Hi, I'm Damien.
I’m a UX/UI Designer, Researcher and Mentor with experience in service and product design. I lead mobile, app and web UX projects from research to launch.
I also teach UX Fundamentals for Harness Projects, and I write about values-driven design on Medium.
My ‘Future Scouting’ design game was an honouree Design Education Initiative this year in the Core77 Design Awards!
Lead UX Research & Design
A favourite Australian weather app
I was lucky enough to redesign the trusty app and 50+ page website for Weatherzone—Australia’s leading commercial weather information provider—working closely with the Fairfax Research team and facility.
Challenge: Increase downloads and traffic by appealing to loyal, detail-loving weather enthusiasts while providing a frictionless experience to millions of occasional users
Results: A design that has remained current since 2015
“Awesome work … a better user experience … ultimately this has secured a new long term deal with significant revenue attached…”
Weatherzone Project Manager
Lead UX Research & Design
Helping people get a room
Using customer-led research, I helped families plan holidays and lovers plan late night rendezvous by optimising the search experience of HotelsCombined, one of Australia’s leading hotel search aggregators.
Challenge: Redesign an already-successful app in a hyper-competitive industry
Results: A more intuitive search calendar and redesigned member’s account and onboarding contributing to 4.5% increase in bookings and 400% increase in members
Lead UX
Chatty artificial intelligence
Designing TOBi, Vodafone’s asynchronous chatbot, was a great experience designing for AI.
Challenge: Design an experience that allows for 1) A new chat-bot just starting to learn, and b) Allow for chats for multiple users in one account without compromising privacy
Results: 39% resolutions resolved by chat-bot on its in the first weeks
Lead UX/SD
Adding click to collect
What a fun omni-channel project—designing an MVP Click & Collect launch for Vodafone!
Challenge: Design an MVP C&C solution for selected stores only and without real-time store data
Result: A customer-led research approach (journey mapping, in-store surveys), combined with agile stakeholder engagement and real-world, end-to-end customer journey testing contributed to a successful launch that has since been expanded into a proper strategic solution.
Product/UX Research & Design
Lean Product Design
Finding and comparing LGBTQ+ things to do in Sydney is difficult and time-consuming, so I explored product-designing a new search app to help the LGTBQI+ community connect beyond parties and pubs.
Product/Service Design
Connecting digital to real-world experiences
To generate in-store traffic, I designed a multi-channel experience connecting the online and real-world experiences for Taste Living.
Utilising existing in-store touch screens, I proposed the expansion of user accounts into home renovation mood boards which users could share with in-store designers via the screens.
UX Mentor
Mentoring the next generation
Mentoring up to 12 students for the 9 Week UX Fundamentals at Harness Projects (50% research, 50% design), I create weekly content for each three-hour online class, provide individual support, coordinate stakeholder interviews, run design feedback sessions, and provide final assessments.
Watching people of all ages grow from little or no experience to presenting working prototypes with solid design rationale is a rewarding experience!
Advocate
Advocating values-driven design
Designing Futures is a personal project promoting the design of values-driven futures. Focusing on speculative and life-centred design , I’ve produced tools, toolkits, a game, and a step-by-step guide book with downloadable resources. My goal is to make these powerful, values-driven research and design practises more accessible.
I also facilitate sessions for my design game Future Scouting with people from different parts of the world.
Writer
Writing design articles for Medium
In the name of sharing, inspiring, and shameless self-promotion, I write about my experimental and explorative forays into speculative and life-centered design.
Researching and writing articles on Medium helps me learn and articulate design thinking.
My resume
2017 to 2021
UX/UI Designer
Client side | Web, Mobile, App (Native and Hybrid)
As a Senior UX/UI Designer in a great team, I lead the end-to-end UX design for many desktop, mobile and app projects, from discovery phase workshops, through the design iteration/testing process (including stakeholder management), to final UI design and dev support. I also supported the Service Design stream for our Digital transformation project, working with Deloitte.
2021 (occasional and ongoing)
UX Mentor (Contractor)
UX Fundamentals
Mentoring 12 students, I created weekly content for each three-hour online class, supported individuals during the week, coordinated stakeholder interview sessions for the class, ran group design feedback sessions, and provided final assessments. Watching people of all ages grow from little or no experience to presenting working prototypes with design rationale was pure joy!
2015-2016
UX/UI Designer
Client side | Web, Mobile, App (Native and Hybrid)
As Senior UX Designer I managed junior designers and worked with data analysts and development to A/B test improvements to a product that is translated into over 30 languages and has over 13million users per month. I also established UX thinking more into the development process, developing closer relationships with the development team.
- Redesigned user account and tools, contributing to 400% increase in memberships
- Refined 7 breakpoints to 1(+ a minimum width), improving productivity for both Design and Dev teams
- Improved App home screen and calendar, contributing to 4.5% increase in bookings
- UX and Visual Design for online booking, contributing to increase in revenue across all markets
- Creatively directed the production of complete online Style Guide
- Established UX/Design review process within development phase, workshops and stakeholder meetings
2012-2015
UX/UI Designer
Client side | Web, Mobile, App (Native and Hybrid)
Working with the Fairfax UX Team, I redesigned weatherzone.com.au, and the Weatherzone iPhone App, as part of a user-focused rebranding of all Weatherzone products. I also designed customized data and map-based B2B interfaces, and worked with 9News and Yahoo7 to translate their weather pages into refreshed responsive designs.
2011-2012
Digital Designer
Client-side | Web
I assisted the company’s transformation to a digital-focused product by designing and developing promotional and reusable digital elements. I also created journalistic infographics.
2010-2011
Content Editor/Digital Designer
Client-side | Web, Tablet
Working closely with development, branding, store product managers and warehouse logistics, I lead a team of two junior designers to develop the UX, visual design and content for Strathfield’s eCommerce site and for www.tasteliving.com.au.
2011 - 2020
Courses in UX & Future Tech
2021 | Designing Products of the Future – Domestika
2021 | Designing Desirable Futures – Echos School of Design Thinking
2020 | Product Manager/Owner Foundations – Academy XI
2020 | Project Management for Designers – Linkedin Learning
2019 | Service Design – Vodafone Training
2019 | Methods of Design Synthesis – Udemy | Certificate
2019 | Micro copy and UX Writing: Mini Course – UX Writing Hub
2019 | Gamification: Motivation Psychology & The Art of Engagement – Udemy | Certificate
2019 | Gamification & Behavioural Design – Udemy | Certificate
2018 | Designing for Virtual Reality: 1 Day Bootcamp – Academy XI
2013 | 3D Printing: A Hands-on Workshop – General Assembly
2011 | Agile Wire-framing and Prototyping – General Assembly
Masters in Design Science
Digital Media & Design
Awards & Prizes
Sony Foundation Scholarship
University of Sydney Digital Media Prize
Photos by Ash Edmonds, elCarito, Jakob Owens, Markus Spiske, Timothy Muza, Adam Whitlock, Scott Webb, Mathew Smith on Unsplash