Andy Vitale

Kent State University

Everglades University

Keiser University

Executive Design Leader  -  Speaker  -  Educator  -  Co-host of Surfacing Podcast

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

I lead Design, Research and Brand for the Nation's #1 lender. Our Design organization has over 160 curious and passionate team members focused on transforming the lending and finance industry, through a human-centered approach, to provide the best experience for the millions of clients, brokers, partners and team members that use our consumer, professional and enterprise products and platforms. The Design organization consists of four pillars: Experience Design, Research (Design research, market research and VOC/Measurement), Brand, and Design Operations. This includes content, accessibility, service design, conversational design and Design Systems.

-  More than tripled the size of the team
-  Formalized the Design Research team and stood up Design Operations, Research Operations and Service Design practices while scaling Conversational Design capabilities
-  Created a Design community of practice across the family of companies
-  Collaborated with key partners across the organization to establish the triad of product, design and engineering in partnership with business channels, data intelligence and marketing
-  Launched the first Design talent brand campaign with a dedicated landing page for design roles
-  Partnered with organizations such as the Diversity in Design collaborative and the Detroit Month of Design, the only UNESCO designated City of Design in the United States to help drive change across the Design industry.
-  Launched Rocket Design System that powers all of our digital products and experiences. It also provides an updated color system, typography kit, spacial system, grids system, and iconography kit. The initial launch introduced 39 unique components, 274 component variants, a fully functional UI Kit, production ready code packages built for Angular and React, and a robust documentation site.
            

    
    

    
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Rocket Companies

Executive Vice President, Design

Adjunct Professor for KSU's Masters of Science in User Experience Design program (School of Information). Classes taught include: User Experience Design Principles & Concepts, User Experience Design in Practice, Information Architecture, Principles of Interaction, Researching the User Experience, Usability, Accessibility Evaluation and Universal Design and User Experience Design Leadership.

Adjunct Professor

Surfacing Podcast  -  Co-host
March 2021 - present
Co-host of the Surfacing Podcast, with an audience in 70+ countries, that offers inspiring conversations about design, technology and business.

Speaker & Guest Lecturer
October 2015 - present
International keynote speaker at 100+ conferences, corporate events, educational institutions, webinars, and podcasts about design, design maturity, responsible design, career growth and other design related topics. A few of the events include: SXSW, Adobe MAX, AIGA Conference, UX India, IA Conference, How Design Live, Button, Leading Design, Design Leadership Summit, FinTech Design Summit, World Usability Day, Digital Summit, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, University of Michigan, Federal Reserve Bank, and many more.

Adobe  -  Adobe Insider
Oct 2017-Feb 2020
As an Adobe Insider (Brand Ambassador) my responsibilities were to speak to the latest developments, product enhancements and innovations for AdobeXD and create original work that demonstrate an Insider’s take, bringing the design community both connection and inspiration. I created original content such as videos, tutorials, projects and articles to support monthly AdobeXD product releases, Adobe MAX, 99U, Adobe Design Summit, and multiple industry-wide campaigns and design community events.
            

    
    

    
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Interested in Things

Speaker

Vice President, Product Design & Content

- Embrace an entrepreneurial spirit to kickstart and oversee important new design functions and initiatives that meet the emerging needs to differentiate Truist.
-  Head of Enterprise Experience Design, providing centralized design functional leadership and leading execution for enterprise products and solutions across all segments of the organization.
-  Stood up the Design Advocacy and Community Management Practice discipline to elevate and amplify the voices on the team and shine internally and externally among the strongest design cultures through industry partnerships, events, articles, outreach and community building.
-  Started the Strategic Design & Innovation function which led problem definition and ideation sessions for the organization's COVID-19 response resulting in 11 major initiatives and 10 major solutions across 39 independent work streams. 
            

