Kate Geschwendt, Designer in Grand Rapids, United States
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Kate Geschwendt

Verified Expert  in Design

Designer

Location
Grand Rapids, United States
Toptal Member Since
October 18, 2018

Kate specializes in helping to organize the chaos and find the right solution for complex problems. Whether you need help getting your business processes streamlined so that your team can operate more efficiently or if you need an experience designed to serve your customers better, Kate's value is in the details. She loves listening and learning so that she can plan and execute an innovative and optimal solution.

UI DesignUX DesignUX StrategyUser ResearchAgileUsability TestingProject ManagementAdobe SuiteSketchInVisionUXPinCraft CMSDesign SystemsStrategyAdobe Creative Suite

Portfolio

Work Experience

VP, Operations

2020 - PRESENT
DIG
  • Planned, directed, coordinated, and oversaw the operations activities.
  • Ensured efficient and cost-effective systems were implemented to track resource performance, manage project scope, and track client budgets to deliver on-time and in-budget solutions.
  • Handled the operations team ensuring client satisfaction and delivering high-quality work.
  • Contributed to the company's success as an experience and strategy director.
Technologies: Teamwork, Harvest, UXPin, Slack

Experience & Strategy Director

2018 - 2020
DIG
  • Helped customers understand their audiences so that goals, deliverables, and interactions could become compelling experiences.
  • Crafted experiences that positively impacted brand awareness and engagement.
  • Managed the experience team and ensured they delivered high-quality digital experiences (websites and applications) with a focus on IoT projects.
  • Maintained a high level of knowledge around UX/UI best practices, including ADA Compliance.
Technologies: Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Teamwork, Slack, GitHub, UXPin, Harvest

Experience Strategist

2017 - 2018
Thank Black Inc.
  • Created a series of workshops to help organizations gain internal alignment while gathering an understanding of their user’s needs, wants, and motivations to build strategic initiatives.
  • Reduced technical debt by implementing the right solution with customers.
  • Cooperated with teams of designers, developers, and strategists to reach the goals of each initiative while continuously testing and improving the crafted solutions.
Technologies: Trello, Jira, InVision, Adobe Suite, Sketch, UXPin

Technical Project Manager

2017 - 2017
Dealer Inspire
  • Collaborated with development teams to streamline processes, optimize communication, and manage priorities, so the work was meaningful, well-informed, and on time.
  • Developed a series of performance reports around product and team performance for senior management and the organization to monitor success.
  • Ran sprint planning sessions to determine product scoping and track team progress and velocity.
Technologies: Trello, Jira, InVision, Adobe Suite, UXPin

Product Manager

2016 - 2017
Varsity News Network
  • Ensured that the suite of products fulfilled the needs and desires of customers and delivered on company initiatives.
  • Performed extensive research and discovery to understand the market and create product visions and strategies that could be planned, designed, and executed into intuitive, strong customer experiences while successfully meeting company goals.
  • Contributed to the creation of standards in research and process for the UX team.
Technologies: Trello, Jira, InVision, Adobe Suite, Sketch, UXPin, ADA Compliance, GitHub
2008 - 2012

Bachelor of Science Degree in Graphic Design with a minor in Marketing

Ferris State University - Michigan

FEBRUARY 2014 - PRESENT

UX Certification

Nielsen Norman Group