Projects

MNB Website Update

Description

I collaborated with my brother (swingfromtherafters.com) on a full site redesign for Monday Night Brewing. We provided UI design and interaction design, based on their provided user research and requirements. The final delivery was a working prototype in Adobe XD that would be used by developers working to build the final site.

Why? - Problem

Over the years, MNB's site had become almost unmanageable, a challenge to update for staff, and difficult to navigate. The site was not dynamic and provided no global search capability. The interface was also inconsistent and needed an update to better reflect recent changes in branding.

HOw? - Approach

We spent time talking with the MNB team to better understand some of the frustrations their users had been having when visiting the site. We worked with them to craft a site map and refine content for each site section that would help make the site more informative and satisfying to use.

What? - Solution

We provided a fully working prototype, showing interactions and wayfinding, that also included developer notes to streamline the build process. We also created consistency across the site to meet brand guidelines and provide more consistent wayfinding.

Digital Menu Board Exploration

Description

This project focused on creating exploration and visualization concepts for on-site digital menus. The goal was to provide clients with a library of customizable templates tailored to their brand settings. These templates were designed to seamlessly integrate with existing workflows, offering the same simplicity and efficiency as managing web and print menus. The result aimed to bridge branding, usability, and functionality for a cohesive client experience.

Why? - Problem

On-site digital menus were a growing need for clients, but existing solutions lacked flexibility and consistency with brand identities. Clients required templates that reflected their unique settings while maintaining ease of use. Managing these menus alongside web and print options posed challenges, often leading to inefficiencies and visual disparities. A scalable and user-friendly solution was needed to streamline this process while reinforcing brand alignment.

HOw? - Approach

We focused on understanding client pain points through research and feedback sessions, identifying key requirements for usability and customization. Using a modular design system, we developed versatile templates that adapted to diverse brand aesthetics and were easy to manage across platforms. The design approach prioritized consistency with web and print menus, ensuring familiarity and reducing learning curves. Rapid prototyping and client testing ensured alignment with their expectations.

What? - Solution

The final concepts provided clients with a robust set of customizable templates that seamlessly integrated with their existing menu management tools. These templates maintained brand consistency across on-site, web, and print formats, enhancing usability and reducing management overhead. The scalable solution empowered clients to efficiently update their menus, creating a unified experience that reinforced their brand presence both digitally and physically.

Guest Journey, Storytelling and Service Presentation

Description

Part of a presentation given at our company kickoff in 2021. A storytelling journey from the perspective of 3 very different guests.

Why? - Problem

We discovered, through discussions with countless restaurant owners, that not every guest had the same expectations or level of comfort with using technology during their experience with the restaurant. The big question we wanted to explore was "How can we help restaurants ensure that each guest— no matter their level of technical expertise—has a great experience and ultimately becomes a follower?"

HOw? - Approach

What? - Solution

Agent/Broker CRM and Consumer Experience

Description

At CINC, this project was the cornerstone of my work and represented an ongoing effort to enhance the company’s flagship product. The CRM provided real estate agents and brokers with an all-in-one platform, offering tools for lead monitoring, team management, site content control, and communication. Each agent had access to a custom, localized consumer experience tailored to their market. This feature not only strengthened connections with buyers and sellers but also served as a powerful tool for collecting insights into consumer behavior and preferences, driving smarter business decisions.

Why? - Problem

Real estate professionals faced inefficiencies and integration issues when using multiple software solutions to manage their businesses. These disjointed systems created silos of information, making it challenging to consolidate data for a comprehensive view of leads, team performance, and consumer activity. This lack of integration led to time-consuming manual processes and limited agents’ ability to respond effectively to client needs. A unified solution was essential to streamline workflows and centralize business-critical data.

HOw? - Approach

To design a solution, we collaborated with top brokers, agents, and team leaders across North America, gathering insights into their workflows and challenges. Initial efforts resulted in a foundational lead capture and management system paired with a personalized home search experience. As the user base grew, we engaged in continuous dialogue to identify evolving needs, refining the platform to accommodate a diverse clientele. Our approach emphasized iterative development and user-driven design, ensuring the CRM remained adaptable and relevant to the real estate market.

What? - Solution

Partnering closely with the development and product teams, we delivered iterative improvements based on user feedback and research. Over time, we executed two major redevelopments of the CINC CRM, introducing a component-based UI for both desktop and mobile platforms. These updates enhanced usability, scalability, and performance, allowing agents and brokers to work more efficiently. The integrated solution became a trusted hub for managing their businesses, unifying tools, data, and consumer insights into a seamless and powerful platform.

