Brett Combs
Experience Designer
bcombs@usableco.comlinkedin/usableProfile
I render user intent with an in-depth process for end-to-end user-centered design and research. With over ten years of interactive design experience, I excel at in-code prototyping, testing, and the validation of complex applications of visual communication.
I hold terminal degrees in visual communication and user experience anchored by training for thinking critically about the foundations of human action, perception, and the purposes and priorities of everyday life.
Credentials
MS UXD, Kent State University 2020
MFA, California College of The Arts 2004
BA Philosophy, San Francisco State University 2000
Master of Science UXD, Kent State University 2020
Master of Fine Arts Design, California College of The Arts 2004
Bachelor of Arts Philosophy, San Francisco State University 2000
Experience
CVS
Senior UX Product Designer
5/22 — Present
Responsible for leading the design and research on initiatives that improve and provide healthcare access to patients. Solving complex business problems within the eCommerce/Pharmacy website related to customer loyalty programs and other convenience functions.
Sherwin Williams
Senior UX Designer
9/2023 — Present
As a Senior User Experience Designer at Sherwin Williams, I spearhead service design initiatives aimed at enhancing productivity and optimizing customer service within Sherwin Williams stores. My role encompasses comprehensive planning and execution of in-person research initiatives conducted within Sherwin Williams stores, collaborating closely with store managers, representatives, and sales personnel.
- Research Leadership: Leading and facilitating in-depth research initiatives within Sherwin Williams stores, employing methodologies such as task-based talk-aloud protocol discovery research. Direct engagement with district managers, store managers, representatives, and sales teams enables a holistic understanding of operational challenges and customer needs.
- Insight Generation: Levering research findings to extract actionable insights that inform the development of internal tools, including the Point of Sale system and Order Management System. By synthesizing qualitative data, I identify pain points and opportunities to streamline workflows and enhance user experiences.
- Wireframe Development: Driving the creation of wire-frames and prototypes for internal tools, translating research insights into tangible design solutions. Iterative wire-framing processes ensure alignment with stakeholder requirements and user preferences, improving the work-life of Sherwin Williams paint stores group employees.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Foster collaborative partnerships with cross-functional teams, including developers, product managers, and business stakeholders. By facilitating open communication and soliciting feedback, I ensure alignment between design objectives and organizational goals, driving project success.
- Continuous Improvement: Championing a culture of continuous improvement by staying up to date with industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies. Actively participate indesign critiques, knowledge sharing sessions, and leading professional development workshops like “Object Oriented UX” methodology, to enhance skill sets and deliver innovative solutions.
CVS
Senior UX Product Designer
5/25/22 — 6/28/23
As a Senior User Experience Designer at CVS Health, I played a pivotal role in driving initiatives to address complex business challenges through innovative user experience solutions. Working closely with cross-functional teams, I provided strategic guidance and defined road-maps to align design objectives with organizational goals, building efficiency and consistency into internal systems and ensuring a cohesive and customer-centric approach to product development.
- Strategic Leadership: Led the implementation of a federated management model for CVS's design system, optimizing collaboration and scalability across design initiatives. By establishing standardized processes and governance frameworks, I facilitated efficient design workflows and enhanced design consistency across CVS digital platforms.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Fostered collaborative partnerships across departments to drive the conceptualization and delivery of customer-focused products. Collaborating with stakeholders, I spearheaded the redesign of the CVS weekly ad page, visited by 2.1 billion people annually, enhancing user engagement and driving conversion rates.
- Autonomous Execution: Independently led design projects from conception to delivery,demonstrating a proactive and results-driven approach to problem-solving. Notably, I designed a prototype for CVS's over-the-counter healthcare services app, leveraging BJFogg's behaviors and triggers methodology to improve information scent and engagement.
