Ashley O'Brien Email & Phone Number

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

- Initiated the City’s user experience program and equity-focused participant recruitment process: authored a resolution to compensate community members using public funds; implemented a design system, style guide, and component library; developed content strategy and digital accessibility programs; led research roadmaps and evangelized a team-based research approach.- Scaled user experience capacity to democratize user research and advance organizational design maturity through: user stories, journey mapping, task analysis, service blueprinting, journey mapping, content strategy, prototype development, card sort/tree testing, usability evaluation, competitive analysis, content auditing, analysis of web analytics, workshop facilitation, and storytelling.- Founded an employee resource network for people who identify as having a disability or neurodivergent.- Lead a cross-functional team through the research process to redesign the City’s public website, including facilitation of the first in-house usability test and creation/testing of reusable design components.- Developed a service-learning partnership with the University of Minnesota to build capacity for usability testing and insights-driven decisionmaking at an enterprise scale.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

As a UX strategist, I work closely with team members to identify business requirements and user needs for our digital properties. From there, I facilitate conversations and research that enable the team to target measurable outcomes for our products. The primary function of my role is empowering leaders and team members to make data-driven decisions.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Planned, moderated and assisted with customer and user research, using various qualitative research methodologies. Day-to-day tasks included user interviews, strategic planning, competitive assessment, project management, data management, analysis, reporting and presenting.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Responsible for project management and content strategy. Included strategic planning; managing client expectations; content/webpage planning and diagramming; SEO. CMS: WordPress

Eagan, Minnesota

• Manage ongoing content strategy across FindLaw's marketing solutions, including website content, blogs, and Facebook• Conduct content inventory to identify opportunities to improve strategic solutions• Facilitate stakeholder interviews with clients to understand their firm's business goals and target audience• Collaborate with digital marketers and account managers to fulfill established deliverables and quality expectations

Eagan, Minnesota

• Recruit participants for usability studies• Conduct research in the role of an observer• Analyze research data to articulate and support research findings• Collaborate with researchers to communicate results and report on the goals of the study

Edina, Minnesota

• Support the marketing strategist in strategy development• Provide recommendations to account managers and clients to ensure the overall strategy is executed appropriately within the project timeline• Conduct research to inform data-driven recommendations, including competitive reviews, content audits, stakeholder interviews, and workshop facilitation• Produce artifacts of the strategy project process, including customer experience maps, patient journeys, message maps, digital roadmaps, personas, user experience mockups, and annotated wireframes• Advocate for the the consumer or patient throughout project development and copywriting

The College Of Liberal Arts

Worked with key stakeholders, content owners, and subject matter-experts to redesign websites for the College. Continuously looking for new ways to help with projects: coaching fellow writers, meeting with stakeholders, developing sitemaps, conducting content inventories, and managing departmental web migration timelines.• Created over 300 pages of marketing copy in Drupal and contributed editorial revisions for the College and five microsites• Created a web style guide for the College of Liberal Arts• Worked with content strategy tools: sitemaps, wireframes and inventory matrices• Collaborated with communications manager, web editor, web developer, graphic designer, subject matter experts, and web writers to meet launch deadlines• Applied SEO techniques to content and wrote metadata to improve search rankings and accessibility• Lead strategy, content review, and website migration for simultaneous projects at various stages of development, producing up to 20 new pieces of content daily• Provided Drupal training and technical support for departmental editors and web team writers

Office Of Information Technology

Coordinated and observed 37 usability evaluations.• Supported usability analysts and improved training methods for new lab assistants• Used eCRM, Lyris mass marketing tool, to recruit usability evaluators to schedule evaluations• Trained others to use Google Forms to schedule evaluations• Used Qualtrics survey software to developand design two forms for Training & Usability Services to improve project requests• Solved problems, managed details, and anticipated errors • Operated technical equipment during lab sessions: video cameras, microphones, operating AMX, Eye-Tracking, DVD, and USB recording equipment

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

In a partnership between the University of Minnesota and Hennepin County Library, I worked with a group of 4 students to develop, facilitate, and analyze a usability test, which collected data from potential site users. We created and presented a formal Usability report to Hennepin County Library.• Designed a usability test with five scenarios.• Facilitated a usability test in the usability lab for five evaluator participants.• Presented a formal report to the client along with recommendations to improve usability.

Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul Area

Used the content management system Ecktron and worked with another student to redesign content for Lutheran Social Services. (http://www.lssmn.org/hosthomes/information/) Developed content for people that are interested in becoming host home providers for people with disabilities. User Experience Design• Conducted user research and strategic goal setting using interviews, personas, story vignettes, and competitor analyses• Improved website usability using iterative design methodologyContent Strategy• Improved search engine optimization• Effectively collaborated with clients, website users, and partner technical writers• Developed and analyzed content audits, aligning new content with business goals• Developed information architecture: navigation designs, storyboards, and wireframes

Cathedral Hill- Saint Paul, Minnesota

Provided a sophisticated twist on the classic neighborhood tavern, communicating and serving finely crafted eats and drinks with a focus on gourmet burgers, craft beers, and fine wine.

Serving German cuisine, providing an excellent customer experience. Managed an average of eight tables and researched German food and beverage to deliver well-informed suggestions and provide a cultural experience for every guest.Maintained a positive attitude in a fast-paced, unpredictable environment. Worked closely with other team members to solve problems and contribute to the festive atmosphere.

Grand Avenue Saint Paul

Served Mexican cuisine, cocktails, and beer. Researched cooking techniques, the Spanish language, and beverages to provide knowledgeable recommendations, explain authentic Mexican dishes, and describe varieties of wine and tequila. Played a key role in collaborative events such as Grand ol' Days and Cinco de Mayo: opening/setting up the restaurant, maintaining a section of 13 tables, and providing a cheerful support to my team mates from open to close (some shifts over 12 hours).Extensive training and knowledge of customer landscape to deliver tailored service in a fast-paced environment.

Provided knowledge-based support for internal departments, vendors, and customers.• Used management software SafeKeeperPLUS to resolve customer problems and maintain orders for files, shredding services, and digital archives• Communicated with operations supervisors, account managers, sales managers, dispatch members, drivers, and customers to solve problems• Used company FTP site to upload and manage file requests larger than 300 files• Monitored customer-issue queue and departmental email to resolve sequential and urgent problems within service standards• Developed user-oriented thinking, adopting company Core Values as my own: Total Customer Satisfaction, Candor, Integrity, Accountability, Action Orientation, and Teamwork

Bachelor Of Science (Bs), Scientific And Technical Communication, Senior

Activities and Societies: Office of Information Technology, Writing Department, Circle of Indigenous NationsCoursework in Writing, Human.

Associate Of Arts (A.A.), Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

Activities and Societies: Dean's ListAssisted Disability Services as a Note-Taker

High School Diploma, Communication And Media Studies, 3.84

Activities and Societies: Information Technology student group, Broadcast media writer, International Baccalaureate, Photography teaching.