Sarah Gausewitz, Product Manager in Laguna Beach, CA, United States
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Sarah Gausewitz

Verified Expert  in Product Management

Product Manager

Location
Laguna Beach, CA, United States
Toptal Member Since
October 8, 2019

For over 17 years, Sarah has successfully and passionately created software products. Working in startups up to fortune 100 companies, Sarah thrives in producing results and delivering to achieve the goals. The product ownership, product management, project management, user experience and technology-focused roles she has had, showcase her ability to be effective across industries, software modalities, and types of development teams.

Project Highlights

UX Strategist and Product Manager
Improved client satisfaction scores and reduced support costs.
Product Management Consultant
Vendor confirmed the buy-in of team members, adoption of recommendations, and measurable improvement in project objectives.

Expertise

Work Experience

Co-Founder, COO, and Product Owner

2014 - 2019
Mobilize Solutions
  • Acted as a key company leader and executor from an investor-funded valuation of $500,000 to $20 million.
  • Led co-located product development team including all platform areas (external product, internal tools, content algorithm, etc.). The product has been used by hundreds of thousands of users and is launching on 3+ million devices for a major cellular network in November of 2019.
  • Created content development workflow, tools, and processes (world-wide, dynamic, location-specific) resulting in 500+ million location-based content created.
  • Presented at Samsung Partner Day in 2018 to the corporate executive team from Korea. This opportunity is only offered to 6 of Samsung's many partners each year.
  • Defined content presentation algorithm and lead UI design strategy based on customer research and metrics.

User Experience Strategist

2011 - 2014
Useagility
  • Led user experience strategy and design with cross-functional teams with a cumulative reach of 500+ million users and $200+ million in software development efforts.
  • Utilized skillset to conduct the following activities in projects for our clients: stakeholder interviews, user research planning, user screening and recruitment, contextual inquiry, user observation, focus groups, card sorting, tree testing, user experience strategy, analysis of site analytics, storyboards, personas, journey maps, concept testing, usability testing, expert usability reviews, prototyping, style guides, user interface design, interaction design, proposal writing, maintaining client relationships, and new business development.
  • Worked in many business models including B2B, B2C, and B2B2C and modalities such as web, application, mobile web, mobile application, and enterprise.

Director of IT, User Experience

2009 - 2010
H&R Block
  • Successfully expanded, put process around, and created buy-in of user experience methodologies as a discipline throughout the technology lifecycle for a number of internal systems impacting a $2 billion retail infrastructure.
  • Led the user interface redesign from qualitative and quantitative research to feasibility, to design, to executive review iterations, through the implementation of H&R Block's re-branded online and software tax products which were a $300 million consumer application.
  • Oversaw $2 million internal user-experience budget plus vendor spending based on business unit allocations.

Senior Product Manager and Product Manager

2002 - 2009
H&R Block
  • Acted as the product owner for client-facing product experience of H&R Block Office tax professionals to client online interactive services.
  • Served as the product owner for first and second year delivery of a technically cutting-edge, emotionally-centered designed, digital tax product.
  • Oversaw the planning and management of product initiatives related to improving the client experience, enhancing current products and developing new products/features to meet unmet client needs. Identified and pursued new product opportunities to support the overall digital business strategy.
  • Provided matrix-team leadership across more than 10 functional groups.
  • Cultivated a network of community partners in 17 different communities.

UX Strategist and Product Manager

Improved client satisfaction scores and reduced support costs.

A top nursing education platform outsourced the user-centered design process and resulting requirements and prototyping aiming to improve student engagement and testing outcomes.

User observations and contextual inquiry shaped our understanding of the nursing students’ frame of mind when using the platform. Understanding the users’ tasks informed the fundamental UX design strategy.

We started by following the path that students naturally take, so we could organize and align features with how students and educators think about the education and test preparation process.

Recognizing that today’s nursing students aren’t sitting at desks studying but rather working in the field, we designed the experience and tools to be accessed seamlessly across desktop and mobile devices.

I was the lead UX strategist and product manager responsible for leading the research, interaction design, visual design, prototypes and application requirements.

Product Management Consultant

Vendor confirmed the buy-in of team members, adoption of recommendations, and measurable improvement in project objectives.

Based on the suggestion of an investor and board member, a transportation system logistics startup company hired me to provide guidance, recommendations, and education on product and project management opportunities specific to their situation since they were facing some delivery challenges they couldn't solve.

Specifically, their goals were to:
• Decrease software development process latency
• Improve team cohesiveness
• Create sustainable delivery
• Evaluate offshore partner fit

After several internal stakeholder interviews and vendor communication reviews, I delivered:
• Tangible definition of the recommended processes, team cadence, and communication approach for the team
• Templates, examples, and descriptions of tools to further enhance their delivery
• Recommendations around quality control and bug prevention
• Written narrative of the key Q&As discussed throughout
2003 - 2004

Master of Science Degree in Business Information Systems

University of Kansas - Lawrence, Kansas

1998 - 2002

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology

Kansas State University - Manhattan, Kansas

1998 - 2002

Bachelor of Science Degree in Management Information Systems

Kansas State University - Manhattan, Kansas

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