Houses.net Home Search Site and App

Description

Between 2012 and 2017 at CINC, I worked on project concepts aimed at redefining the home search experience. The Product team sought to create a more collaborative and engaging platform, pushing beyond the limitations of existing tools. Houses.net became an experimental playground to prototype and test innovative features, serving as a foundation for a national home search platform. Insights and technologies developed here later informed improvements across CINC’s localized client sites.

Why? - Problem

Home search platforms at the time offered limited functionality, focusing primarily on listing data without tools for collaboration or centralized data collection. Homebuyers struggled to involve friends and family in the decision-making process or effectively organize their findings. On the development side, there was also a need to overhaul the existing codebase, transitioning from .NET to C# to improve scalability, maintainability, and performance across the platform.

HOw? - Approach

The design process began with user research, involving regular discussions with homebuyers to understand their search habits, collaboration needs, and ideal feature set. We iterated on static and interactive prototypes, refining functionality and usability based on continuous testing. Houses.net served as a sandbox for rapid experimentation, enabling the development team to explore new concepts without impacting existing client sites. This parallel approach allowed for faster innovation and more informed decisions.

What? - Solution

Houses.net was launched within eight weeks as a proof-of-concept platform featuring a groundbreaking collaborative Notebook feature, allowing users to share and organize their search data. While the site itself has since transitioned into a testing ground, its success laid the groundwork for key features now integrated across CINC’s product suite. By blending innovative UX design with technical experimentation, the project demonstrated how collaboration and exploration could shape the future of home search experiences.

Restaurant Admin UI Redesign 2018

Description

This project captures early redesign concepts I led as UX Lead at Popmenu, emphasizing usability and design innovation. The screenshots highlight essential platform features: detailed reporting and guidance, intuitive menu management, seamless asset creation, and streamlined communication tools. These updates were crafted to address real client pain points while introducing a modern design system that prioritized consistency, accessibility, and scalability. By applying user-centered design principles, the redesign not only enhanced functionality but also established a strong visual identity, laying the groundwork for a more cohesive and future-ready platform.

Why? - Problem

Popmenu’s initial platform, built with Bootstrap in 2016, struggled to scale as new features were added. By 2018, the lack of a unified design system and inconsistent user flows made navigation cumbersome for clients, affecting usability and client satisfaction. The platform's growing complexity highlighted the need for a holistic approach to simplify workflows, create visual and functional consistency, and align the product experience with the company’s expanding vision. This redesign was critical for improving usability, driving client engagement, and establishing Popmenu as a competitive solution in the industry.

HOw? - Approach

The redesign process was rooted in user-centered design and collaboration. We conducted extensive research, gathering feedback from hundreds of clients and consulting cross-functional teams, including support, sales, and product. Through user interviews, journey mapping, and usability audits, we identified key pain points and opportunities for improvement. The design focused on creating a scalable navigation structure, intuitive page layouts, and a clean, modern visual language. To future-proof the platform, we designed for a web-first experience optimized for large tablets (1366x768), with considerations for future native app development. Our iterative process incorporated wireframing, prototyping, and user testing to ensure alignment with client needs.

What? - Solution

The redesign delivered a streamlined, intuitive platform that significantly improved the user experience and reduced client support inquiries. A consistent design system and simplified navigation enhanced usability and reinforced Popmenu’s brand identity. These improvements were validated by measurable outcomes, including securing two rounds of funding and achieving exponential client growth—from a few to thousands. The project showcased the value of user-centered design, collaboration, and scalability, positioning Popmenu as a leader in restaurant technology and demonstrating the impact of thoughtful UX design on business success.

OpenHouses iPad App

Description

OpenHouses provided agents with a solution to capture and engage potential buyers while they were on site for an inspection.

Why? - Problem

Agents found that they were making notes on paper and with various apps, then having to re-enter that information into their CRM.

HOw? - Approach

We asked agents about their open for inspection experience and found that they were often busy with one client when another came through the door. As a result, they often missed key opportunities and many potential buyers would leave before any info could be obtained. They needed a simple way to gather key data to enable later communication. Although data flyers were frequently used and provided some info to the client, it didn't provide feedback for the agents.

