Hi, I’m Mike Curtis
UX Designer, helping design the experience humans have with each other and technology.
When people ask what I do, I like to make sure I have a pretty good response in my back pocket:
“I help design the experience humans have with each other and technology.”
That seems to help, but let me share a bit more about what I’ve been doing for people and products for the past two decades.
I have 20 combined years of UX, management, marketing, sales, teaching, public speaking, and customer service experience in collaborative agile teams, B2C & wholesale distribution.
I have a diversified skill set encompassing user experience, product design, customer, employee & vendor relations, e-commerce, and IT support. I back all that with excellent verbal, written, and digital communication skills.
In short, I love working with people to solve gnarly problems.
Soft skills, or as I like to call them, real-life skills
I firmly believe that when we apply our creative skills to the way we’re experienced by others, both the relationships we’re developing and the products we’re building improve significantly. Real-life skills amplify both.
I regularly strive to:
- Articulate and explain my design decisions
- Be an active listener without bias
- Build strong, trusting relationships across the organization
- Facilitate cross-team collaboration
- Give genuine, thoughtful feedback
- Recognize and improve my emotional intelligence
- Motivate teams to achieve goals and rally them around customer issues
- Present work regularly to one or many with confidence
- See vulnerability as a superpower
- Seek feedback, context and uncover the “why”
Work experience
I’m currently working at…
Melaleuca Inc. as a UX / Product Designer
in Idaho Falls, ID from December 2019 to Present
Metrics I tackle: retention rate, customer satisfaction scores, average order size
- UX Designer — Optimizing the global website shopping experience using interaction design principles, UI design best practices, and working cross-functionally with other designers, product managers, software engineers, and stakeholders
- Lead UX Researcher — Leading and creating the UX research program for the web marketing team, including strategic planning, recruitment, scheduling, session guides, incentives, moderated usability tests, and intuitive reporting to an engaged team
- UX Designer, Internal — Integral in the research and redesign of Melaleuca’s internal content management system (CMS), a complex, robust tool used by a worldwide, distributed team
Read more about my work at Melaleuca in this case study.
Before that, I worked here…
1–800 Contacts as a UX / Product Designer
in Draper, UT from May 2017 to December 2019
Metrics I tackled: average order size, conversion rate, customer retention, new customers, existing customers, cart abandonment
- Inventor — Listed as an inventor on the design patent for ExpressExam, a telemedicine exam available on iOS, Android, and responsive web, allowing customers to conveniently renew their contact lens prescription
- iOS & Android App Designer — Integral in the 2019 app rebranding of 1–800 Contacts; contributed to the new design system; created the customer journey for subscription-based orders; worked side-by-side with PMs, QAs, and developers in a fast, agile environment
- UX Consultant — Led UX activities shaping the redesign of the company intranet, used by ~1,000 employees
Read more about my work at 1–800 Contacts in these case studies:
- Designing the 1–800 Contacts Mobile App: UX Case Study
- Case Study 2 (coming soon)
DevMountain as a Manager & Instructor
in Salt Lake City, UT from Jan. 2018 thru Dec. 2018
- After-Hours UX Class Manager — Structured curriculum outline, conducted 1-on-1 interviews with students, graded student assignments, managed a group of 12 instructors & mentors
- Instructor — Lecture on core user experience practices and methodologies, critique student projects
Allred’s Inc. Wholesale B2C in Marketing, Design & Sales
in Salt Lake City, UT from Sep. 2001 thru Dec. 2016
Metrics I tackled: average order size, new customers, returning customers, customer satisfaction, online order percentage, call center averages, shipping speed, and more.
- Marketing Manager — Led graphic design and cohesive branding efforts; created flyers, brochures, and web campaigns; performed site maintenance; unified company form design
- Online Store Manager — Co-created, launched & managed the e-commerce site; developed online & printed catalogs; managed call center, shipping department, and shipping associates
- Territory Sales Manager — Acquired new accounts; retained existing customers; optimized customer’s online SEO to increase company visibility
Where You’ll Find Me
LinkedIn:
UX Portfolio / Medium:
- UX portfolio: View it here
- All my writing: View it here
Instagram:
Speaker at:
- DesignMuch (Lunch UX) Guest Speaker: “How to Write About Your Work at Present with Confidence”
Multi-episode guest on the Designed Today podcast:
- “Designing The UX of You”, Episode #44
- “Soft Skills: Introduction”, Episode #94
- “Soft Skills: So You Think You’ve Got It All”, Episode #96
- “Soft Skills: Articulating Design Choices”, Episode #98
- “Soft Skills: Facilitation”, Episode #103
- “Soft Skills: Collaboration”, Episode #105
- “Soft Skills: Listening”, Episode #107
- “Soft Skills: Empathy”, Episode #109
Technical skills
I’m skilled in:
- Research strategies, programs, methodologies, and execution
- Recruitment, planning, usability testing, interviews, reporting
- User flows, story maps, and user journeys
- Wireframing & prototyping in low and high fidelity
- Visual & interaction design principles
- Copywriting & communication
- Mobile design (iOS & Android)
- E-commerce, retail, and shopping websites
Education
I studied at:
- DevMountain in 2017 — UX Design Bootcamp Graduate
- BYU-Idaho in 2016 — Pathway Program Graduate
- Granite High School in 1998 — High school diploma, 3.9 GPA
Accomplishments
I’m proud of:
- Organizing in-person meetup-style events for Product Hive, a thriving Utah-based community of product managers, UX designers, and other product-minded individuals
- Creating visual designs, announcements, and volunteering for Ladies that UX (LTUX) Salt Lake City
- My two years serving as a proselyting missionary in Brazil
- Never missing a day of grade school, Kindergarten thru 12th grade, 100% attendance
Get in Touch
I’m passionate about design, mentoring, and helping others through UX and building relationships. I love solving real-world problems by connecting directly with people on an emotional level. If you’d like to talk about a project or position in your organization, please reach out. Thanks!
