James Zerkel Email & Phone Number

Seattle, Washington, United States

• Founding designer (Employee #5), instrumental in building a suite of core features and companion apps, expanding to multiple communication platforms and reaching millions of monthly active users• Achieved multi-million-dollar revenue growth through design-driven strategic features and enhancements, targeted marketing campaigns, and effective user growth and nurture strategies • Directed design expansion of Polly.ai from a simple Slack bot to a full-fledged engagement tool across multiple communication platforms (Slack, Teams, Teams Meetings, Zoom, and gMeet) as well as added functionalities like Q&A events and web voting • Collaborated with Zoom Apps Launch to introduce a native Polly application, significantly expanding the product's active user base• Prioritized core user needs to define MVP features and designed wireframes, user flows, and interactive prototypes to gather user-centric feedback, ensuring successful product launches with high active usage • Established a Q&A feature that became a key tool for the sales team, increasing enterprise conversions and garnering positive customer feedback.• Implemented and oversaw best practices throughout UX/UI design processes, including problem exploration, definition, wireframing, prototyping, user validation, user flows, and final asset delivery.

Greater Seattle Area

• Led client engagements, analyzing business needs and translating them into impactful design solutions across brand identity, marketing, and product experiences• Redesigned Information architecture for Casperlabs.io developer portal, analyzing user traffic and support requests to identify pain points and implementing improved navigation, readability, and UX, resulting in increased developer engagement• Developed a comprehensive visual design language for RSM client's marketing campaigns, collaborating with stakeholders to create compelling assets for print and social media, driving brand awareness and customer engagement• Designed and produced a wide range of marketing materials, including websites, social media assets, and printed collateral, to elevate brand presence and drive user acquisition

Greater Seattle Area

• Led high-impact design projects for diverse clients, including Starbucks, Gimlet Media, Clarisonic, and Microsoft.Gimlet Media:• Spearheaded design and launch of the company's first podcast platform and website, resulting in massive traffic increase and contributing to acquisition by Spotify.• Defined product requirements, prioritized features, and ensured user-centered MVPs.• Established scalable information architecture and UI design systems for consistent user experiences.• Created wireframes, prototypes, and conducted user testing to validate design concepts.Goodwill Seattle:• Led comprehensive UX/UI overhaul of the Goodwill Seattle website, significantly improving user experience and reducing page count by 50%.• Developed user personas and journey maps to inform intuitive user flows.• Established scalable design system to ensure brand consistency and guide future site updates.Starbucks:• Directed UX/UI design for Starbucks email campaigns and website areas, tailored for five distinct markets, resulting in a 32% increase in global online sales.