Christine is available for hire
Hire ChristineChristine Esoldo
Verified Expert in Design
UX Researcher and UX & Visual Designer
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Toptal member since March 14, 2016
Bio
Christine is a multidisciplinary creative UX designer with skills in illustration, copywriting, and branding who holds an MFA in product design. She has 15 years of experience at companies like CrowdStrike, Lowe's Home Improvement, The Hershey Company, and Dell. She uses design thinking processes to discover user needs, define value and fit with proofs-of-concept and MVPs, and iteratively improve and redesign products through testing and experiments.
Portfolio
Work Experience
Director, UX and Product Design
2019 - PRESENT
CrowdStrike
- Led the UX and design strategy for the product design system, including roadmap, priorities, and execution.
- Redesigned the hiring and interview workflow for UX designers to better support the overall growth plan for the team.
- Led, managed, and hired a best-in-class UX team to create industry-leading experiences in cybersecurity.
Technologies: Miro, Jira, Confluence, Figma, Zeplin, Adobe CC
Product Strategist | User Experience Consultant | Graphic Designer | Illustrator
2016 - PRESENT
Christine Esoldo Design
- Designed a HIPAA-compliant communication app for the healthcare market.
- Redesigned the user interface, including the branding for a client management enterprise SaaS product.
- Created and implemented a user-research participant-recruitment plan for a startup to build an in-house database for the Agile design process. Grew the database to more than 600 qualified participants in less than three months.
- Led creative direction, project planning, and research strategy for product validation for a shoe insert and corresponding mobile app that increases mobility and prevents falls for people suffering from health conditions that cause instability.
- Mentored students in the Springboard.com UX workshop as they went through the process of researching and designing an app or website. Helped students refine their portfolios and resumes in preparation for job hunting in the UX field.
- Led the UX and UI design for a responsive app for artists and performers, including the information architecture, a function for searching and browsing, profiles, and the booking/scheduling function.
- Created a running/lifestyle personal blog built on the Squarespace platform—designed the logo and brand identity, created original content (photography, graphics, and writing), and worked with brands via various sponsors and ambassadorships.
- Audited the UX, designed the user interface for a healthcare app for eye care providers and patients, and developed recommendations for improvement.
- Designed the user interface improvements based on the audit.
Technologies: Google Drive, WordPress, Squarespace Design, Trello, Slack, RealtimeBoard, Mailchimp, User Interviews, Lookback, Zeplin, Protowire, Craft CMS, InVision, CSS, HTML, Sketch, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Figma, HubSpot
Senior User Experience Manager
2016 - 2019
Quest Software (formerly Dell Software)
- Established and led the overall user research process across the information management business unit to inform product strategy and UX decisions. Oversaw the work of researchers and designers conducting their research projects.
- Led the creative direction, including visual design, interaction patterns, illustrations, brand style, and copywriting for an eCommerce SaaS website redesign and created coherent branding across business unit products.
- Led the iterative testing and ongoing evaluation of product updates, feature releases, and new products within design sprints (Agile). Used various research methods to validate design assumptions and uncover new knowledge.
- Managed a cross-functional UX team in an agile environment; managed processes and workflows for research and technical documentation.
- Led the UX and visual design for a proof-of-concept redesign of the main business unit website. Created the workflows, interaction patterns, and original illustrations.
- Designed the overall look/feel and interaction patterns (including the pattern library) for a new cloud-based database replication SaaS.
- Managed and led the research and product strategy (and validation) efforts for new products through market exploration and a user-centered design process.
- Redesigned the workflow for software downloads, which increased conversion by 400% and resulted in the entire business unit exceeding year-over-year financial goals.
- Created style guide and design system, including documentation for various product groups to adapt.
Technologies: Lookback, Validately, Zapier, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Trello, Confluence, Jira, Slack, Sketching, MURAL, Frontify, UXPin, InVision, Adobe, Sketch
Manager, User Experience Research and Strategy
2013 - 2015
Benefitfocus
- Worked as the company's first UX researcher and strategist—introducing and establishing qualitative discovery methods, iterative testing processes, and UX activities (sketch sessions, content audits, mind-mapping, and task flows).
- Reshaped the redesign of the benefits management product—this process became the new standard for the product design process across the company.
- Created a budget and headcount proposal and grew the UX research team by adding three team members (in a very budget-conscious organization).
- Created a participant recruitment program that grew the participant pool from 0 to 400 participants. Conceptualized and launched the "Design Together" program, which is still used today as the company's overall approach to UX and design.
- Led the research (competitive analysis and iterative design testing) and the information architecture to redesign the password recovery workflow that reduced the customer service call volume by 60%.
- Conducted workshops and presented at conferences on UX-related topics, establishing the company as a thought leader and UX innovator.
Technologies: SurveyMonkey, Optimal Workshop, Sketch, Adobe, InVision
UX Researcher | UX Architect
2012 - 2013
Lowes Home Improvement
- Spearheaded a newly created research team to develop new standards and processes for insight-driven strategy and design.
