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Digital Product and User Experience Designer
Robert Heard
,
Witham
Experience
Other titles
Skills
I'm offering
I am an accomplished digital professional with experience in delivering strategy, product design and management, customer experience innovations and change in both client-side and agency organisations. I am passionate about talking with users to discover real-world challenges and opportunities for improvement and growth, empowering and coaching multi-disciplinary teams of designers, developers and business specialists to determine and deliver successful outcomes.
Markets
United Kingdom
Links for more
Once you have created a company account and a job, you can access the profiles links.
Language
English
Fluently
Ready for
Larger project
Ongoing relation / part-time
Full time contractor
Available
My experience
2017 - ?
job
Assistant Director
Anglia Ruskin University.
Responsibilities:
• Digital product and experience lead for recruitment, conversion and retention (Student Journey).
• Utilise agile methods to manage product development across the product lifecycle from developing new concepts to solve complex challenges through to decommissioning and optimisation of features.
• Analyse business requirements and commercial outcomes to produce and prioritise product backlogs with the in-house tech team and third-party agency.
• Leverage data and insights to inform decisions and lead time boxed design sprints to test new and complex market opportunities and define product KPI's.
• Guide user journey design, specifying product epics and user stories, detailing acceptance criteria and collaborating with scrum teams to build the account platform, API integrations and web front-end experiences.
• Run moderated and unmoderated user testing and leveraging voice of consumer metrics.
• Partner with stakeholders and customers to bring them on the journey, including running demos and championing product development progression at programme and operational governance boards.
• Day to day, manage a cross-function team of product managers, content editors, UX design, and developers, set clear goals and key results, monitor progress, and adjust course to deliver towards company objectives.
Example Achievements:
• Successfully pitched for £2.5million of funding to design and build a new account platform for applicant and students. Led the overall experience strategy, user research and developed a series of prototypes and experiments to refine requirements and market-fit.
• Led multi-discipline team through 16-week project to develop and release minimum viable product version of the new platform - now in second phase of optimisation and roll-out to all cohort groups.
• Managed end-to-end customer journeys, extending to automation and optimisation of underlying processes.
• Leveraged data and insights and ran Design Sprints to validate ideas and build a new Clearing solution that delivered a 40% increase in user engagement and 5 x uplift in applications received online (equivalent to 2,400 additional applications YoY)
• Project managed a CMS (Sitecore) upgrade and web migration to the cloud (over 7,000 web pages) in under 8 weeks with no loss or degradation of service.
• Digital product and experience lead for recruitment, conversion and retention (Student Journey).
• Utilise agile methods to manage product development across the product lifecycle from developing new concepts to solve complex challenges through to decommissioning and optimisation of features.
• Analyse business requirements and commercial outcomes to produce and prioritise product backlogs with the in-house tech team and third-party agency.
• Leverage data and insights to inform decisions and lead time boxed design sprints to test new and complex market opportunities and define product KPI's.
• Guide user journey design, specifying product epics and user stories, detailing acceptance criteria and collaborating with scrum teams to build the account platform, API integrations and web front-end experiences.
• Run moderated and unmoderated user testing and leveraging voice of consumer metrics.
• Partner with stakeholders and customers to bring them on the journey, including running demos and championing product development progression at programme and operational governance boards.
• Day to day, manage a cross-function team of product managers, content editors, UX design, and developers, set clear goals and key results, monitor progress, and adjust course to deliver towards company objectives.
Example Achievements:
• Successfully pitched for £2.5million of funding to design and build a new account platform for applicant and students. Led the overall experience strategy, user research and developed a series of prototypes and experiments to refine requirements and market-fit.
• Led multi-discipline team through 16-week project to develop and release minimum viable product version of the new platform - now in second phase of optimisation and roll-out to all cohort groups.
• Managed end-to-end customer journeys, extending to automation and optimisation of underlying processes.
• Leveraged data and insights and ran Design Sprints to validate ideas and build a new Clearing solution that delivered a 40% increase in user engagement and 5 x uplift in applications received online (equivalent to 2,400 additional applications YoY)
• Project managed a CMS (Sitecore) upgrade and web migration to the cloud (over 7,000 web pages) in under 8 weeks with no loss or degradation of service.
Content, LED, Processes, Online, Guide, Web, Retention, KPI, Development, Testing, Recruitment, Service, User journey, Optimization, Sitecore, Design, Test, User stories, Cloud, Automation, Agile, User testing, Research, CMS, Product development, UX, API, User research, UX Design, Scrum
2013 - ?
freelance
Freelance Digital Strategy & Product Consultant
Auxin Limited.
Clients: E.ON, EPAM, Barclays Bank, ASG Europe
Responsibilities:
• Setting up the product delivery structure, managing multiple work streams, overseeing budgets and ensuring deliverables released as per schedule.
• Hiring and growing a multi-disciplined product aligned team, with full accountability from product vision, through implementation, to meeting business targets.
