Michael Salamon Email & Phone Number

Denver, Co, Us

Mclean, Virginia, United States

Lead the Human-Centered Design efforts for a multidisciplinary team of researchers, designers, product owners, and developers, driving modernization initiatives across Federal services data infrastructure and technology ecosystems.Established and scaled a robust HCD practice at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), providing critical support during the COVID Health Emergency and fostering a culture of user-centered innovation.Directed an integrated shared services… Show more Lead the Human-Centered Design efforts for a multidisciplinary team of researchers, designers, product owners, and developers, driving modernization initiatives across Federal services data infrastructure and technology ecosystems.Established and scaled a robust HCD practice at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), providing critical support during the COVID Health Emergency and fostering a culture of user-centered innovation.Directed an integrated shared services UX team, coordinating efforts across multiple organizations to deliver cohesive and impactful design solutions.Played a pivotal role in implementing the U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) within CMS, enhancing usability and accessibility across federal digital platforms.Currently advising the Department of Transportation (DOT) as a UX and Section 508 Compliance Specialist, ensuring digital products meet accessibility standards and deliver exceptional user experiences. Show less

Greater Denver Area

Collaborate with startups, Fortune 500 companies, and national agencies to deliver tailored design research, user experience, and digital design solutions.Employ Human-Centered Design methodologies, blending expertise in design research, technology, and UI trends to craft innovative, user-focused digital products.Conduct comprehensive pre-design and design research activities, including developing discussion guides, facilitating focus groups, conducting ethnographic user… Show more Collaborate with startups, Fortune 500 companies, and national agencies to deliver tailored design research, user experience, and digital design solutions.Employ Human-Centered Design methodologies, blending expertise in design research, technology, and UI trends to craft innovative, user-focused digital products.Conduct comprehensive pre-design and design research activities, including developing discussion guides, facilitating focus groups, conducting ethnographic user research, playtesting, and performing heuristic and UX audits.Integrate Lean UX and Agile design principles into existing teams, fostering seamless collaboration and accelerating design-to-development workflows.Define and document critical design elements, including feature matrices, user stories, user flows, customer journeys, and experience maps, ensuring alignment with user and business goals.Conceptualize and communicate interactive solutions through sketches, wireframes, and prototypes optimized for multiple devices and resolutions.Transform low-fidelity concepts into polished, high-fidelity user interface designs that enhance usability and visual appeal, driving business impact and user satisfaction. Show less

Greater Denver Area

Co-founded a design consultancy specializing in user experience, offering expertise across research, strategy, design, development, and digital education to empower clients in creating exceptional digital products.Partnered with agencies, startups, and enterprises to enhance their capabilities, delivering scalable, user-centric solutions without the overhead of traditional agencies.Conducted deep research and market analysis to identify opportunities, refine workflows, and drive… Show more Co-founded a design consultancy specializing in user experience, offering expertise across research, strategy, design, development, and digital education to empower clients in creating exceptional digital products.Partnered with agencies, startups, and enterprises to enhance their capabilities, delivering scalable, user-centric solutions without the overhead of traditional agencies.Conducted deep research and market analysis to identify opportunities, refine workflows, and drive efficiencies, helping clients achieve their strategic objectives.Led the design and implementation of innovative user experiences, ensuring alignment with business needs and technical feasibility while maintaining a relentless focus on user validation.Delivered a comprehensive range of services, including pre-design workshops, strategic positioning, UX design, product management, and digital education, leveraging a multidisciplinary team of researchers, designers, developers, and strategists.Built a reputation as an “anti-agency,” prioritizing client success over expansion, and cultivating long-term partnerships founded on trust and results. Show less

Greater Denver Area

Designed and taught a diverse curriculum, including courses in Interactive Media and Practices of Design, fostering creativity and technical expertise in students.Mentored graduating students as a Thesis Advisor, guiding them through research, design, and execution of their capstone projects.Cultivated a dynamic and engaging learning environment, leveraging real-world experience to prepare students for careers in design and digital media.Contributed to the development of… Show more Designed and taught a diverse curriculum, including courses in Interactive Media and Practices of Design, fostering creativity and technical expertise in students.Mentored graduating students as a Thesis Advisor, guiding them through research, design, and execution of their capstone projects.Cultivated a dynamic and engaging learning environment, leveraging real-world experience to prepare students for careers in design and digital media.Contributed to the development of the program by integrating industry trends and best practices into course content, bridging the gap between academic theory and professional application. Show less

