Ellen Varga
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
New York, NY, United States
Toptal member since April 30, 2019
Ellen has spent over the last eight years in product design, working with a variety of companies from startups, agencies large and small as well as having extensive experience designing for a variety of platforms. She is passionate about solving problems to create best-in-class products that people love.
Portfolio
Work Experience
Senior Product Designer
Moda Operandi
- Led the design of the mobile app and discovery squad which oversees the search, editorial, and the Moda trunk-show experience.
- Managed designers within the app and discovery squad.
- Worked closely with the engineering and the product teams to come up with launch plans.
- Collaborated with key stakeholders to align on vision and define the roadmap.
Senior Product Designer
WayUp
- Owned the design and complete end-user experience for employers and students across web and mobile applications.
- Designed a new look and feel, including a UI component library, to establish a fresh identity for WayUp.
- Worked closely with the engineering team to align on functionality, style, and to help manage the build process.
- Collaborated cross-functionally and worked closely with the executive team to define the product roadmap and specifications for feature requests.
- Conducted surveys and focus groups to better understand our users' pain points in order to ideate on new approaches and design solutions.
- Shipped more than ten major product features across the entire product lifestyle, interaction design which has increased user engagement, job applications, and sign-ups.
Senior UX/UI Designer
Ogilvy
- Led the delivery of integrated digital experiences across web, mobile, and emerging technologies.
- Designed in-depth wireframes and clickable prototypes in order to test scenarios and end-to-end experiences.
- Defined interaction models, user task flows, and UI specifications.
- Worked with a variety of clients including San Pellegrino, Huawei, IBM Watson, IKEA, and Starbucks.
UX/UI Design Lead
Ivory Digital
- Oversaw the visual, UX, and UI design for clients in the fashion, luxury, and eCommerce industries.
- Led client presentations to articulate the brand and UX strategy for a range of clients including Loréal, Illesteva, and Mary Mahoney.
- Created customized visual identities for clients, and delivered in-depth web style guides.
- Conducted market research to tailor designs to the target demographic.
- Ensured that the designs responded seamlessly across desktop and mobile environments, including wireframe development and clickable prototypes.
- Managed a remote team of developers.
UX/UI Designer
BrightLine
- Led the design and execution of interactive campaigns across smart TVs and connected various devices such as Samsung Smart TV, Roku, Xbox, and PlayStation.
- Partnered with Loréal to create OnBeauty (a best-in-class experience) and led workshops to develop and optimize design concepts to engage users.
- Created a digital campaign which led to over 100,000 downloads in the first three months.
- Worked with a range of clients including L'Oréal, the Snapple Group, American Express, General Motors, and Unilever.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Art and Design
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Certifications
HTML and CSS (Part-time Course)
General Assembly
Skills
Tools
InVision, Sketch 4, Illustrator 2018, Sketch, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, InVision Studio
Languages
HTML, CSS
Platforms
iOS 11, Mobile, Web, Adobe Suite, iOS, Android
Industry Expertise
Travel & Leisure, Fashion, Luxury Goods
Other
UI Design, Mobile UX, iOS TV, B2B, B2C, Abstracts, Mobile App Design, Mobile App Testing, Mobile App UI, App Design, Wireframing, Microsites, Analytics, Infographics, Mobile UI Design, Logo Design, Mobile UX Design, Beauty Products, Web UX, Web UI, eCommerce, Blogs, Website CMS, UI Branding, UX Design, eCommerce UX, eCommerce UI, Mobile Design, Discovery, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), User Research, Visual Design, User Flows, User Interviews, Journey Mapping, Sitemaps, eCommerce Design, Visualization Design, Style Guides, Icon Design, Branding, Mobile Apps, Web Design, Mobile Web, Responsive Design, Typography, Presentation Design, Personas, Personalization, Content Strategy, Product Management, Feature Roadmaps, Prototyping, Community Growth, Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Data
Experience
- Visual Design - 15 years
- User Experience (UX) - 10 years
- User Interface (UI) - 10 years
- User Research - 10 years
- Mobile Apps - 10 years
- iOS - 8 years
- InVision - 8 years
- Sketch 4 - 8 years
Tools
- InVision
- Sketch 4
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