• Managed product backlog refinement and sprint planning with internal development teams and assisted with the transition from a waterfall to hybrid/agile delivery model
• For EPAM clients, champion the product vision, help to engage the wider business teams and encourage contribution to new product development
Example Achievements:
• Requested by E.ON to contract direct with them to continue helping with their £12million digital transformation programme.
• Collaborated on the Smart Home product innovation programme, successfully launching a new heating control app, electrical services marketplace and energy spend tracker
• Led workshops to guide and set out a digital vision, business case and road-map for an airline booking app
Responsibilities:
• Setting up the product delivery structure, managing multiple work streams, overseeing budgets and ensuring deliverables released as per schedule.
• Hiring and growing a multi-disciplined product aligned team, with full accountability from product vision, through implementation, to meeting business targets.
• Managed product backlog refinement and sprint planning with internal development teams and assisted with the transition from a waterfall to hybrid/agile delivery model
• For EPAM clients, champion the product vision, help to engage the wider business teams and encourage contribution to new product development
Example Achievements:
• Requested by E.ON to contract direct with them to continue helping with their £12million digital transformation programme.
• Collaborated on the Smart Home product innovation programme, successfully launching a new heating control app, electrical services marketplace and energy spend tracker
• Led workshops to guide and set out a digital vision, business case and road-map for an airline booking app
Development, LED, UP, Hybrid, Energy, Energy, Guide, Booking, App, Digital Strategy, Transformation, Implementation, Workshops, Business Case, Agile, Digital transformation, Innovation, Product development
2015 - 2017
job
Head of Digital (UK)
AXA UK Plc.
Responsibilities:
• Invited to join the Group Digital team by a previous consulting client to help lead and deliver a digital transformation programme.
• Serve as product champion and owner of the roadmap for MyAXA, a single account proposition for customers with multiple AXA products to facilitate self-service and cross-product sales opportunities.
• Partner with the market insights and marketing team to capture requirements, define success metrics and prioritise the backlog and release plans.
• Manage the delivery of user stories with the Group tech team, and accountable to the business on delivery of product enhancements
• Identification of feature and functional development opportunities through gathering of data and competitor analysis.
• Measure success of delivered stories through third party analytical tools (eg. GA, Hotjar, Usabilia)
• Chair the UK Group digital steering committee with responsibility for ensuring co-ordination between the OpCos, IT and Compliance in the implementation of the development roadmap and technology optimisation programme.
Example Achievements:
• Successfully shipped (production-ready) MyAXA with a 3 month 26% retention rate, 6 minute per month average session length and satisfaction ratings over 80%.
• Developed a UK digital product strategy, experience framework and roadmap that set out a vision for AXA UK with innovative new services, technologies and customer propositions to accelerate the brand positioning from payer to partner.
• Coached and led teams to use Design Sprint methodology to prototype and test new disruptive service ideas so AXA could compete with Insurtech start-ups. Three product ideas were put into early discovery to assess validity for build.
• Supported business analysts, developers and UX scrum team members in the delivery of new features and functionality and to continuously review ways of working.
• Invited to join the Group Digital team by a previous consulting client to help lead and deliver a digital transformation programme.
• Serve as product champion and owner of the roadmap for MyAXA, a single account proposition for customers with multiple AXA products to facilitate self-service and cross-product sales opportunities.
• Partner with the market insights and marketing team to capture requirements, define success metrics and prioritise the backlog and release plans.
• Manage the delivery of user stories with the Group tech team, and accountable to the business on delivery of product enhancements
• Identification of feature and functional development opportunities through gathering of data and competitor analysis.
• Measure success of delivered stories through third party analytical tools (eg. GA, Hotjar, Usabilia)
• Chair the UK Group digital steering committee with responsibility for ensuring co-ordination between the OpCos, IT and Compliance in the implementation of the development roadmap and technology optimisation programme.
Example Achievements:
• Successfully shipped (production-ready) MyAXA with a 3 month 26% retention rate, 6 minute per month average session length and satisfaction ratings over 80%.
• Developed a UK digital product strategy, experience framework and roadmap that set out a vision for AXA UK with innovative new services, technologies and customer propositions to accelerate the brand positioning from payer to partner.
• Coached and led teams to use Design Sprint methodology to prototype and test new disruptive service ideas so AXA could compete with Insurtech start-ups. Three product ideas were put into early discovery to assess validity for build.
• Supported business analysts, developers and UX scrum team members in the delivery of new features and functionality and to continuously review ways of working.
Technology, Hotjar, Production, Feature, Retention, Development, Design sprint, Transformation, Implementation, It, Marketing, Compliance, Service, Optimization, Sales, Test, User stories, Consulting, Digital transformation, UX, Scrum, Design
2014 - 2015
job
Head of Digital (Web Products)
Legal & General Group Plc.
Responsibilities:
• Ownership for group product strategy and roadmap, building the right things, in the right way, as quickly as feasible.
• Act as the focal point to the wider business on all things related to product - proactively engaging with stakeholders to ensure they understood the roadmap and that their ideas were considered as part of it.