Greater Denver Area

Spearheaded the development and management of a specialized Agile engineering and QA team, delivering high-impact web, mobile, and kiosk applications that elevated client engagement and brand performance.Partnered with the sales team to craft compelling responses to RFPs, shape digital strategies for key clients, and define project scopes and budgets, ensuring seamless alignment with client objectives and agency goals.Acted as a trusted technical advisor, providing expertise… Show more Spearheaded the development and management of a specialized Agile engineering and QA team, delivering high-impact web, mobile, and kiosk applications that elevated client engagement and brand performance.Partnered with the sales team to craft compelling responses to RFPs, shape digital strategies for key clients, and define project scopes and budgets, ensuring seamless alignment with client objectives and agency goals.Acted as a trusted technical advisor, providing expertise across the agency to drive innovative solutions and enhance technical capabilities.Represented the agency in high-level client and stakeholder meetings, fostering strong relationships and ensuring project success through clear communication and strategic insights. Show less

Greater Denver Area

Bridged the gap between customer experience, design, and development by leading end-to-end UX processes, ensuring customer-centric solutions aligned with business goals.Conducted direct customer research to inform design strategies, organized and executed design projects, and authored detailed user stories that guided the engineering team’s development efforts.Oversaw the review and approval of user stories, managed software releases, and ensured seamless cross-functional… Show more Bridged the gap between customer experience, design, and development by leading end-to-end UX processes, ensuring customer-centric solutions aligned with business goals.Conducted direct customer research to inform design strategies, organized and executed design projects, and authored detailed user stories that guided the engineering team’s development efforts.Oversaw the review and approval of user stories, managed software releases, and ensured seamless cross-functional collaboration to meet project milestones.Led a combined marketing and growth-hacking team, championing brand consistency and amplifying the customer voice across all touchpoints to enhance engagement and product adoption.Played a pivotal role in defining the company’s UX standards and processes, driving impactful design decisions in a lean, startup environment. Show less

Greater Denver Area

Contributed to the agency’s evolution from a small development shop to a 100-person full-service digital agency, driving growth and expanding service offerings.Championed the integration of customer insight into the product development lifecycle, enabling a more strategic approach to understanding business needs and crafting impactful solutions.Leveraged extensive software development expertise to collaborate with clients, uncover core business challenges, and architect… Show more Contributed to the agency’s evolution from a small development shop to a 100-person full-service digital agency, driving growth and expanding service offerings.Championed the integration of customer insight into the product development lifecycle, enabling a more strategic approach to understanding business needs and crafting impactful solutions.Leveraged extensive software development expertise to collaborate with clients, uncover core business challenges, and architect innovative, user-centric solutions.Played a key role in shaping and standardizing the agency’s UX processes, ensuring projects consistently delivered exceptional value and met both user and business objectives. Show less

Greater Denver Area

Co-led the design efforts for QuarkXPress, the company’s flagship product, delivering intuitive and visually compelling user experiences that enhanced product usability and customer satisfaction.Collaborated with cross-functional teams across the globe to translate business and user requirements into task flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and comprehensive UI specifications.Designed and executed usability test plans to evaluate conceptual and interactive designs… Show more Co-led the design efforts for QuarkXPress, the company’s flagship product, delivering intuitive and visually compelling user experiences that enhanced product usability and customer satisfaction.Collaborated with cross-functional teams across the globe to translate business and user requirements into task flows, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and comprehensive UI specifications.Designed and executed usability test plans to evaluate conceptual and interactive designs, iterating to refine and optimize the user experience based on insights and feedback.Provided end-to-end oversight of UI implementation during iterative development cycles, ensuring design integrity and alignment with project objectives. Show less