What? - Solution

We created a simple tablet-based app with both Agent and Consumer facing aspects. This allowed agents to prompt for a sign in from each interested party, including a brief questionnaire to help learn more about each clients needs. The data was immediately synced with their CRM platform and tagged as an OpenHouses lead. The interface also provided the client with key info on the property, which reduced questions and uncertainty.

Social Ad Management Concept 2019

Description

This project explored an early concept for building, launching, and monitoring social media ads directly within the Popmenu platform. The goal was to empower restaurant owners and admins to seamlessly create social ads while leveraging the existing menu data and stats in their accounts. The concept also served Popmenu’s internal Concierge team, who managed ads for clients, by providing tools for efficient ad creation, visualization, and performance tracking.

Why? - Problem

Popmenu's growing communication toolset lacked an integrated solution for social media advertising. Restaurant owners and admins had to manage social ads outside the platform, making it difficult to utilize their menu data, performance metrics, and branding resources. This gap led to inefficiencies and missed opportunities for leveraging existing tools and data. A consolidated solution was needed to simplify the process and unify the user experience across platforms.

HOw? - Approach

The solution was designed to address two user groups: clients managing their own ads and Popmenu’s Concierge team handling ads for clients. Research and feedback informed the design of tools for creating visually compelling ads, linking them to menu data, and tracking performance in real-time. We prioritized a streamlined workflow for ad creation and publication, focusing on usability and scalability. Early development centered on publishing to Facebook, with plans to expand to other platforms over time.

What? - Solution

The integrated tools allowed users to create, publish, and monitor social media ads directly within the Popmenu platform. Ads could be linked to menu items and data, enhancing their relevance and appeal. Initial functionality focused on publishing to Facebook, with future plans for smarter ad creation and reporting on ROI. This early concept improved efficiency for restaurant owners and internal teams, laying the foundation for a unified advertising and performance monitoring solution.

Mid-Market CRM

Description

CINC’s Mid-market CRM platform was an exploration and discovery project aimed at designing a solution to meet the specific needs of smaller agencies and single agents.

Why? - Problem

CINC's main CRM product was aimed at large, high-volume teams and focused on team monitoring, reporting and agent accountability. Through extensive research we discovered a significant number of agents and small real estate companies—both existing and potential clients—who didn't need that functionality, but still needed a solution for keeping track of their sphere, communicating with potential, current, and past clients, and providing a more automated experience for handling daily tasks.

HOw? - Approach

After identifying key cities for learning from this market segment, we conducted over 100 discovery sessions with agents who were not current clients to find out about their daily activities. Beginning with low-fi mockups, we applied these learnings during an extensive period of rapid prototyping. We revisited some of the same agents multiple times for additional feedback and adjusted our designs accordingly.

What? - Solution

When I left CINC, the project was still in prototype phase. As a team, we continuously iterated and improved interactive prototypes for both mobile and desktop.

Internal Appointment Management Platform Concept

Description

Appointments Inc. was a division of CINC and provided an initial contact and follow-up service to registered clients. The software helped the client service team keep track of who they were calling for, who they were speaking to, and provided relevant snapshot info to help them connect agents with buyers and sellers.

Why? - Problem

The initial release of the dashboard was built solely by the dev team with little focus on UI and experience. The client service team found it frustrating, confusing, and laborious to use. There was much unnecessary scrolling and tasks often required many steps to complete.

HOw? - Approach

We initially sat down with several members of the CS team, representing all levels, and discussed what was working, and what needed improvement. We went through several initial sketch iterations with the team and eventually worked out wireframes to best utilize screen real estate and make key actions simpler to complete.

What? - Solution

We provided the dev team with a responsive, static HTML site based on feedback and continued to observe and iterate as new issues arose.

Selected Web UI Projects (Australia)

Description

My first real steps into the world of UI design began in 2005-06 in Melbourne, Australia. I was lucky enough to find a place in a small web agency that was doing some innovative and solid work for the time. Designing for the web in the mid-2000's included many constraints that seem foreign in the modern world. But we had an amazing team: one project manager, one information architect, one developer, and myself. The way we worked together is now described as a cross-functional team. These were some of the best days of my career and I will forever be grateful for the opportunity. Working on various sites — large and small — for a wide range of clients gave me a solid foundation and allowed me to better understand a project in its entirety: the business side, the client's needs, the constraints, hazards, and the power of true collaboration. These are just a few samples of projects we worked on from 2006-2011.

Why? - Problem

HOw? - Approach

What? - Solution