience Design
Interaction Design Foundation
Certified Scrum Product Owner
Scrum Alliance
Skills
Tools
Sketch, InVision App, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Miro, Usertesting.com, Google Forms, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, Zeplin, Jira, Google Analytics, Treejack, Hotjar, Maze, Adobe Analytics, Infusionsoft, Confluence, InVision, Qualtrics, Optimizely, Lucidchart, Trello, Slack, Google Workspace, Adobe InDesign, Adobe After Effects
Platforms
Figma, iOS, Android, Web, Mobile, UserZoom, WordPress, Salesforce
Industry Expertise
Hospitality, Sports
Languages
CSS, HTML
Other
Computer Graphics, Visual Art, Graphic Design, Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Agile, User Research, Contextual Inquiry, Affinity Mapping, Survey Design, User Testing, User Interviews, A/B Testing, Ethnography, Card Sorting, User Personas, Usability Analysis, Remote User Testing, Usability Testing, Unmoderated Remote Usability Testing, Remote Usability Testing, Presentations, Mobile UI, Mobile UX, Mobile UX Design, Design Thinking, User-centered Design (UCD), Human-centered Design (HCD), User Experience (UX), Interaction Design (IxD), User Interface (UI), Product Design, Wireframing, Rapid Prototyping, Mobile App Design, High-fidelity Mockups, Web App Design, Responsive Design, Prototyping, UX Design, UI Design, UX Flows, Responsive Web Apps, SaaS, User Journeys, Scrum, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Design Leadership, User Flows, Style Guides, Product Roadmaps, User Surveys, Web Design, Component Libraries, Websites, Mobile Design, SaaS Design, MVP Design, Rapid Interactive Prototyping, Enterprise SaaS, B2B, Digital Product Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Visual Design, UX Research, Web 3.0, Design Systems, Social Networks, Dashboards, Dashboard Design, Data Visualization, Mobile-first Design, Interactive Design, Mobile UI Design, Mobile First, Mobile Web Design, Landing Page Design, Enterprise, Enterprise Design, Mobile App UI, Mobile Apps, Discovery Workshops, User Stories, Personas, CRM Design, UX Strategy, eCommerce, Layout Design, eCommerce Design, Logo Design, UX Audits, Web Applications, Web App UI, Web App UX, Design Strategy, Workflow, Customer Journeys, Research Reports, Quantitative User Research, Market Research & Analysis, Market Research, Customer Insights, Consumer Insights, CX Strategy, B2C, iOS App Design, Marketplace Design, iOS Design Guidelines, Business Strategy, Leadership, Business Management, Optimal Workshop, Product Management, Project Management, Usability Heuristics, Guerilla Usability Testing, UX Analysis, Fintech, Booking Systems, Travel, Stakeholder Management, Lean, Branding, Storytelling, Visual Storytelling, Competition Research, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Project Estimation, OpenAI, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Copywriting, Gamification, Chatbots, Generative Design, Framer, Information Architecture (IA), Data Structures, Web Development, Twilio, Crazy Egg, Healthcare Management Systems, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Electronic Health Records (EHR), Abstracts, Computer Science, Surveys, Adobe Premiere, Midjourney, ChatGPT
Experience
- Interaction Design (IxD) - 13 years
- User Experience (UX) - 13 years
- Product Design - 13 years
- User Interface (UI) - 13 years
- Sketch - 9 years
- User Research - 8 years
- InVision App - 8 years
- Figma - 5 years
Tools
- Sketch
- InVision App
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