- Technical Production: Implemented shopping list functionality for PLP and PDP pages on iOS and Android platforms. Utilizing an atomic design structure, I meticulously crafted atomic components, strategically assembled into molecule components, and seamlessly integrated into pages. This innovative approach facilitated cascading edits, allowing for efficient and consistent updates across all screens. By leveraging technical production skills, I ensured a streamlined development process and optimized user experiences across platforms.
Everest
Senior Product Designer
2/22 — 5/2022
Designing and producing a globally editable atomic design system of complex linked components and variants in Figma.
nimbl digital
Fintech Product Designer
09/2021 — 2/2022
As a Senior User Experience Designer at Nimbl Consulting, I played a pivotal role in shaping the user interface and experience for the SEI wealth management platform, a sophisticated financial management SAS platform servicing financial and insurance clients.
- Collaborative Design: Collaborated closely with business analysts and senior team members to translate requirements into high-resolution user interface files and clickable prototypes using Sketch and Invision. By leveraging my expertise in user experience design, I contributed to the creation of consistent and intuitive features within the SEI wealth management platform.
- Remote Team Management: As part of a remote team of five, I managed all aspects of interpreting requirements for consistent implementation across several Jira tickets within three-week sprints. By effectively coordinating with team members and stakeholders, I ensured the timely completion of assigned tickets while moving the project forward to meet SEI contract deadlines.
- Component Research and Development: Conducted research to identify and developconsistent and intuitive UI patterns for various contexts of use within the SEI wealthmanagement platform. By analyzing existing components and leveraging industry bestpractices, I contributed to the development of new components that aligned with user needsand platform requirements.
- Prototype Development: Created pixel-perfect Invision prototypes for presentation to product owners and hand-off to developers. By leveraging existing Sketch symbols and design libraries, I produced clickable prototypes that accurately represented the intended user experience, facilitating stakeholder feedback and alignment.
Toptal
UX & Interactive Designer
10/2021 — 2/2022
As a Freelance User Experience Designer at Toptal, I was part of an elite group selected from the top 5% of applicants through a rigorous on-boarding process. Leveraging my expertise in user experience design, I collaborated with a diverse range of small and medium-sized companies to deliver high-impact digital solutions tailored to their unique needs and objectives.
Freelance Practice
Interactive Designer
6/2006 — 10/2017
As a Freelance Interactive Designer, I provided comprehensive print and digital designservices to clients with small and medium-sized brands, including Beyond the Dog, 9606Capitol, Nulase, Matcha Tea, Monkey Moto, C&C Real Estate, and Golden State Apothecary.My role encompassed project planning, client service, and freelance practice management,delivering tailored solutions that met the unique needs and objectives of each client.
Skills
- Planning, execution, and synthesis of user research and usability testing to uncover and share compelling insights
- Supporting users with content labeling and taxonomy through heuristics reviews, content analysis, card sorting, tree testing and org-scheme development
- Academically driven ability to deploy complex principles of human centered design as well as user interface and interaction design principles
- Ability to provide clear, articulate rationales for design choices and approach.
- Advanced wire-framing and prototyping abilities that drive the creation of concept sketches, static and annotated wireframes, platform and code-built prototypes
- Advanced Figma components and linked globally editable variant structures for design systems design
Tools
Webflow
Sketch
Figma
Adobe XD
Invision
Miro
Dovetail
Treejack
Chalkmark
Principle
HTML
CSS
Illustrator
Photoshop
Premier
Additional Experience
CMG Design
8mo contract, 2007
Flash and print design on-site with a small design studio in South Pasadena California
Stone Tech Pro
7mo contract, 2002
Packaging design for two lines of stone treatment products taking them from the industrial to the consumer sector
SG Cowen
8mo contract, 2001
Managing a small team providing presentation and print design for financial analysts a leading financial firm in San Francisco
FIDM
9mo, 2001
Developed curriculum and lead instruction for Intro to Typography, Design Studio, and Final Portfolio.
Homegain
9mo, 2001
User interface designer for a real estate startup in Emeryville, CA.
Shutterfly
6mo, 2000
Design intern at leading online photo processing company Palo Alto, CA