    
    

    
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Truist

GVP, Head of Emerging Design Practices

- First Head of User Experience Design at SunTrust, elevating the competency of the UX practice across the organization.
-  Built, developed and strengthened relationships with Wholesale banking LOB and improved cross-functional partner satisfaction for collaborating with design.
-  Established the design team's first KPIs, design principles, team operating tenets and established ways to measure and evaluate teammate performance while promoting teammate growth opportunities
-  Developed a curriculum for teammate development and growth for designers at all levels and worked with HR to audit existing roles, create and standardize new job families and update job descriptions.
-  Developed processes, established tools and frameworks and created an environment empowering a diverse team to deliver their best work.
-  Initiated a focus on design operations which led to cost savings by leveraging new tools and identifying ways to improve work quality and design efficiency as well as the creation of a dedicated Design Operations team.
-  Partnered closely with Enterprise and Wholesale UI, Research, Product and Technology leadership.
-  Led Design Thinking activities for high visibility enterprise projects.
-  Internal and external education and evangelization to increase awareness of team capabilities and activities as well as attract talent and develop relationships with local schools and professional organizations.
            

    
    

    
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Head of User Experience Design (SunTrust now Truist)

- Responsible for leading and developing a global user experience design function across
Polaris’ innovative product lines.
-  Defined customer-driven digital solutions for core brands and products by translating
technology and experience opportunities into visions that drove innovative new offerings
and capabilities.
-  Led and championed design efforts across consumer, dealer and sales platforms, both
retail and enterprise.
-  Empowered the design team by elevating strategic engagement, building positive
cross-functional relationships and prioritizing and aligning efforts based on key business and customer inputs.
            

    
    

    
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Polaris Inc.

Director, User Experience Design

- Lead, grow and develop a high performing multi-disciplinary design team focused on improving current enterprise healthcare solutions and designing new product offerings, leveraging complex algorithms, advanced machine learning and natural language processing.
-  Create compelling solutions and experiences that align business strategy with human insights, customer intent, revenue goals and brand positioning.
-  Drive, oversee, and provide strategy for high priority programs across the product and service ecosystem by integrating processes, products, solutions and technologies across divisions to create business value.
-  Grow the maturity of the design culture by evolving approach, processes and capabilities to embrace innovation, design thinking and collaborative problem solving.
-  Facilitate workshops with senior leadership to define holistic product strategies.
-  Develop, strengthen, and increase the presence between 3M Design and the broader
design community.
-  Mentor industry-leading designers to successfully navigate the complex environment within a 100+ year-old organization built on a foundation of innovation with a landscape of established teams, technical frameworks and stakeholder relationships.
-  As the second UX hire on 3M's first UX team, led research and interaction design functions across all 6 Divisions of 3M’s Health Care Business Group prior to standing up the Health Information Systems design team.
            

    
    

    
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3M Health Care

Design Principal, UX

- Focused on creating a best in class user experience for a large regional department store (Forbes' Largest Private Companies #108 & Internet Retailer #138) across digital platforms.
-  Developed the strategy, user flows, wireframes, deliverables and documentation for web and mobile e-commerce re-platform.
-  Saw a 68.5% increase in mobile sales and 43% increase in overall sales with eCommerce sales representing 100% of total gross margin dollar growth.
-  Created a responsive email strategy and workflow efficiencies that resulted in a 31% increase in open rate, 18% increase in conversion, 54% increase in click-through rate, and emails accounting for 20% of online sales.
-  UX Lead for mobile projects (mobile web, iOS) and web-based Checkout and Account Management for re-platform.
-  Planned and led user research and testing sessions, including moderated and unmoderated usability testing, focus groups, cognitive walk-throughs and surveys.
-  Led cross-channel execution for mobile and desktop interaction design for new functionality including a Global Header and Footer re-design, Mobile Deal Based Offers and coupons, multiple promotional landing pages and microsites and a registry kiosk.
-  Evangelized the User Experience discipline and methodologies to company leadership, project stakeholders, and partners.
            

