RSSCV of Alex Horstmann
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Profile
An experienced and creative user experience professional with a proven record in UX leadership, strategy, people management, branding and innovation. Responsible for the user experience and design of several high profile, big brand web sites and enterprise software applications.
Education
1993 – 1997
BSc. (Hons)
National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland.
Career History
Jan 2010 – Present
General Manager, User Experience and Design
TUI Travel plc, Luton, UK
www.thomson.co.uk | www.firstchoice.co.uk
TUI Travel plc is a FTSE 100 international leisure company; brand websites under my remit included Thomson, First Choice, Simply and Falcon.
- Delivered a 20% increase in conversion through UX and design improvements in 2010.
- Manager of the User Experience Team (5x Senior UX, 3x Mid-weight UX, 2x Junior UX) and Design Team (1x Design Manager, 3x Senior Designer, 3x Junior Designer).
- Responsible for the strategy and delivery of the redesign of the Thomson and First Choice websites.
- Set and delivered the TUI mobile strategy.
- Implemented a persuasion design strategy for TUI’s websites.
- Promoted from Senior User Experience Manager in Sep 2010.
Aug 2009 – Jan 2010
User Experience Conultant (contract)
TUI Travel plc, London, UK
Virgin Media is a leading a television, Internet, mobile and fixed-line telephone service provider.
- Provided consulting expertise for several streams of Virgin Media online projects.
- Advised on a new, cross-platform video on demand product.
- Delivered wireframes for a new Movies section of the site.
- Delivered a new information architecture for the virginmedia.com site.
Jul 2009 – Aug 2009
Head of User Experience
Tullo Marshall Warren, London, UK
TMW is a leading digital marketing (NMA top 30) and integrated communications agency based in London.
During my first few weeks at TMW I identified that the company structure, post redundancies (made just prior to my joining), did not support a Head of role, and instead needed a team led by a senior information architect.
Aug 2008 – Jul 2009
User Experience Manager
Channel 4 Television, London, UK
Channel 4 is a leading UK public-service television broadcaster.
- Head of the UX team responsible for the delivery of the redesign of channel4.com.
- Delivered the IA and UX of the Channel 4 online video offering, 4oD.
- Scoped and planned all user experience work on Channel 4 new media projects.
- Selected, briefed and managed appropriate external suppliers of user experience work.
- Managed and carried out regular expert reviews and usability testing.
Apr 2004 – Aug 2008
Senior User Experience Engineer
Tideway Systems ltd, London, UK
Tideway was a private company that developed software for large IT organisations. It was taken over by BMC in 2009.
- Responsible for all aspects of the user experience and design within Tideway.
- Head of the UI team and a key innovator and influencer within the company.
- Delivered the UX and design of the UI for Tideway’s cutting edge, flagship product Foundation, as well as other Foundation sister products.
- Led a team that conducted requirements gathering User Interviews and produced Personas, Scenarios, Wireframes and High Level Prototypes.
- Involved in the implementation of Tideway’s Agile, User Centric Development methodology.
- Client facing role at JP Morgan, Dresdener Bank, Maersk and BT.
Apr 2001 – Aug 2004
Senior Web Designer
DeCare Systems ltd, Cork, Ireland
DeCare provides software development and Internet solutions for a select market of worldwide health care and retail organizations.
- Promoted from Web Designer) responsible for the UI of a major CRM system and a number of high profile B2B and B2C websites.
- Senior UI person for client projects, including Mastercard, Avon Cosmetics and Penguin Books.
- Ran requirements gathering and needs analysis meetings with clients for an Enterprise CRM system.
- Developed a User Centered Design toolkit, based on a broad range of UCD methodologies.
Jan 2001 – Apr 2001
Internet Manager
Premier Recruitment, Cork, Ireland
Designed and delivered a new website for one of Ireland’s largest recruitment companies, with four separate divisions.
Dec 1999 – Apr 2001
Internet Manager
96fm, Cork, Ireland
Designed and delivered new websites for Ireland’s largest independent radio station, including a newspaper site and site’s for 96fm and 103fm.
Skills
User Experience:
Information architecture; Expert reviews; User Testing; Persona, roles, scenario and task analysis; Wireframes; High fidelity prototypes; flow diagrams; User centered design methodologies; Usability; requirements analysis.
User Interface Engineering:
Interaction Design, Usability, Web Accessibility, Web Standards, Creative Web Application Interface Design, Internet/Intranet Design
Product Management, Innovation & Development:
Market problem analysis; Competitive analysis; Win/Loss analysis; Market research; Business case creation; Product roadmap management; Innovation; Ideas generating; rapid prototype development.
Project Leadership:
Project Management, Team Leadership, Development Lifecycle, Agile Usability, Risk Analysis, Change Control.
Technical:
Javascript, CSS, DHTML, XHTML1.1, HTML4.01, JSTL, ASP.
Leadership:
Project management; Team leadership; Development lifecycle; Agile usability; Risk analysis; Change control; Client facing.
Additional Information
- Winner of the PIMA Marketing Methods Competition for www.securiandental.com
- Guest writer on Internet Accessibility strategies at www.pandia.com
- Moderator of the HTML & Browser and Flash fora at www.webmasterworld.com (as BlobFisk) from 2004 – 2009.
- National University of Ireland, Cork Person of the Year 1997
- Twice appointed as a Governor of the National University of Ireland, Cork
- Elected to the full time position of Deputy President, NUIC Students Union (1997/1998)
- Twice elected Auditor of the UCC Science Society
- Certificate Holder in First Aid
- Member of the Usability Professionals Association
- Member of the Information Architecture Institute
