Yoshiko Ford-Okimoto, Designer in Berlin, Germany
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Yoshiko Ford-Okimoto

Verified Expert  in Design

Bio

Yoshi is a senior UX/UI designer with a solid hands-on visual design background and two decades of experience under her belt. Throughout her career, she has designed a wealth of products, from personal finance to mobile payment and accounting for a few SaaS products across cloud accounting and customer loyalty. Yoshi worked for many Fortune 500 and Euronext 100 brands, SMEs, and startups.

Portfolio

Work Experience

Senior Product Designer | Global OPI, Enterprise Product Design

2019 - 2021
Wayfair
  • Worked for Wayfair's supplier operations team to design a visionary CX Cloud platform.
  • Solved a complex set of problems associated with eCommerce lead time management and designed an actionable dashboard to increase a profit margin for both Wayfair and partners.
  • Created user stories for Wayfair suppliers' personas based on partner data gathered from the platform.
Technologies: InVision, Adobe, Sketch

UX Manager, EMEA Region

2018 - 2019
Weber.com | Weber-Stephen Products (EMEA) GmbH
  • Played a UX manager role at a US B2C consumer brand called Weber.com's Digital Lab in Germany (full-time employment).
  • Championed the user and customer’s needs using UX empathy concerning the design of Weber products and user needs across the EMEA region (up to 23 countries).
  • Defined quick-win and/or MVP recommendations that can be promptly implemented for an optimal UX experience for digital channels across Weber.com websites and eCommerce in the EMEA.
  • Iterated the solutions with data-driven validations and sprint cycles.
Technologies: Sketch, InVision, Adobe Suite

Senior Product Designer

2017 - 2018
Various Clients (via Toptal)
  • Designed a revolutionary healthcare digital product/platform for the US market.
  • Created an online platform design for a Gmail plug-in. Collaborated directly with the senior executives concerning the product design revamp (UI and branding).
  • Acted as the lead user interface and experience designer for the Gmail plug-in and designed the account setup process and dashboard.
  • Worked on all design processes: UX/UI, visual design, and branding.
  • Managed the design assets and created brand standards along with a UI pattern library.
  • Delivered high-quality design documents: desktop research (benchmarking), screen mockups, and graphic asset package, by adapting both the user and customer-centered design methodology.
Technologies: InVision, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch

Senior UX/UI Designer

2017 - 2017
Leverton (Strictly Confidential)
  • Designed a niche B2B product for corporate clients to efficiently manage legal documents with artificial intelligence.
  • Collaborated in design workflow using the Agile methodology in conjunction with the front-end developers to ensure quick development cycles, validating assumptions, and creating a high-quality experience.
  • Was actively involved in Agile sprint planning and retrospective meetings.
  • Collaborated in the innovative and forthcoming product's squad (a fully autonomous, cross-functional team comprising of product owners, front- and back-end developers, designers, and testers) to release rapid prototypes and beta versions. (Strictly NDA materials.).
Technologies: InVision, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch

Senior UX/UI and Visual Designer (Contract)

2016 - 2017
Startup | NPS and Customer Loyalty SaaS (Prelaunch and Confidential)
  • Established the UX and visual design as the first stage of the online application for a Berlin-based SaaS startup which redefined the market landscape for NPS and the loyalty sector.
  • Worked, as a senior designer, on all design processes: UX/UI, visual design, and branding.
  • Collaborated directly with two founders and CTO on various design projects.
  • Produced the first UI pattern library and introduced the Atomic Design process.
  • Designed their responsive website in three screen sizes and a responsive navigation in Bootstrap.
  • Produced over 2,000 mock-up screens for a core product in three months.
  • Volunteered for the review of UX process and Kaizen presentation for a zero sprint for UX.
Technologies: InVision, Sketch, Adobe Suite

Senior Visual Designer (UX/UI)

2015 - 2016
Crunch.co.uk
  • Designed a visually compelling web application and their sales site for a SaaS B2B2C crowd-accounting product.
  • Worked closely, as a senior designer on the design and UX team, with the product team and directly reported to the design lead.
  • Created and maintained UI sticker sheets for the product team using Atomic Design methodology.
  • Developed user personas and user journeys in order to enhance the functionality and UX.
  • Worked for several design-revamping projects in line with the user-centered design with the design lead.
  • Interacted with Agile teams on a daily basis.
  • Was actively involved with scrum planning and retrospective meetings.
  • Designed for an award-winning and the fastest growing online accounting firm in the UK in 2016.
  • Designed work for projects which can be seen at the following link: Gooseinteractive.co.uk/folio-crunch-2016.html.
Technologies: Hotjar, Confluence, Jira, InVision, Sketch, Adobe Suite

