Resume

E R I K A  B A U E R
Email E.B. | mobile 510-708-1928

W O R K   E X P E R I E N C E
Senior Product Designer – Microsoft Mixed Reality
• January 2018 to present: Product designer for Microsoft Mixed Reality at Work (MRW), a new organization formed to create new augmented reality HoloLens applications for business settings including design, manufacturing, training and communications. Initial avatar focus: Investigated use cases for mixed-reality avatars and worked to identify signals from our internal partners and avatars needed for Hololens. Prior to AR avatar work, completed design research and a heuristic evaluation for the new Xbox Avatar update.

Senior Product Designer – Microsoft Groove, Release Studios
• August 2016 to December 2017: Product UX designer for Groove’s unreleased music Creator project within Window’s NEXT Release Studios. Worked on UX and prototyping innovative solutions for starting a new music project and browsing audio content.  Also contributed to the design for the Groove music streaming subscription service’s Taste Profile – an interactive, onboarding questionnaire for new users; my teammates and I received a patent for this design which launched in 2016.

Lead User Experience Designer – Amazon
• June 2015 to June 2016: Lead UX designer on the Community Shopping and Engagement Design team. Most recently working on improving the Follow platform and building-out new, universal Amazon Customer Profile features.

Senior User Experience Designer – Amazon
• December 2011 to June 2015: Senior UX designer on the Kindle Content Design team. Designs shipped on 3 generations of Kindle Fire HD tablets and the Fire Phone. Contributed to the shopping experience design and embedded app alignment on the new lines of Fire tablets from 2012-2015 and was lead designer for the Fire Phone bookstore.

The updated bookstore design for Kindle E Ink touch devices launched globally in February 2016 as part of an overall device software refresh. Erika worked on the Eink extensive design update project from 2014-2015.

UX Manager – Barnes & Noble Digital Products
• March 2010 - November 2011: UI/UX Manager for Barnes & Noble Digital Products (NOOK) user experience and development teams in Silicon Valley & content teams in New York. Worked as founding member and part of core product team and UX system designer for the All-New NOOK e-ink reader en.wikipedia.org “Best e-ink reader” CNET, June 2011. “The best e-reader from a major player…thus far…well ahead of its competitors in terms of usability and form factor” Techcrunch, June 2011. “The Nook Nails It” Wired, June 2011. Also part of core product launch team for the Nook Tablet www.engadget.com and the original Nook Color. Application co-design credits include epub reader and magazine reader.

UI Designer & UX-Development Coordinator – Sony Ericsson
• August 2009 - March 2010: UI Designer with SEMC’s development team in Silicon Valley, and with the Sony User Experience Center in San Francisco. Contributed to the UX documentation and design of the core software for Xperia Play, the first PlayStation Android smartphone - announced Feb 2011. Role included close alignment with a global software team and android engineers to deliver graphics and flows for agile sprints and phone prototypes.

Senior UI Designer – KaDoink
• November 2008-March 2009: Senior UI Designer with UX team on product & marketing, delivering next-generation mobile messaging & ad campaign management application. Also created iPhone UI concepts, updated consumer site subscription UI, explored branding solutions and delivered detailed design development specs and assets. view portfolio

Senior UI Designer – Catalyst Mobile
• May 2007-October 2008: Senior UI Designer with global team for international mobile and web applications.  As the lead UI & visual designer for 3 of the company's international entertainment software products, work included wireframing, design skinning, icon design and prototyping (in Flash Lite) mobile software with team engineers for either final WAP or J2ME delivery on 3G Symbian devices. Dynamic web companion site for complex mobile music application also developed in tandem with international team. Projects: Solati Web, Solati Mobile, FunGo, Nokia NCD

Independent Contractor, Creative Director – e.b. Studios
• 1999-2010: Web & Mobile design and development solutions for diverse clients.

Mobile/Phone application consulting 2008-2009 - Silicon Valley and Bay Area:
•  Telesocial: Stealth start-up. Prototyping designs for user interfaces that allow call-management, address book management, group calls from one-device or web site.

•  Adyana: iPhone application design for stealth mode start-up - working with founders from Adyana on a remote-control consumer product.

• Cooking Capsules: Information Architecture & User Interface design consultant on application upgrade for smart phone application - which won the Google Android developer's challenge and was also mentioned listed in Wired Magazine's July 2008 issue and on MSNBC.

Select Web Projects:
• Lime Wire - Lime Engine: Consulting UI designer for entertainment ad network application concept from LimeWire called Lime Engine.

• BridgeCo AG: Art Director and Principal designer. Large Joomla CMS site redesign for international, Swiss-based, semi-conductor company.

• KAI Pharmaceuticals: Primary designer and lead for CMS web site upgrade which included audio recording for Flash video served online, and Flash animation.

• Kosmix - Kosmix Corporation: Logo and Alpha 1&2 UI design for new Health Search engine. Screen samples of alpha design available at: www.ebstudios.com/interactivefashionshow

• Ekomi: Online music software application branding and complete UI design including custom illustration.

• ION DESIGN: Primary design and development contractor for upgrade of large Flash site for this notable product design firm in New Jersey. www.iondesign.com

• BIE: Buck Institute for Education: Art Director and prime design contractor for this preeminent Bay Area institute. Complete identity system redesign and full Web site redesign delivered new dynamic presence in 2001. Ongoing contract includes yearly upgrades. www.bie.org

• Yahoo USA Sales Intranet:  Primary designer for US Sales Team’s intranet site.

• E*TRADE 401k intranet site and CD package with Flash intro: Primary Designer–Intro animation and site U.I. design

Design Instructor
• Chabot College — Graphic Design Instructor 2005-2006 at community college. www.chabotcollege.edu
• Expression College — Interactivity & Screen Design Instructor & Curriculum Development, August 2002 to 2004. usa.sae.edu
• Macromedia FlashMX– 2003; Authorized training: instructed students with Innovative Solutions-Sacramento/Oakland: www.isinc.com
• Macromedia Dreamweaver 4.0– 2001; Authorized training: instructed students with Innovative Solutions-Sacramento/Oakland: www.isinc.com

Print & Online - International Publishing
• Manager of Online Product Development 
Publish Magazine, IDG Publications; San Francisco, CA.
December 1996-June 1999: Project manager, site developer, promoter, webmaster for this graphic design & electronic publishing magazine's initial Web site.

P R O G R A M S
Sketch, Proto.io, Principle, Flinto, Beginning Framer and Unity. Adobe Creative Suite, Keynote. Knowledge of HTML, CSS, JS.

A W A R D S
2002: Design Award winner of the first AIR CALIFORNIA accessibility web design competition awarded for redesign of The Riley Center women's shelter website.
2000: San Francisco Exploratorium's Cool Site Award for World Art’s West original People Like Me web site.

E D U C A T I O N
Masters program, Creative Writing, San Francisco State University
B.A. Philosophy, Studio Art, Cum Laude. California State University, Fresno

I N T E R E S T S
Songwriting, music & performance (guitar, percussion, vocals), photography, nature, maps, travel, hiking, skiing, sailing.

Follow Erika on: Twitter. Meet her on Linked In.

R E F E R E N C E S
Upon Request

Last updated October 2018