As a lead interaction designer, I establish and drive the creative vision of successful user experience projects. I love taking the initial chaotic soup of requirements, user data and expectations and distilling it with a goal in mind: to create an elegant interface that makes users' lives better. I advocate for users as I collaborate with client stakeholders, researchers, technologists, and other UI designers to reach this goal and I deliver wireframes and specifications to communicate it.
I relocated to Berlin, Germany at the end of 2010. While maintaining my relationship with my brilliant friends and longtime employers projekt202, I also consult with Berlin's dynamic start-ups. I'm especially interested in mobile, embedded UIs, projects with an environmental or sustainability bent, new-era journalism and just about anything that hasn't been done before. I'm here to make the world a better place and one of the ways I do that is to make interfaces work better for the users I serve and represent.
I have more than ten years of UI design and research experience at companies ranging from tiny start-ups to world-reknown agencies working for Fortune 100 companies. For the last four years I have worked at projekt202 as a Senior UI Designer. In this role I lead design teams from concept to delivery of complex interaction solutions for web, desktop and embedded applications. I design and perform user research and analysis prior to and during detailed design phases. I also communicate strategy and designs to the highest level stakeholders as well as product and development teams.
Prior to transitioning to do exclusively concepts, design and research, I did front-end web development and graphics production for major brands (Dell, Nextel, T-Mobile, Esprit, Landrover and more). This experience gives me a deeper understanding of the limitations and possibilities of the technology for which I'm designing. I am also able to bridge the gap between business and engineering stakeholders when making crucial user interface decisions against the backdrops of budget, time and institutional constraints.
Most of my recent work is still under NDA. Recently I have been working with PayPal on a far-reaching design initiative as well as consulting with a consumer-facing Berlin startup to redesign their site from the ground up and create a mobile strategy.
In the past few years I have researched and designed the top-tier WPF-based stock trading application for Charles Schwab; lead the research and overhaul of the leading North American rich-media ad-server's web-based trafficking system; created a stylish report builder for a Norwegian ERP system; designed an in-car touchscreen multi-camera-control UI for police in partnership with Motorola; researched and designed an Electronic Medical Records system from the ground up as well as the supporting billing and scheduling systems for physician offices; created high-level concepts for a multi-user Microsoft Surface application and a few other things along the way.
For more details about these projects and other work, please contact me directly.
I've spoken on design, research, and team empathy-building tools at local design events in Berlin and at SXSW Interactive. In 2008 I co-founded IxDA Austin, taking a 65 person email list to a 500 member organization with monthly events. My work included organizing speakers, venues, and sponsors. I especially enjoy connecting design practitioners with mentors and jobs.
Kyra Edeker
Email: kyra (at) edeker (dot) com
Twitter: @kyraedeker
DE: +49 (0)176 9912 4204
US: +1 512 240 2446