Michelle Casanova
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
Portland, OR, United States
Toptal member since November 6, 2020
Michelle is a senior product designer with expertise in AI-driven interfaces, design systems, and enterprise solutions. Currently crafting next-generation experiences at New Relic, with previous work at Microsoft on Azure, Teams, and Office 365, she creates intelligent, accessible experiences that bridge the gap between complex technology and human needs. Michelle's work focuses on AI-driven interfaces, comprehensive design systems, and enterprise solutions that scale across organizations.
Portfolio
Teams App for Managers
Dynamic Flow Map
Support Experience Redesign
Unified Tracing
Azure Maps Platform
Adaptive Email with AI
Experience
- Design - 20 years
- Adobe Creative Suite - 10 years
- Software Design - 10 years
- UX Design - 10 years
- Product Design - 10 years
- Figma - 9 years
- Prototyping - 7 years
- Design Systems - 7 years
Tools
- Adobe Creative Suite
Work Experience
Creative Director | Principal (Self-employed)
Jozi Firecracker Factory
- Provided digital and creative services to advertising agencies and intelligent brands in the US and around the world.
- Designed and developed elegant solutions that achieve the clients' business objectives. Worked with stakeholders to spec project requirements, scopes of work, budgets, and timelines. Executed end-to-end management of creative and production projects.
- Led design and engineering teams to develop web and mobile applications, software products, and advertising campaigns for high-profile projects and clients.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to develop campaigns, products, scenarios, process flows, creative concepts, information architecture, wireframes, prototypes, and other assets required to execute projects successfully.
- Led communication and collaboration across client and agency departments.
- Used Office 365 across Microsoft's product suite, including Word Online, PowerPoint Online, and other cloud services such as Exchange Online hosted email for business, cloud storage with OneDrive, and Microsoft Teams.
Senior Product Designer
New Relic
- Designed user experiences that empower the world's most valuable companies to deliver innovation and ensure the health and security of their systems and services.
- Redesigned the customer-facing support experience both online and in-product, including case management platform, public forums, and customer knowledgebase.
- Redesigned the distributed tracing UI for viewing individual traces across customers' entire infrastructure and shipped new features such as Error Focus, Fragmented Trace Improvements, and Entity-Latency Views.
Product Designer II (Contract)
Microsoft
- Submitted design patents for contributions made to focus time and time away in employee wellness features across Microsoft Viva.
- Collaborated with design, PM, and engineering teams to design and develop applications and features across numerous products in the Microsoft 365 suite. Created delightful solutions that help individuals and enterprises be more productive.
- Developed scenarios, process flows, concepts, information architecture, wireframes, prototypes, and other assets to evolve and improve the user experience in cooperation with stakeholders.
- Led projects and collaborated and communicated across teams, departments, and customers.
- Synergized design, research, development, and program management from the initial concept to the final implementation.
- Built best-in-class software to help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.
Creative Director
Mercury GSM
- Provided advertising and communications services to the clients, supporting their public policy objectives.
- Worked with a team of interactive designers, web developers, art directors, and copywriters to develop public policy campaigns.
- Launched a multi-million dollar campaign that raised public awareness of America’s dependence on foreign oil. Recipient of several AAPC Awards for work on AT&T, Pickens Plan, and the City of Seattle.
Creative Group Head
FCB Global
- Led a team of designers, developers, art directors, and copywriters in the development of brand and product campaigns for global clients.
- Serviced Vodafone, FCB South Africa’s most profitable account, with an annual advertising budget of $100 million. Launched mobile broadband to the South African market, accumulating over 1.4 million subscribers in under six months.
- Spearheaded product development and marketing of Vodacom's 46664 prepaid starter pack raising over $44 million in revenue for the Nelson Mandela AIDS research initiative.
- Awarded the Grand Prix in the Sunday Times Marketing Excellence Awards two years in a row.
Skills
Tools
Sketch, Adobe CC, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Adobe Creative Suite, Camtasia, Microsoft PowerPoint, Zeplin, Photo Editors, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Power BI, InVision, Coda 2, Miro, Google Workspace, AI Tools
Platforms
Figma, WordPress, iOS, Craft CMS, Axure, Webflow, Microsoft, Azure
Industry Expertise
Healthcare, Technology, Education, Healthcare Media
Languages
CSS3, HTML5, JavaScript, HTML, CSS
Other
UI Design, Design Systems, Product Design, Web Design, Design, UX Design, Data Visualization, Product Vision, Prototyping, Mobile App Design, Software Design, Microsoft Web, Collaboration, UI Maps, Information Architecture (IA), Interaction Design (IxD), UX Audits, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Mobile Design, User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Landing Page Optimization, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Landing Pages, Visual Design, eCommerce UI, Mobile UI Design, Mobile UX Design, Wireframing, B2C, Web App UI, Web App UX, Mobile UI, Mobile UX, Web App Design, Web UI, Web UX, Style Guides, Microsoft Teams, Landing Page Design, User Research, Dashboards, SaaS, Generative Design, Instructional Design, Pitch Decks, Graphic Design, Jobs to be Done (JTBD), B2B, Component Libraries, UI Components, School, Presentation Design, Branding, Charts, WordPress Design, User Journeys, Feature Prioritization, UX Wireframes, User Testing, Layout Design, Remote User Testing, SaaS Design, WCAG 2, Brand Design, Logo Design, User Interviews, Front-end, Dashboard Design, Marketing Design, Email Design, Banner Design, Email Template Design, Infographics, Funnel Optimization, Enterprise SaaS, Ad Design, Banner Ads, Advertising Design, Illustration, Data, DataViz, Social Media Design, Social Ad Design, Color Theory, PowerPoint Design, Human-computer Interaction (HCI), UI Branding, UX Branding, User Experience Design, Digital Design, Business to Business (B2B), Abstracts, ExpressionEngine, eCommerce, Design Collaboration, Virtual Assistance, APIs, Onboarding, User Onboarding, Responsive UI, UX Research, Midjourney, Supply Chain Management (SCM), Coda, jQuery, Social Networks, React, PowerPoint Templates, Rapid Prototyping, Consumer-facing Product Design, React-Bootstrap, Video Editing, Fintech, Teams, Observation, Admin Support, Application Monitoring, App UI, App UX, Website CMS, Microsoft 365, Chatbots, Adaptive Design
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