Profile:

A flexible, experienced User Experience & Product Strategy professional who uses system thinking principles to create innovative, compelling product experiences. Institutionalizes creating great experiences by helping organizations implement a user-centric, prototype-focused design process. Combines compelling product vision with the ability to manage teams to a successful product delivery.
 

Professional Experience:

Principal User Experience Advisor
Microsoft Corporation 2010 - Present
A Director-level individual contributor responsible for driving consumer facing experiences with national impact using emerging Microsoft technologies.
Key activities include:
  • Lead 'must-land' projects
  • Helps customers define their product or service vision that provides competitive advantage through superior user experience
  • Help customer execute on that vision through projects using Microsoft's emerging technologies
Accomplishments, Awards & Publications:
  • Led the largest project done by US DPE in FY2011 - Flickr for Windows 7 and Flickr for Windows Phone 7 - from business development through launch
  • Drove the UX process for multiple high-profile Windows Phone 7 launch applications including eBay, Flixster, PageOnce, OpenTable, and IMDB
  • Won World Wide Developer Platform Evangelism Best in Role for User Experience Evangelist in FY2011
  • Won United States Developer Platform Evangelism Quarterly Awards for Q2 (Windows Phone 7 work) and Q3 (Flickr for Windows 7 and Windows Phone 7)
Sr. User Experience Evangelist
Microsoft Corporation 2007 - 2010
Responsible for creating and maintaining the relationships between Microsoft and leading design agencies across the Western United States.
Key activities include:
  • Establish relationships with the leading design organizations across the west coast. Help the agency grow their business through adoption of  Microsoft UX technologies in projects, and drive marketing for high-profile projects
  • Work with Microsoft's customers to help them understand how Design can help transform their business. After understanding the specific business need of the customer, introduce the appropriate Design Partner to solve the identified need
  • Fly the UX flag for Microsoft within the UX community.  Sponsor, attend and speak at a variety of different UX / Design-related conferences each year.  In addition to public evangelism, work to evangelize the importance of design internally, improve our user experience related products, and make the organization as a whole more user-centric
Accomplishments, Awards & Publications:
Director of Experience
Flock, Inc. 2006 - 2006
Responsible for the feature set and user experience of the Flock web browser.
Key activities included:
  • Led usability testing and resulting design refinements for Cardinal (0.7). Results: Increased user base ~16 times
  • Facilitated multiple focus groups to determine appropriate marketing message, user needs, and determine feature set of subsequent versions of Flock
  • Defined the feature set and UX pattern for Flock 0.8 and 1.0. Became de facto Product Manager.  Design was used through Flock 2.0
  • Represented the company to external at various company functions
  • Managed relationships with third party designers and partners
Lead Information Architect
Walmart.com 2005 - 2006
Responsible for experience design of the Digital Life offering – Digital Music Downloads, Custom CDs, Physical CDs, and Photography service. Digital Life accounts for 75% of all SKUs sold at Walmart.com.
Primary Responsibilities:
  • Heavily involved in evaluation of potential third party partners
  • Acted as Product Manager for key third party partnerships
  • Revamped the purchase process in Digital Music, introducing a non-disruptive, AJAX-based cart experience. Results: Average order size increased between 25% - 46% week over week (view)
  • Integrated Muze information into the physical CD store, creating new discovery features. Results: First time prototype-based development process was used at Walmart.com. Increased conversion 10-15% (view example)
  • Heavily involved in revision of User Experience Development Processes for the organization
  • Created prototype-centric User Experience development process
  • Lead the Information Architecture community
User Experience Architect | Strategic Architect
GTECH Corporation 2003 - 2005
GTECH is the largest lottery system in the world. Founder and lead of User Experience team. Chief advocate of user needs.
User Experience Activities:
  • Created User Experience practice. Introduced Ethnography, Contextual Inquiry, Rapid Prototyping, Interaction Design as a formal discipline, and Usability Testing to GTECH
  • Led the design of the product experience for the Enterprise Series (ES) Application Suite world-wide. Results: Received kudos from customers on productivity increases of ES Applications
  • Designed player experience across multiple channels (retail, online, mobile, mail)
  • Tied usability improvements to increases in developer productivity – developed entirely CSS based layout for ES Applications. Results: Reduced implementation costs for the presentation layer by 56%
  • Created Enterprise-wide Styleguide and standard components for use across ES Applications. Results: Established a consistent conceptual model and look & feel. Created the concept of the ES Application Suite, replacing a loosely-coupled applications
Special Projects Work:
  • Developed prototype social space game based off of existing Hot Trax game for CEO. Developed multiple mobile channels (Palm OS, MS Smartphone, PocketPC, J2ME) for use in a gaming venue. Results: Scheduled for field-test in RI jurisdiction
Emerging Technology Review:
  • Evaluated emerging technologies for use in GTECH applications. These technologies include: 'Ajax' applications, WiMax, RFID, IVR, ePaper, Grid Computing, Location Based Services, Agent Technology
Delta Company Consulting Group
President | Founder 2002 - 2003
DCCG uses constituent-based design skills to solve business problems. Our work identifies the internal and external needs of the organization, and designs systems to address them.

