Kristopher W. Bell
Career History & Accomplishments
2009–current: User Experience Designer, Amazon.com, Seattle
- Designed flows, comps, and prototypes for parts of Amazon.com and the Amazon Associates program.
2007–2009: User Experience Architect, Ascentium Corporation, Bellevue
- Led user experience research and design of web sites, intranets, and applications for Ascentium clients, including Microsoft, Nintendo, McKesson and Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development.
- Led redesign effort on McKesson.com (number 18 on the Fortune 100 list; to launch in August 2009), to better align with customer needs and business goals.
- Led redesign of Microsoft’s internal MOSS-based Marketing site, increasing traffic and user satisfaction.
2005–2007: Information Architect, UW/Microsoft Corporation, Redmond
- As a vendor to Microsoft, managed content on a research intranet portal comprised of more than 30,000 documents.
- Mapped site metadata and taxonomy to new schemas in preparation for a content migration and relaunch; conducted research, architected, and wireframed social sharing and folksonomy components for relaunch.
2004–2005: Client Relations Manager, NPower Oregon, Portland
- Managed a program of technical support services for non-profits in Oregon, providing project management, IT, and software development services to approximately 45 non-profit clients throughout the state.
- Administered TACS website; marked-up and delivered up to 15 marketing blasts per month; managed from conception to build four CMS-driven websites in a consulting role.
- Developed curriculum for and taught classes on web analytics, blogging, RSS, PC maintenance, and website development fundamentals.
2004: Web Developer, Volt/Microsoft Corp.
- For Microsoft, built and managed several hundred registration web sites for Microsoft Office Live Meeting Services.
- Wrote complete set of documentation for processes; developed interactive website for staff use of this documentation.
- For the U.S. Library Program, conducted day-long training sessions with public librarians in twenty states on two dozen computer topics, including Windows fundamentals, MS Office, web design, PC maintenance, and search.
- For each library, set up and networked labs from 2-to-18 workstations and servers, often interfacing with unknown ISPs, hardware, and software requirements.
- Developed and taught staff development classes on digital photo manipulation, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), blogging, and small business web hosting.
- Worked with team of six editors, two editorial assistants, and production staff to generate, copyedit, and proof approximately three hundred proceedings volumes per year; primary on fifty volumes.
- Took lead role in development and support of a web-based manuscript submission system and electronic book production system; developed and documented processes and policies for internal and external use.
Education
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Topics of study included content management, controlled vocabularies, ethnography, information architecture, information behavior, leadership, metadata, project management, prototyping, subject analysis, taxonomic classification, usability testing, user-centered design, user research, web development, XML.
Bachelor of Arts in History—Awarded, 1998
Concentrations in modern Europe and Africa; minor studies in religion and philosophy; graduated cum laude.
Capabilities
- User-Centered Design: information architecture, interaction design, taxonomy development, metadata schema development, user research, usability testing, persona development, wireframing, sitemapping, task flows, information diagramming, heuristic evaluations.
- Strong understanding of graphic & visual design concepts: topgraphy, color theory, grid layout, composition, negative space, etc.
- Fluency in editorial marks. Strong writing and editing skills.
- Web markup and syntax: X/HTML, CSS, XML; web standards.
- Software: Windows, MS Office, Visio, Axure, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Linux, MOSS, SharePoint, Movable Type, Wordpress, and many others.
Awards & Memberships
- ASIS&T PNW Chapter Secretary, 2009-2010: http://asistpnw.org
- InfoCamp 2009 Planning committee: http://infocamp.info
- Ascentium Rock Star of the Month: April, 2008
- MSIM "Info Shepherd" Award: peer award for outstanding leadership
- Member, ASIS&T, IAI
References upon request.