Cris Almanza
Product Management, User Experience, Information Architecture, Research, and Visual Design
Design Strategist and Leader
My strengths are design leadership and strategy. I have experience leading 2 different types of design teams in different industries (advertising and mobile app design). I enjoy leading and mentoring teams to help them become the best designers they can be. I also believe in the power of effective processes while always looking for ways to improve.
I thrive in leading workshops for multi-disciplinary teams to achieve collaborative ideation for business innovation. I have 4 years of management experience and 11 years of design experience. 7 of those years were in various roles in one digital media organization.
DESIGN THINKING PHILOSOPHY
Design thinking tests hypothesis and measures outcomes like the scientific method of business. I believe applying Human Centered Design improves real people’s lives, and that multi-disciplinary teams create more creative and effective solutions through design facilitation. A good design process provides clarity to generate solid strategy direction for any project. Good design solves real problems and keeps evolving until it does.
My Workflow/Design Process
1. Understand the Issues
2. Identify Possible Solutions
3. Execute the Best Ideas
4. Iterate With Feedback and Data
Leadership Skills
- Creative Direction
- Process Implementation
- Management & Team Leadership
- Strategic Planning
- Usability Consultation
- Collaborative Design Facilitation
- Employee Development
- Digital Advertising
- Visual Identity Development
- Recruiting and Onboarding
- Product Management
Design SKILLS
- UX Strategy
- Collaborative Ideation
- Prototyping
- Wireframes
- User Flows
- Leading Discovery
- User Research
- Usability Testing
- A/B Testing
- Visual Design
- Project Management
TOOL EXPERIENCE
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- WordPress
- Axure
- UXPin
- InVision
- Sketch
- Atomic
- Keynote
- Jira
Live Samples of My Work
Projects in Process
Cryptocurrency Launch Strategy Sessions
Houston Methodist Hospital Custom App
Political Knowledge Graph Strategy Sessions
Coventry University (UK) Investigative Phase
User Experience Case Studies
I facilitate design strategy through discovery workshops, data structuring, presentations, designing flows, visual design consultation, and improving the overall user experience. I have a passion for human-centered design and empowering cross-disciplinary teams to design together.
I also enjoy giving presentations on design, culture, and process for creative professionals and all audiences
