Heiko is available for hire
Hire HeikoHeiko Sacher
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Location
Kailua-Kona, HI, United States
Toptal Member Since
March 15, 2017
Heiko has more than two decades of experience with planning, managing, and executing UX designs for industry leaders like Apple, Motorola, Google, and Skype/Microsoft. His mobile user interfaces, messaging experiences, and immersive media interactions have shipped in millions of phones, tablets, and apps. Heiko is the co-founder of Studio Resilience, a design lab that creates digital art exploring humans' impact on our natural environment, offering hope through imagination, play, and action.
Portfolio
Work Experience
Co-founder
2019 - PRESENT
Studio Resilience
- Co-founded Studio Resilience, a design lab that creates digital art, exploring humans' impact on our natural environment, offering hope through imagination, play, and action.
- Collaborated in developing Reef Hero Game, which brings to life the struggles that coral reefs face worldwide. It leverages the immersive qualities of a 3D game to make the consequential effects we have on this underwater ecosystem tangible.
- Cooperated in the Sea Level Check App design, which combines scientific projections with AR and live video to show how future sea levels may impact us on a personal or community level. It captures and shares what you see in a video loop.
- Collaborated in developing the Smog Selfie App, which generates AR face masks that show how bad the air pollution level is wherever you go. It lets you post a selfie to tell your friends how air quality affects your life.
Technologies: Sketch, Augmented Reality (AR), iOS UX Design, Interaction Design (IxD), UI Design
Owner
2014 - PRESENT
Sacher Design
- Provided design services for experience strategy, concept definition, and design execution to clients.
- Created a complete app experience for Feedc, a social network centered around places on different scales, such as my city, country, world, etc.
- Translated real-world patterns of user roles and information flow in a clinic into a system experience. Conducted this on behalf of DOC, a medical startup that streamlines doctor-patient communication by using familiar social messaging patterns.
- Worked closely with the Workato founders on rapid iterations to get from a bare-bones proof-of-concept to a competitive product experience. Created the foundation for UI architecture and design language of Workato's automation platform.
Technologies: UX Prototyping, User Experience (UX), UX Strategy, Figma, Product Design, UX Research, UX Testing, Interaction Design (IxD), Expert Reviews, Wireframing, UI Design, Sketch, InVision
Principal Design Manager
2011 - 2014
Skype
- Managed Skype's mobile design studios located in London, Palo Alto, and Redmond. Delivered coherent, signature experiences across phone and tablet apps used worldwide for millions of Skype calls.
- Set the direction for the designs of new mobile features, such as picture messaging, group video calls, and chat redesign.
- Led the efforts for Skype’s first release of their signature video calling experience in the browser.
Technologies: User Experience (UX), UX Strategy, Product Design, UX Research, Mobile UI, Visual Design Language, Design Management, Design Leadership, Design Systems, Management
Senior Android Designer
2009 - 2010
- Acted as the interaction design lead for Honeycomb's core operating system experiences, the first Android release tailored for tablets.
- Delivered the new or reframed solutions for overall navigation, home screen, app launcher, notification system, and text input.
- Collaborated with all stakeholders from product, engineering, and research to drive quick design decision-making.
Technologies: UX Prototyping, User Experience (UX), UX Strategy, Information Architecture (IA), User Flows, UX Research, Android, Prototyping, Android Design Guidelines, Mobile UI, Design Leadership, Conceptual Design
Principal Design Manager
2002 - 2008
Motorola
- Created and evangelized UX strategies for location-based services, predictive text input, and voice recognition.
- Directed the consumer research and design teams while collaborating with senior-level business, engineering, and marketing partners.
- Led the experience development of iTap 6.0, an intelligent input solution included in Motorola’s phone shipping worldwide.
Technologies: User Experience (UX), UX Strategy, Product Design, UX Research, Prototyping, Mobile UI, UX Architecture, Design Management, Messaging, Design Leadership, Smart Devices, Management, Microinteraction Design
UX Design Principal
2001 - 2002
Point Forward
- Directed Point Forward's consulting in interactive product and service design. Developed and managed client accounts in Asia, Europe, and North America.
- Planned and executed the international ethnographic studies, design development, and usability evaluations. Included France Telecom and Ericsson as clients.
- Developed the first prototype systems for social networking and media with Ericsson Research.
Technologies: User Experience (UX), UX Strategy, High-fidelity Mockups, User Flows, Mobile UI, UX Architecture, Concept Development, Design Management, Design Leadership, Expert Reviews, User Interviews, UI Research, Ethnographic Studies
Director of Interaction Design
1998 - 2001
GVO, Inc.
- Managed a multidisciplinary studio consisting of anthropologists and designers focusing on qualitative research and advanced user experience development for mobile devices, smart appliances, and complex web apps.
- Worked for clients that included Ericsson, Invensys, Creative, and Sun Microsystems.
- Designed the first multimedia messaging applications for Ericsson research.
Technologies: UX Prototyping, User Experience (UX), UX Strategy, Product Design, High-fidelity Mockups, UX Research, Mobile UI, Design Management, Experience Strategy, Design Leadership, Expert Reviews, UX Review, Ethnographic Studies
Interaction Designer
1994 - 1998
Apple, Inc.
- Developed award-winning design concepts for early communication appliances at Apple's Advanced Technology Group, featuring unified experience principles across product design and software interface.
- Studied user behaviors and novel input interaction approaches in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan while at Apple's Singapore research center.
- Led the UX and visual design of Apple's Advanced Chinese Input Suite—the world's first integrated speech and pen input system for Chinese.
Technologies: UX Prototyping, User Experience (UX), UX Strategy, Product Design, Digital Storyboards, UX Research, Prototyping, Concept Development, Conceptual Design, Smart Devices, Speech Recognition, Microinteraction Design, Internationalization
Education
1993 - 1994
Fulbright Scholar in Industrial Design
San Jose State University - San Jose, CA, USA
1986 - 1992
Master's Degree in Product Design
Hochschule für Gestaltung - Offenbach, Germany