Mike Harmala
mikeharmala.com
me[at]mikeharmala.com
989-708-0089
Brooklyn, NY

EDUCATION
University of Michigan School of Information, Ann Arbor, MI
Master of Science in Information, Specialization in Human Computer Interaction 05/2010

University of Michigan College of Literature, Science & Arts, Ann Arbor, MI
Bachelor of Arts, Major in Economics & Classical Civilization 04/2007


EXPERIENCE
Zaum Interactive, New York, NY
Information Architect, 08/2010--present
-Direct and advise usabililty, information design and architecture solutions for a Fortune 500 financial companyÕs web and interactive products.
-Build wireframes and site maps, consult with designers on feedback and solutions.

Tec-Ed, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
UX Intern, 07/2009--08/2010
-Advised changes and improvements to client product designs using established usability heuristics.
-Researched and drafted a search engine optimization plan for the company's web assets.
-Supported the preparation and moderation of usability tests for physical and digital interfaces.

Season of Usability, Ann Arbor, MI {remote}
Kadu Intern, 06/2009--11/2009
-Constructed mockups to handle expanded user features for a new version of the Kadu chat application.
-Incorporated design patterns, usability heuristics and peer critique to refine prototype interaction flow and interface layout.

CTools, Ann Arbor, MI
Support & QA Consultant, 03/2009--09/2009
-Guided challenged users to solutions for the university-wide implementation of Sakai, a collaboration and learning web service.
-Tested and identified issues with new system builds through task and case assessments.


PROJECTS
Suit Up
Advanced Project & Social Computing Design, 01/2010--04/2010
-Discovered potential users' motivations and goals through interviews and a survey, in order to inform our design for a clothing and fashion social network.
-Sketched and generated low-fidelity interface designs, and developed a functional version of the web service.

Night Beacon
Interface & Interaction Design, 09/2009--04/2010
-Developed user studies, designed and refined sketches, low-fidelity and high-fidelity prototypes for a mobile phone application.
-Won first place in the 2010 CHI Conference Student Design Competition.

How To Ship
Evaluation of Systems and Services, 01/2009--04/2009
-Utilized interviews, competitive analysis, heuristic evaluation, surveys and usability tests to recommend improvements for a community web site's design and functionality.
-Analyzed research findings and compiled a detailed client report for each project phase.

Where The Money Goes
Information Visualization, 01/2009--04/2009
-Conceptualized, prototyped and produced a visualization tracking political financing.

Neighborhood Senior Services
Contextual Inquiry & Project Management, 09/2008--12/2008
-Recommended new, efficient workflow process solutions for a non-profit's client request services, using contextual inquiry.
-Wrote and presented a report of findings to classmates and the client organization.


SKILLS
Methods. 
-Card Sorting
-Competitive Analysis
-Contextual Inquiry
-Heuristic Evaluation
-Interviewing
-Information Visualization Design
-Persona & Scenario Creation
-Project Management
-Prototyping
-Search Engine Optimization
-Sketching
-Usability Testing
-Wireframing

Technical/Web.
-CSS
-HTML
-Wordpress
-Java*
-JQuery*
-Perl*
-PHP*
-Python*


Applications.
-Illustrator
-OmniGraffle
-Photoshop
-Visio
-Eclipse*
-InDesign*


*Basic, functional competency & experience.