Taru Muhonen, Designer in Berlin, Germany
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Taru Muhonen

Verified Expert  in Design

Designer

Location
Berlin, Germany
Toptal Member Since
March 22, 2019

Taru has over five years of experience working as a designer in startups and digital agencies. She can take the design all the way from initial stakeholder interviews to working, high-fidelity prototypes in various platforms. During the last three years, she has focused on virtual and augmented reality design, working in a game engine to produce high-quality immersive experiences for both consumers and businesses.

UI DesignUX DesignWeb UXVirtual Reality (VR)VR InterfacesVirtual Reality App DesignAugmented Reality (AR)AR InterfacesApp UIUser FlowsUser Experience (UX)MVP DesignWireframingPrototypingReal Estate UIArchitectural VisualizationImmersiveHuman-computer Interaction (HCI)

Portfolio

Work Experience

Interaction Designer, Co-founder

2016 - 2019
Teatime Research
  • Created a wide range of different types of immersive experiences mainly for B2B customers.
  • Involved in over 20+ VR and AR projects, using devices ranging from HTC Vive to AR-enabled smartphones.
  • Created low-fidelity mockups, prototypes, and final assets in a game engine (Unity).
  • Held customer interviews and was involved in projects in various different industries, such as architecture and engineering.
  • Traveled abroad to showcase virtual reality experiences (Taipei, Taiwan).
Technologies: Mixed Reality (MR), Microsoft, ARCore, HTC Vive, Git, Blender, Substance Designer, Unity, Adobe Experience Design (XD)

UX Designer

2015 - 2016
Futurice
  • Led UX, UI, and service design for mobile and web applications for customers ranging from local startups to multinational companies.
  • Acted as CTO for Futulabs for 1 month for the internal initiative for emerging technologies.
  • Converted UI of an existing Android and iPhone application to Windows Phone, following the platform user interface guidelines.
  • Used Futurice's Lean Service Creation framework to advance the Spice program - the internal initiative for promoting open source development and contributions.
  • Designed a smart transit pilot application that was published for iOS and Android.
Technologies: Windows Phone, Android, iOS, Adobe Photoshop, InVision, Sketch

UX Designer, Co-founder

2012 - 2015
Coniel
  • Led the design of a learning management system for students and teachers.
  • Held workshops together with the stakeholders to gather feedback.
  • Designed the information architecture of the platform.
  • Created support materials such as video recordings.
Technologies: ZURB Foundation, CSS, Git, SCSS, HTML, Adobe Photoshop
2014 - 2018

Master's Degree in Human-Technology Interaction

University of Tampere - Tampere, Finland

2011 - 2014

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

University of Tampere - Tampere, Finland

Tools

Adobe Photoshop, Sketch, HoloLens, Blender, Substance Designer, Git, InVision, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Manufacturing, Arch Viz, Google Analytics, MeshLab

Platforms

Windows, Oculus Rift, PC, Android, iOS, WordPress, Windows Phone, Microsoft

Industry Expertise

Real Estate, Architecture, Education, Transportation & Shipping

Languages

HTML, SCSS, CSS, C#

Other

App UI, Web UX, App UX, Human-computer Interaction (HCI), Virtual Reality (VR), Virtual Reality App Design, Augmented Reality (AR), User Flows, HTC Vive, Mixed Reality (MR), Interaction Design (IxD), App Design, UI Design, UX Design, User Experience (UX), Foundation CSS, MVP Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, Immersive Experiences, 3D, Emerging Technologies, Real Estate UI, VR Interfaces, AR Interfaces, Product Design, Unity, Unity3D, Game Assets, Information Architecture (IA), Storyboarding, Workshop Facilitation, UX Workshops, Design Workshops, Production Management, Visual Design, Microsoft HoloLens, Startups, Personas, Public Speaking, Agile UX, 3D Lighting, Unity Game Assets, Responsive, Responsive Web Apps, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Product Strategy, User Interviews, Stakeholder Interviews, Bootstrap UI, FoundationPress, Web App Design, Data Visualization, UX Prototyping, UI Prototyping, ZURB Foundation, ARCore, Project Leadership, 360-degree Media, Data Centers, Virtual Tours, 3D Mockups, BIM for AEC, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Science, Point Clouds, Mesh Optimization, Engineering, SaaS Design, Web UI Design, User Onboarding, Screencasting, Print Design, Educational Portals, Software as a Service (SaaS), Mobile UI Design, Public Transportation, Mobility, Mobile UI, Hybrid Apps, Mobile UX Design, Architectural Visualization, Photogrammetry, Business Design, Shaders, Unity Shaders, Particle Systems, Particle Effects, Android UI Design, iOS UI Design, Drone Piloting, Drones, Haptic Feedback, Android Design Guidelines

Experience

UI Design - 7 yearsUX Design - 6 yearsWeb UX - 5 yearsHuman-computer Interaction (HCI) - 4 yearsVirtual Reality (VR) - 4 yearsUnity Game Assets - 3 yearsUnity - 3 yearsAugmented Reality (AR) - 1 year
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