About Me

I'm a UX generalist who's driven by the potential of design as a tool to serve user goals. Originally an editorial designer, I spent over a decade launching titles, leading redesigns and crafting thousands of pages before I could no longer resist the possibilitites offered by digital.

Since 2016 I've been working in UX design roles in digital agencies. I'm currently at No Fixed Address where I work as UX Lead on projects for Questrade, Tridel, Aviva, Hivestack and Dairy Farmers of Ontario. Prior to that I was at Tribal Worldwide / DDB working for Volkswagen, Samsung, GO Transit, Nestlé, Tourism Nova Scotia and Natures Way.

I have moderated hundreds, possibly thousands of usability tests during my career. It's a humbling experience to watch someone struggle to understand something you've created. It's made me a better designer.

Experience

Provide guidance, leadership, and support to other UX designers and the digital team. 

Scope discovery and definition activities for new UX projects

Lead major digital projects which involve user research, designing and facilitating workshops, defining and executing UX and content strategy

Create UX deliverables, including wireframes, personas, experience maps, user flows, sitemaps, heuristic reviews, accessibility audits, and interactive prototypes

Collaborate on new business pitches

Plan and execute user interviews and usability testing to seek insights and validate solutions

Champion a user-centric process throughout the agency and encourage cross-functional collaboration

Led UX design on a variety of complex Volkswagen projects that required extensive user research, rapid prototyping, iterative problem solving, and end-to-end design in a lean environment

High-fidelity digital design for a range of clients including Samsung, Volkswagen, Tourism Nova Scotia, Royal Canin, and Monaris

Carried out a variety of original research projects involving diary studies, contextual inquiry, user interviews, and data analytics

Collaborated closely with development team to ensure optimum project outcome

Mentored junior designers

Designed and executed the visual identity for the annual music festival, which grew into one of Canada’s highest profile events during my creative leadership

Led creative output of the magazine’s art department.

Defined user experience and visual design of digital properties.

Member of the editorial board responsible for defining magazine content and direction

Designed weekly publication and feature supplements.

Art directed Scotland’s leading arts and entertainment magazine

Redesigned magazine which resulted in the highest circulation of its 20 year history

Designed magazine, and co-ordinated production process with editorial, advertising, and art departments

Education

Email hello@stephenchester.design