• Drive the development and management of the product lifecycle for axa.co.uk and its subsidiaries so we set the standard for customer experience across UK domains.
• Analyse customer behaviour on the website and identify and develop/recommend opportunities for site optimisation through the use of analytics, usability, customer research and AB testing.
• Provide accurate reports on site performance and customer experience, ensuring that all stakeholders are constantly aware of performance against target.
Example Achievements:
• As Product Owner, led Agile Scrum team to design, test and build a new responsive content hub, which we were able to take from idea, concept and to full launch in 8 weeks.
• Devised an innovative multi product digital only proposition for the retirement market (RetireEasy). Led a multi-functional delivery team, leveraged customer insight and a user-centred design approach to define and test concepts before launching an MVP.
• Managed re-development of www.landg.com, successfully going from design to first release of new templates in under 7 weeks and £k's under budget overall. Improved SEO ranking by 5 places (moved onto ) for key insurance product categories within 1 month of launch.
• Introduced web personalisation and A/B testing resulting in increased conversion of CTAs by 35%.
• Set up a web-chat project to improve form conversion and reduce inbound service calls to the contact centre by 12%.
• Ownership for group product strategy and roadmap, building the right things, in the right way, as quickly as feasible.
• Act as the focal point to the wider business on all things related to product - proactively engaging with stakeholders to ensure they understood the roadmap and that their ideas were considered as part of it.
• Drive the development and management of the product lifecycle for axa.co.uk and its subsidiaries so we set the standard for customer experience across UK domains.
• Analyse customer behaviour on the website and identify and develop/recommend opportunities for site optimisation through the use of analytics, usability, customer research and AB testing.
• Provide accurate reports on site performance and customer experience, ensuring that all stakeholders are constantly aware of performance against target.
Example Achievements:
• As Product Owner, led Agile Scrum team to design, test and build a new responsive content hub, which we were able to take from idea, concept and to full launch in 8 weeks.
• Devised an innovative multi product digital only proposition for the retirement market (RetireEasy). Led a multi-functional delivery team, leveraged customer insight and a user-centred design approach to define and test concepts before launching an MVP.
• Managed re-development of www.landg.com, successfully going from design to first release of new templates in under 7 weeks and £k's under budget overall. Improved SEO ranking by 5 places (moved onto ) for key insurance product categories within 1 month of launch.
• Introduced web personalisation and A/B testing resulting in increased conversion of CTAs by 35%.
• Set up a web-chat project to improve form conversion and reduce inbound service calls to the contact centre by 12%.
Analytics, LED, UP, Responsive, Web, Insurance, Development, Testing, Usability & UX, It, Service, Website, Optimization, Design, Content, Test, Management, Product owner, Usability, Agile, Budget, Customer experience, Research, Scrum, Seo
2012 - 2013
freelance
Digital Consultant
LBi.
Responsibilities:
• Senior consultant for clients in the retail, banking, automotive, utilities and travel sectors.
• Establish new digital strategy and business consultancy proposition
• Research on client engagements and put together proposals for new business
• Plan and facilitate workshops, lead discovery sessions and author deliverables to communicate with clients
Example Achievements:
• Worked with E.ON UK to define their digital ambitions and to craft a digital transformation strategy and roadmap for the business. Won an internal award for the quality and creativity of my work
• Seconded to Honda to develop a new vision for their global ecommerce website, collected requirements across 21 geographies, wrote user stories and acceptance criteria for the backlog
• Designed a digital target operating model and change implementation plan for Premier Inn and Virgin Atlantic
• Senior consultant for clients in the retail, banking, automotive, utilities and travel sectors.
• Establish new digital strategy and business consultancy proposition
• Research on client engagements and put together proposals for new business
• Plan and facilitate workshops, lead discovery sessions and author deliverables to communicate with clients
Example Achievements:
• Worked with E.ON UK to define their digital ambitions and to craft a digital transformation strategy and roadmap for the business. Won an internal award for the quality and creativity of my work
• Seconded to Honda to develop a new vision for their global ecommerce website, collected requirements across 21 geographies, wrote user stories and acceptance criteria for the backlog
• Designed a digital target operating model and change implementation plan for Premier Inn and Virgin Atlantic
Digital Strategy, Ecommerce, Research, Digital transformation, Retail, User stories, Website, Banking, Workshops, Implementation, Transformation, Creativity, Utilities
2010 - 2011
job
Head of Marketing
Tenon Plc.
(contract)
Marketing
2008 - 2010
freelance
Senior Consultant
Capgemini UK Plc.
See my Linkedin profile for other employment positions: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertheard/
Linkedin
My education
Chartered Institute of Marketing
Masters, Business Analysis Fundamentals
Masters, Business Analysis Fundamentals
Chartered Institute of Purchasing AND Supply
Bachelors, Law 2
Bachelors, Law 2
n/a
Secondary, Law, History, Economics
Secondary, Law, History, Economics
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