HELLO.

My name is Dave and I am a user researcher and Information Architect.

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I currently work at Charles Schwab in Austin, Texas, where I am a User Research Lead on the Discoverability team, working to improve navigation, search, and content strategy on Schwab's client site. I believe in the power of information to improve people’s lives, which is the motivation behind my work at Charles Schwab.

I have been practicing Information Architecture and User Experience for more than 16 years, building upon my academic training and background as a full-stack developer. Today, I continue to evolve my practice in the enterprise setting by adapting “traditional” user research and design activities for Lean and Agile approaches. (Spoiler alert: this is harder than it sounds. Haha.)

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MY PRACTICE

My design practice has 3 focuses

Organization - Creating order from non-order
Clarity - Making things clear (Notice I did not say ‘simple' as the world is complex)
People - I believe in human-centric approach to technology

And my work has of 3 practice areas

Research; Both generative and evaluative testing methodologies
Information Architecture - Structuring information for use in a search and browse environment
User Experience Design - Crafting experiences across channels

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PREVIOUSLY

I’ve held both Information Architect and User Experience Lead job titles. In each role I have performed the essential user-centric activities needed for building great user experiences: primary user research to inform design strategy, Information Architecture to organize content for use, and usability studies to vet designs.

Having been a front-end developer (XHTML/CSS/.NET) and database architect before getting into UX, I can speak “engineer” and enjoy collaborating directly with developers.

And having an advanced degree in social sciences, I look for bridges between theory and practice, the academic and the professional.

I have had the good fortune of working with companies like Quicken Loans, Ace Hardware, Anthropologie, Toys ‘R Us, Bath & Body Works, Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and David’s Bridal.

You can learn more about me on professional profile on LinkedIn.

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BEYOND THE OFFICE

My work in user experience extends outside the workplace and into community organizing and professional organizations. Much of what I have learned about experience design has come from peers, so it has only been natural to spend time giving back to the community.

At the global level, I have been involved in organizing the Information Architecture Summit for more than a decade. I had the honor of co-chairing the 2017 IA Summit in Vancouver, Canada, a 5-day conference with more than 500 attendees. (The IA Summit is now the IA Conference.) At the local level, I have served multiple times as President of PhillyCHI (ACM SIGCHI), Philadelphia’s interest group for human-computer interaction.

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