Senior GUI Designer (UX) Native App

2013 - 2015
Orange, France Telecom Group
  • Acted as the lead user interface and experience design for Orange’s mobile banking and payment applications for Android, Windows, and mobile web.
  • Worked, as a senior in-house designer, on the GUI on B2C fintech products, NFC, and payment mobile applications.
  • Closely collaborated with software developers in an Agile workflow for multiple products that were targeting Europe and MEA markets.
  • Delivered high-quality design documents: desktop research, screen mockups, and specifications.
  • Ensured that the design mockups met both visual and textual branding standards.
  • Defined and documented design standards when needed on ad hoc basis.
  • Worked for the first micro-payment mobile application for the West African market which impacted thousands positively at Orange.com/en/Innovation/Orange-Mobile-Financial-Services/Folder/Orange-Money.
  • Worked for the first NFC mobile payment product in France at Orange.com/en/Innovation/Orange-Mobile-Financial-Services/Folder/Orange-Cash.
Technologies: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Senior GUI Designer (UX) Proprietary App

2006 - 2012
Orange, France Telecom Group
  • Worked on the graphical user interface for Orange Signature and Hero devices targeting various consumer segments.
  • Handled and was responsible for both the design and implementation of the Orange-branded UI to partners' proprietary software.
  • Directly collaborated with more than 8 vendors’ UX design teams, e.g. Sony, Ericsson, Nokia, HTC, Samsung, and more.
  • Adapted both the user and customer-centered design methodology.
  • Managed and was responsible for the design stakeholder communication and management.
  • Ensured that the graphic assets met both visual and textual branding standards.
  • Attended many business meetings with both internal and external stakeholders.
Technologies: Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Digital Designer (Freelance)

2005 - 2006
Aquent, Inc.
  • Worked in various contract and freelance positions at leading agencies in central London, U.K. as a freelancer representative of Aquent Inc.
  • Designed for Freescale Semiconductor's website, and banner ad campaigns for AT&T at Banner Corporation Plc/WPP Group & Young and Rubicam Group.
  • Crafted designs for the Hotels.com website as Ogilvy's primary contact.
  • Was hired by the UK government (Department of Trade and Industry at CTN).
  • Designed email campaign for Telewest, Blue Yonder, and Flextech Television.
Technologies: Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop

Education

2016 - 2016

Certificate in User Experience: Research and Prototyping

Design Lab | University of California, San Diego - Online

1989 - 1991

Bachelor's Degree in English Literature with a minor in advertising

Komazawa University - Tokyo, Japan

1986 - 1989

Bachelor's Degree (Equivalent) in Materials Science and Chemistry

National Institute of Technology | Yonago National College of Technology - Japan

Skills

Tools

Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Sketch, InVision, Adobe Dreamweaver, Adobe, Confluence, Jira, Hotjar, Adobe InDesign

Industry Expertise

Insurance

Platforms

Windows, Android, iOS, MacOS, Adobe Suite, Figma

Languages

F, CSS, HTML

Other

UI Design, Graphical User Interface (GUI), Project Management, Responsive UI, UX Sketching, Sketching, Android App Design, iPhone, Location Services, Apps, High-fidelity Mockups, Mobile Payments, Design Thinking, UX Thinking, Branding, Startups, Accounting, Online Accounting, Product Management, UPnP, User-centered Design (UCD), Nudge Theory, User Personas, User Journeys, Opportunity Maps, Wireframing, MVP Design, E-learning, UX Design, Product Design, UI Pattern Library, Design Revamps, Gmail Plugins, Dashboard Design, Scrum, Agile, Fintech, Responsive, Mobile Banking, Online Banking, SaaS, Personal Finance

Experience

  • Adobe Photoshop - 20 years
  • Adobe Illustrator - 10 years
  • UI Design - 10 years
  • Agile - 6 years
  • Responsive UI - 4 years
  • Responsive - 4 years
  • Mobile Banking - 4 years
  • Fintech - 4 years

Tools

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Illustrator
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