    
    

    
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Belk

User Experience Architect

- Tasked with connecting business strategy and human insights to evolve the mobile user experience of the 6th largest eCommerce company in the World, with online annual sales over $4 Billion.
-  Redesigned the mobile web and native app experience (iOS, Android and Windows)
which resulted in being named one of the best functioning Black Friday mobile experiences.
-  Designed and implemented many new individual features and workflows including payment offerings
- PayPal, Google Wallet, Passbook/Apple Wallet, gift cards), registration and checkout flow
- Gigya social login, guest and express registration and checkout), an augmented reality
promotion with the band One Direction and a mobile in-store experience which resulted in a 600% increase in mobile conversion rate.
-  Consistently translated business, brand, and user requirements into useful, engaging,
and profitable experiences.
-  Responsible for leading cross-functional collaborative design and strategy workshops, usability testing sessions, prototypes, facilitation guides and synthesizing data and analytics to drive product roadmaps.
-  Participated in mobile strategy sessions with Apple's User Experience Evangelism team.
-  Presented the evolving vision of the Office Depot mobile user experience to eCommerce
executives and team members during bi-weekly demos.
            

    
    

    
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Office Depot

Usability Architect

- Created and executed user experience strategies, concepts and solutions for digital products and applications that solved user needs and aligned with client objectives.
-  Client work included creating mobile gaming applications, a healthcare e-commerce presence and web-based legal and education platforms, ranging from startup incubator to larger organizations such as Blackberry, Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science, Mattel, FreshPet, HairMax, The Learning Experience and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA). 
            

    
    

    
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The Pancake Movement

UX Designer  -  Co-Founder

- Managed design department at high volume commercial printer.
-  Established and managed new revenue stream offering web design, marketing and e-commerce solutions.
-  Developed and maintained relationships with clients and vendors.
-  Led the design of multiple client brand identities and promotional materials across print and digital channels for marketing and advertising campaigns.
-  Created, modified and prepared files to be press-ready.

Absolute Graphics

Design Manager

- Directed all departmental operations on a campus level for a regionally accredited private university.
-  Developed, implemented and improved curriculum and course materials.
-  Instructed design courses and mentored students across multiple campuses.
-  Managed and coached adjunct instructors.
-  Member of multiple committees to assess learning and academic progress.
-  Partnered with multiple departments and admissions to create a strategy and promotional materials that increased enrollment and retention rates.
            

    
    

    
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Department Chair  -  Instructor

- Full-time Print, Visual and Interaction Designer for multiple assignments through temporary and contract design agencies Aquent, The Creative Group and iCreatives.
-  Worked with such clients as Verizon, Black & Decker, Marvel Comics, DoubleTree Hotel, The Enquirer, J. Walter Thompson, <a href="http://Vitacost.com">Vitacost.com</a>, Winter Music Conference, Antigua Resorts and SezMi.

Long-Term Assignments
Verizon
-  Sole Graphic Designer in a high volume expansion market covering all of South Florida
-  Worked independently with tight deadlines in a high-pressure environment
-  Over 95% of spec ads were sold for Verizon Super Pages and <a href="http://SuperPages.com">SuperPages.com</a>

Vertis/LTC Group
-  Responsible for design and pre-press output to ensure high quality production for some of the following AMI publications: Autoworld, Country Music Magazine, National Enquirer, National Examiner, Star, Style 24/7, Sun, The Globe and Weekly World News as well as dedicated publications for 9/11, tributes to Dale Earnhardt and Ronald Reagan and mini-magazines for World Wrestling Entertainment.

American Color
-  Production artist for various publications including Pizza Today and Marvel Comics
-  Design team lead for Harcourt Publishing textbooks
            

    
    

    
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Aquent

Designer  -  Print, Web & Interaction

- Graphic Designer for the 5th largest cruise line company in the world
-  Designed promotional and marketing materials, brochures, itineraries and weekly national newspaper ad campaigns with a total circulation of over 100 million readers.

Renaissance Cruises

Graphic Designer

- Designer for the leading Consumer Electronics and Appliance Retailer in the Southeast.
-  Collaborated with buyers, vendors, and manufacturers to create weekly advertising circulars, print and digital ads and in-store signage.