- Increased category page engagement (clicks, conversions, and sales) by creating UX design standards and UI templates backed by research, including eye-tracking, surveys, A/B and multivariate testing, and web stats analysis.
- Conducted extensive research and analysis on the homepage and developed an overall UX strategy for design, implementation, and A/B testing.
- Redesigned the credit pages/experience on the site based on usability testing, web stats, and experiments that increased credit card sign-up conversions.
- Redesigned the accessible home section of the site.
Technologies: IBM Coremetrics, Tobii Eye Tracker, User Testing, Adobe, OmniGraffle
Knowledge Management Specialist
2011 - 2012
The Hershey Company
- Established and managed the process to migrate, optimize, and edit site content.
- Created tasks and plans for usability testing during the agile development cycle.
- Designed a user onboarding campaign to familiarize users with the site and generate interest.
- Designed user interface and navigation; updated and optimized slide decks (PPT) with appropriate content and graphics and added them to the website.
Technologies: Liferay, Alfresco, Adobe
Director of Marketing and Communications
2010 - 2011
Synapse Marketing Solutions
- Changed and redirected the corporate marketing strategy from basic direct mail and email to a data-driven, robust content marketing strategy that included white papers, articles, social media, email marketing, and blog posts.
- Rebranded the company to support its change in business direction (logo, color palette, mission/vision/core values, and website).
- Gave creative direction and strategy for client brands and website builds.
- Launched the company's social media marketing program and created social media guidelines.
Technologies: Adobe
Creative Writer
2007 - 2010
Phoenix Contact
- Built an internal project management application as the UX designer and content strategist on a Lean Six Sigma team—resulting in improved communication and productivity.
- Crafted graphic design for emails, web pages, white papers, and online case studies.
- Created multiple ad campaigns across media (video, print, email, social, trade shows, and more).
- Led a cross-departmental team to launch a targeted email marketing program that increased conversions by more than 50%.
- Managed email campaign lifecycle, including scheduling, A/B testing, monitoring performances, reporting statistics, and recommending improvements.
Technologies: Web Trends, Listrak, Adobe
Marketing Communications Specialist
2005 - 2007
HVAC Distributors, Inc.
- Managed the website redesign project (as of 2007), including UX, content strategy, interaction design, information architecture, and visual design; created sketches, wireframes, and sitemap; and worked with a web developer in the implementation.
- Created the graphic designs for all marketing materials.
- Designed a dealer advertising program that streamlined the overall process and saved the client's money.
Technologies: Adobe
Education
2021 - 2021
Continuing Education Certificate in Graphic Design, 4.0 GPA (in Progress)
RISD Continuing Education - Rhode Island School of Design - Remote/online
2020 - 2021
Undergraduate Certificate in Illustration. 4.0 GPA (expected completion December 2021)
Sessions College - Remote/online
2008 - 2012
Master of Fine Arts Degree in Merchandising (eCommerce, Product Design, and Development)
Academy of Art University - San Francisco, CA, USA
2001 - 2003
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism, Magazines (Graphic Design and Writing)
Temple University - Philadelphia, PA, USA
Certifications
JUNE 2021 - PRESENT
UX Management Strategy and Tactics
Interaction Design Foundation
APRIL 2021 - APRIL 2024
Social and Behavioral Researchers
CITI Program, A Division of BRANY
Skills
Tools
Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, InVision, Sketch, UXPin, Adobe, OmniGraffle, Zeplin, Lookback, Mailchimp, RealtimeBoard, Slack, Trello, Frontify, MURAL, Jira, Confluence, Zapier, Validately, Figma, Miro, Procreate, Adobe CC
Industry Expertise
Fashion, Fitness, Health, Fine Arts
Platforms
WordPress, MacOS, Craft CMS, Alfresco
Languages
JavaScript, CSS, HTML
Other
Apps, Visual Design, UX Design, UI Design, Blogging, Blog Design, Agile, Agile Software Testing, Wireframing, eCommerce UX, Squarespace Design, UX Research, User Experience (UX), User Journeys, Web Usability, User Research, Graphic Design, Usability, User Testing, Web Design, Ethnography, Branding, Usability Testing, Whiteboarding, Sketching, User Interface (UI), Information Architecture (IA), Content Management Systems (CMS), Mobile UX, Illustration, Wearable Technology, Social Media Marketing (SMM), iOS UI Design, Jewelry Design, Wellness, Beauty Products, Tobii Eye Tracker, IBM Coremetrics, Liferay, Listrak, Web Trends, Optimal Workshop, SurveyMonkey, Protowire, User Interviews, Google Drive, HubSpot, Creative Direction, UX Architecture, UX Leadership, Analytics, Graphical User Interface (GUI), Identity, UI Branding, Lean Experiments, Proof of Concept (POC), UIKit, UI Pattern Library, Data Visualization, Digital Art, Design Thinking, ResearchOps, UX Strategy, Ethics, Typography, Color Theory, Communication, Research
Experience
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