Grateful to have been my Dad's caregiver in his last years and end of life.

The challenge: Craft a simple, cohesive, high-quality product user experience when you've got just 2 writers (me included) - for a complex AI product targeting 3 different audiences (end users, admins, developers), built by 36 UX Designers and numerous engineers spread across the globe, with various levels of writing skill. The platform had 24 products at the time, and it was Frankenstein in terms of UX. The solution: Built a robust UI text writing discipline with clear standards and some automated checks and tools. Defined work intake, prioritization, style guide, Figma templates, standard strings, training workshops, office hours. Introduced AI-based self-serve tools and a master terminology database that integrated with Figma -- where UX Designers lived -- for further consistency, coverage, and quality checks. Worked with User Research to prioritize work based on customer feedback. Coordinated with Marketing to keep language consistent across user journeys.

I managed the POW! (Powerpoint, Outlook, Word) writing team and end-user content portfolio. Developed strategy to increase users and reduce support calls. Directed content development for product UI text; in-product feature awareness panels; and related support/training content on support.microsoft.com. For the web properties, we drove viewership up, and support costs down. Managed a team of 3-5 writers. Initiated infographics as a content type for both awareness and adoption.

Managed 5 writers across the USA, India, and Denmark to craft how-to content and videos for end-users and system admins. Debuted e-books (including a mention by technology journalist Mary Jo Foley). Worked with UX Design, PMs, and MVPs to define product voice, build in-product tutorials, write UI text strings, craft web copy, and define style guidelines.

Delivered successful ‘self-serve’ web content and tools that freed up employees to work on higher value tasks. Used the Gerry McGovern top task analysis method. As one example of results, took a common task from a 2-week SLA to under 2 minutes.

Coached Legal team SMEs on web content optimization, SEO, and information architecture to boost usability of LCAWeb (one of Microsoft's major intranet portals).

Developed content, branding, marketing, social media, and search engine optimization (SEO) for https://BarefootCay.com and https://BarefootDiversRoatan.com. Increased web-based traffic and hotel occupancy rate year over year. Due to SEO/marketing campaigns, the resort rated #1 on TripAdvisor and top 1-3 on other booking sites during this tenure. Designed DEMA trade show booth and collateral.

Our goal: steal market share from Google by building a better user experience. Wrote/edited UI text, online Help, customer emails, and marketing blogs. Staffed and managed 4 editors and a production engineer. Defined the content model for online assistance in the product suite. Shaped web content and terminology to align with the user’s mental model. Also took on management of API writers.

My skills as editor and content-shaper helped enhance the usability of Microsoft products.- UI text for Windows XP- UI text and style guide for Windows Vista- User assistance content for NetMeeting and Windows VistaOf note: I won two awards from the Society of Technical Communications 2004-2005 Online Communications Competition for assistance content shipped in Windows XP SP2 and Internet Explorer.

For Leviton's Voice/Data Division, I wrote technical guides and marketing material. You name it, I wrote it - product installation guides, print ads, webpages, video scripts, brochures, newsletters, and more. The ad agency kept using my copy for ads and brochures, so eventually Leviton dropped the agency copywriter and used my text instead.

My career simplifying technical material for a non-technical audience began here. I loved it and my career really kickstarted with this job. I edited 6 book-length manuscripts per year, clarifying and condensing the material a great deal. I started with developmental edits to improve content clarity, format, and flow, and finished with detailed copyedits for finesse just before printing. A big believer in creating relevant visuals and interpreting information in visual form, I added tables and charts; and commissioned illustrations and cover artwork.