Selected Project Work:

GTECH Corporation
  • Project GRace - Lead the User Experience development for the company’s suite of back-office products. Initial delivery to California Lottery ($281 million implementation), the largest domestic customer. Will be deployed to GTECH customers worldwide for the next 10 years. Results: Asked to found the User Experience group at GTECH
  • KM Pilot - Worked to ensure the team was successful through effective client relationship management. Results: Roll-out of the pilot will create an initial ROI of $68 million after three years on a $5 million investment
Major Financial Information Services Company - IA / Brand development project – Led the conceptual development of the new web presence. Made tangible the new positioning of the company for businesses, individual consumers and general information seekers
Major Software Company - Brand Strategy – Participated in the development of new brand architecture to unify the presentation of their technology portfolio
Director - Experience Strategist | Customer Experience Architect
Scient1999 - 2002
Lead the Experience team’s activities from pre-sales through delivery. Key duties include project planning with other team leads, user research, feature / functionality / scope definition, brand development, and leads the development of IA, UI, visual design, and content strategy.

Client Work:

CheckFree - Project Quantum Leap - Using creative problem solving techniques, worked with client team to develop a strategy that reduces per transaction costs from $0.40 to $0.09 over 18 months. Results: 75% reduction in cost per transaction resulting in a cost savings of $60 million over 18 months
Vectren - Midwestern gas / electric utility focused on the Indiana and Ohio markets.
  • eEnablement of Vectren Energy Delivery (www.vectren.com) - “eEnablement” of Vectren’s regulated utility business. Creative direction was the basis of print and television advertising. Results: Reduced cost per call from ~$10.00 to below $1.00. Received kudos from Chairman & CEO, as well as CIO. Final portion of strategy was implemented in 2004. Work was recognized as best of class deliverable within Scient. Was hired by same executive at CheckFree Corporation
  • MyHomeFriday - Retail strategy designed to leverage Vectren’s outstanding ties to the local community. The business finds, recommends and schedules home and personal care services
  • FinalBill - ASP focusing on delinquent collections
Boats.com (www.boats.com) - Version 2.0 - Developed the revenue generating portion of Boats.com, including an exclusive eBay partnership, private label bank, insurance, billing & collections operations for affiliated dealerships. Results: Provides the primary revenue stream for Boats.com
Multi-National Telecommunications Provider - Developed an enterprise-wide eBusiness strategy consisting of two elements:
  • Redesign of corporate site - Developed new, customer centric organization of products and services, rationalized brand architecture, and eliminated extraneous brands. Site provided better field support of sales personal and reduced the reliance on printed product marketing material
  • Track 1: eEnablement of the existing business - Focusing on sales force automation. Results: Reduction of the sales cycle by 50% (181 to 90 days for average, projected cost savings and incremental revenue increase of $1-2 Billion over 5 years). Work was recognized as best of class deliverable within Scient
Sephora (www.sephora.com) - Launch - Developed and managed the cataloguing and posting of over 3000 product images from over 120 cosmetics manufacturers. Included developing the image processing technique and guidelines

Scient Internally Focused Work:

Services Manager - responsible for career guidance, mentoring and management of 7 colleagues in the Strategic Services Group
Experience Vision Board - Provides thought leadership to define Experience Strategy at Scient. Worked closely with the Chief Experience Strategist to support existing Scient business offerings and identify future trends
  • Collaborative Commerce and Constituent Experience POV - Helped to define the Collaborative Commerce offering and critical role of constituent experience
Customer Experience Architect Neighborhood Co-Founder - Co-Founded and co-lead a community to support other Customer Experience Architects and Experience Strategists. Developed and shared best practices, tools and templates
Customer Experience Subject Matter Expert for Telecommunications & Utility Business Unit - Responsible for providing Customer Experience guidance on new business opportunities and projects in the Telecom Utility Business Unit
Knowledge Navigator - Working with the CKO and the COO, led the requirement gathering, design and development of the enterprise knowledge management system (the Scient Zone)
Producer - Interactive Media
Siegel & Gale 1997 - 1999
The Producer is responsible for project quality and timeliness. Duties include: project management, scope definition and management, client communications, contribution to the strategic, creative, and implementation decisions.

Selected Client Work:

  • SEI Investments – Private banking and back-office financial software provider. Developed branded and OEM account access product
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb - Internet strategy for U.S. Pharmaceuticals group. Contributed to developing an internet strategy for each of B-MS’s therapeutic groups
  • CEMEX – International cement manufacturer, operating in 122 countries. Siegel & Gale’s top client for 1997 and 1998. Developed new online brand presence
  • Manulife - Intranet/Extranet – Notes-based Intranet/Extranet providing practice management and up to date product information for field representatives.
  • Scudder Kemper Investments – S.K.O.R.E. – Prototype of a personalized financial services portal serving several multiple audiences
  • The Markle Foundation (www.markle.org) - Website / Content Management System – Notes-based Web site and Content Management System

Education:

  • Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY: Bachelor of Arts - The History of Art, May 1997
  • University de Paris IV - Sorbonne, Paris, France: Cours de Civilisation Française: August 1996
     
copyright © 2011 - William Tschumy