Hey there, I’m Alex.
I've spent the last decade in complex data product design, leading visual UI/UX and strengthening cross-functional connections.
I am known as a fixer. I am often brought in to help unblock projects, improve aesthetics, and get work over the finish line. I am passionate about design, user needs, and inclusion.
Most recently, I designed for enterprise podcasting at Spotify. Previously, I led the creation of a content design system at Charles Schwab and UI design for portfolio products at TD Ameritrade.
Smart Ad Locations
Spotify acquired lead enterprise podcasting software Megaphone in 2022. “Smart Ad Locations” aimed to equip Megaphone with intelligent, automated ad placement technology.
By leveraging machine learning, we aimed to streamline the time-intensive aspects of ad placement for publishers and significantly boost revenue from previously unutilized ad spaces.
Case study available upon request.
Company: Spotify
Timeline: 4 months
Role: Lead UI/UX, research, prototyping, testing, cross-channel strategy and partnership
Impact: Launched as part of the streaming suite, this innovative tool contributed to the opt-in of over 1500 podcasts and 90 publishers.
Unlocked 1.3 billion additional ad impression opportunities per year while preserving the listening experience. Ad skip and user drop-off rates remain unchanged.
Modern Wealth Management
The Modern Wealth Management (MWM) initiative at Charles Schwab was a strategic effort to evolve the company's existing product design system, Everest. This high-level project involved collaboration across product, technology, and brand teams to enhance and refine the design system to better meet current and future needs.
I took charge of a project that had stalled over four years, drawing on my experience as a visual lead and my success in designing Schwab's Editorial products. I merged visual styles, mentored a junior designer, and art-directed a final vision that received leadership approval.
Case study available upon request.
Company: Charles Schwab
Timeline: 6 months
Role: Lead UI/UX, research, mentorship, branding, prototyping, testing, cross-channel strategy, planning
Impact: Achieved product consensus on future direction for the first time in 4 years. Including a fully accessible design system to straddle responsive web and native environments. Worked with leadership to outline implementation.
Project Story
"Project Story" was the extensive revamping of Charles Schwab's News & Insights section, involving everything from a custom content design system, buildable templates, IA overhaul, news themes, and visual styling.
The overhaul was a strategic move combining TD Ameritrade and Charles Schwab’s legacy content. The primary objective was to facilitate effortless adaptability for editors to deliver consistent and user-friendly content through a reorganized system adaptable to any level of experience creator.
Case study available upon request.
Company: Charles Schwab
Timeline: 4 months
Role: Lead UI/UX, research, prototyping, testing, cross-channel strategy
Impact: Launched phase 1 and phase 2 successfully on time. Click-through rate improvements, decrease in help page visits, design system still in use 3 years later.
Spotification
Over time, Megaphone faced challenges related to outdated UX practices and patterns. It also didn't look like it belonged to Spotify. “Spotification” was a chance to reskin the entire site and improve most interactions.
I was part of a two-person team that reskinned and updated the legacy Megaphone product using Spotify’s design system, Encore. We focused on creating enterprise-friendly system components, page templates, adaptive tables, forms, and creation workflows. We edited legacy errors and optimized patterns. I also designed custom components for the adoption of the Encore design system.
Case study available upon request.
Company: Spotify
Timeline: 2 months
Role: Co-lead, UI/UX, design systems, hand-off, QA
Impact: 100% completion, over 200 states/screens site-wide
Megaphone Podcast Embedded Player
The embeddable player was a vital tool for Spotify publishers, particularly for those who heavily invested in their online presence, such as Cadence 13, Vox, Fox, and LinkedIn.
With an average of over 25 million plays monthly, Megaphone received numerous publisher requests and internal suggestions for improvements.
Publishers demanded more customization options, including video integration and access to metrics. Introducing these features called for a new embedded player builder.
Case study available upon request.
Company: Spotify
Timeline: 2 months
Role: Lead UI/UX, branding, planning, prototyping, design systems, hand-off, QA, cross-channel strategy and partnership
Impact: Load time for an episodic players are down from 10+ seconds to less than 1, Spotify/Megaphone brand cohesion, 22 Jira tickets resolved, embedded player metrics included in reporting
Managed Portfolio “Presales”
TD Ameritrade Presales was the initial account opening journey for new clients interested in financial guidance products. This process is tailored to individual needs, where prospective clients input their risk tolerance, financial goals, and current financial status. Based on these inputs, TD Ameritrade provides personalized recommendations for various levels of investment models, ensuring that each client’s unique financial objectives and comfort with risk are considered in the investment strategy.
Company: TD Ameritrade
Timeline: 3 months
Role: Lead UI, branding, prototyping, QA
Impact: Increased managed account opening. This project set the styling for TD Ameritrade product rebranding before the merger.
All TD Ameritrade products were sunset in 2022 due to a merger with Charles Schwab.
Winnie App Overhaul
During my personal development week, I chose to redesign a native app flow from an everyday application I use. I focused on Winnie, a service dedicated to locating daycares and schools.
This app assists users in reviewing details about providers, checking ratings, and exploring enrollment options, all tailored to specific locations. I aimed to identify areas where the app's user experience and functionality could be enhanced for better user engagement.
Case study available upon request. Prototype available
Company: n/a Personal Development
Timeline: 1 week