Tara Taylor

Experience

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  Spiker Design

  Jun 2010 - Jan 2015

  Freelance Designer and Illustrator

  Design, illustration, and logo for the children's section of Johnson & Johnson quarterly newsletters.

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  WGBH

  Oct 2010 - Aug 2017

  Oversaw the concept, design, and production of educational websites, apps, and web games for PBS Kids; ensured brand consistency across 6+ brands aligned with television shows and previous digital work.• Led the design process for up to ten projects simultaneously, prioritizing accessibility and educational best practices and ensuring high-quality, user-centered digital products while overseeing project staff.• Planned and moderated user testing sessions, involving visits to schools and collaboration with curriculum experts, to gather insights that informed the design process from discovery through final revisions, enhancing the educational impact of digital products.• Designed and facilitated ideation sessions for new projects, engaging participants from various departments, including interns and executive producers, to brainstorm and concept new ideas for shows and games.• Worked closely with product managers to plan and schedule projects and collaborated with engineers to ensure the delivery of high-quality, user-centered, and engaging digital experiences. Show less

  • Lead Digital Designer

    May 2016 - Aug 2017

  • Interactive Designer

    Apr 2013 - May 2016

  • Associate Interactive Designer

    Oct 2010 - Apr 2013
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  NorthStar Solutions Group LLC

  Oct 2017 - Jan 2018

  User Experience Design Consultant at Comcast

  While consulting for Northstar I worked as an Information Architect at Comcast. I quickly on-boarded with the team and worked in collaboration with other designers on high priority features for the Xfinity Stream app.

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  Comcast

  Jan 2018 - Jul 2019

  UX Designer

  Supported Xfinity companion apps by enhancing information architecture, user experience, and user interfaces, leading to significant improvements in user satisfaction.• Designed the first-ever retail feature for Xfinity Stream, surpassing revenue estimates by 10x in the first month, demonstrating exceptional commercial impact.• Coordinated cross-functional teams including engineering and QA, ensuring a flawless launch and generating substantial new revenue streams.• Led a special skunkworks project, handpicked by executives to explore innovative smart home and media digital product concepts, which showcased advanced problem-solving, creative thinking, and the ability to manage high-priority, executive-backed projects.• Collaborated on a Lab Week project with a VP and engineers from other departments, creating a prototype for a choose-your-own-adventure experience that leveraged existing Comcast technology, further illustrating a capacity for cross-departmental innovation and strategic project execution.• Conducted extensive landscape research, competitive analysis, and intelligence gathering, presenting innovative ideas to executives and stakeholders at various levels. Show less

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  Character Lab

  Jul 2019 - Jun 2024

  Director, Design and Technology

  Oversaw the creation and improvement of systems, services, and digital products that championed the organizational mission.• Directed digital improvements, and oversaw the redesign of characterlab.org, expanding functionality to clearly represent the organization in collaboration with multiple vendors to achieve goals.• Co-designed and delivered a UX 101 course to educate the organization on UX processes and vocabulary, addressing gaps in understanding and communication.• Led the Design Thinking Ambassador program ("UXperts"), securing leadership buy-in for training and community of practice, resulting in a significant increase of user-centered improvements and a high quality professional development opportunity for nearly half of the organization. • Administered and refined the fellowship program for underrepresented early-career individuals, ensuring its alignment with organizational DEI goals, providing mentorship, growth opportunities for fellows, and support initiatives across the organization. • Promoted adept talent management from onboarding through to retention, including matching team members with projects suited to skills and aspirations to boost satisfaction and project outcomes.• Designed and oversaw quarterly strategic planning process, leveraging user research to inform backlog improvements and optimizing staff efficiency through resource allocation across recurring and special projects to ensure organizational clarity and effectiveness. Show less

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  Learning Design Alliance

  Sept 2024 - Dec 2024

  Product Design Lead

  Founding designer for educational technology start-up with the goal bringing human-centered artificial intelligence, research and data to the learning design process.• Create user experience flow with the goal of increasing trust in AI and easing workload of users. • Execute agile rounds of user research and updates with high-stakes client to improve theMVP and foster a strong relationship.• Drive decision-making by creating artifacts and facilitating conversations with a four person team. Show less