Collaborator and amateur baker.

Hailing from the Old North State and now residing on the Gulf Coast via the Pacific Northwest, I am a multidisciplinary designer who is always interested in learning something new. I have a varied background that encompasses service design; design strategy; product, mobile, interface, and software design; printmaking; book design; print design; event and brand collateral; team management and leadership; and collaboration with teams of all sizes and disciplines. If you're interested in working together, let me know!

I'm an avid raised bed and native plant gardener; backpacker and hiker, including a thru-hike of all 2,189 miles of the Appalachian Trail; and make the best carrot cake. If you are also into these things, reach out or follow me on Instagram. I love meeting other designers, outdoor enthusiasts, and passionate nerds.

(919) 259-3852 or zoesymon@gmail.com

Photo by Amaris Photography.

UX Design Lead

In addition to the responsibilities below, this position includes: management of other UX designers; design sprint planning, management, and execution; participation in a lean leadership team including close collaboration with product management and engineering; management of a UX design and research backlog; client relationship management; design strategy and blue-sky ideation; UX process management; task delegation and more.

Oct. 2021 - Present | Oddball | Remote

Tools used: Figma, Dovetail, Slack, Jira, Confluence, Zoom, Google tools (Drive, Slides, Docs, Sheets, etc.), Adobe Creative Suite, Miro, Mural, Box

Senior UX Designer

Responsibilities include: generative user research including user interviews; creation of design artifacts such as journey maps, process maps, and user flow diagrams; wireframe and high-fidelity mockup creation; usability testing and testing task creation; prototyping; writing of research plans and conversation guides; presentation of ideas and solutions; collaborative workshop facilitation; participation in agile ceremonies; and more.

Nov. 2020 - Present | Oddball | Remote

Tools used: Figma, Dovetail, Slack, Jira, Confluence, Zoom, Google Workspace tools (Drive, Slides, Docs, Sheets, etc.), Adobe Creative Suite, Miro, Mural, Box

Director of User Experience

Responsibilities include: generative and evaluative user research; design thinking exercises such as journey maps, empathy maps, scenario maps, and user flow diagrams; wireframe creation; high-fidelity mockup creation; visual style experimentation and application; brand analysis and creation, including visual brand as well as voice and tone guidelines; collaborative workshop facilitation; formal presentations of ideas and solutions; customer support; marketing and communications; and more.

Nov. 2017 - Mar. 2020 | Atlas Guides (Guthook Guides, now FarOut Guides) | Remote

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Invision, Slack, Freshdesk, Keynote, Google tools (Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc.), paper and pencil

Product Design Lead

In addition to the responsibilities below, this position includes: project management; sprint planning; sprint management and execution; task delegation; project strategy; management of a team of multidisciplinary designers; client site visits and meetings; and liaison and negotiation with other departments such as engineering, offering management, sales, and marketing.

Oct. 2016 - Nov. 2017 | IBM Design | Austin, TX

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Slack, Box, Mural, Github Enterprise with Zenhub, Microsoft Office tools, Keynote, Google tools (Drive, docs, sheets, etc.), paper and pencil

Product Designer

Responsibilities include: assisting in the creation of IBM Analytics products through user research, user experience design, user interface design, and visual design. Tasks include: facilitating Design Thinking workshops; generative user research interviews; design thinking exercises such as journey maps, empathy maps, scenario maps, and user flow diagrams; wireframe creation; paper prototype creation; high-fidelity comp creation; visual style experimentation and application; and formal presentations of ideas and solutions. Additional non-product involvement includes: teaching analog making classes such as screenprinting, portfolio reviews of design candidates, and interviews of design candidates.

July 2014 - Present | IBM Design | Austin, TX

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Slack, Box, Mural, Github Enterprise with Zenhub, Microsoft Office tools, Keynote, Google tools (Drive, docs, sheets, etc.) paper and pencil

Freelance Designer

Responsibilities include: market research, user research, competitive research, design thinking exercises such as journey maps, empathy maps, scenario maps, and user flow diagrams; wireframe creation; high-fidelity comp creation; Invision prototype creation; and visual style experimentation and application.

Sep. 2014 - Dec. 2015 | Vote Smart | Austin, TX

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, Invision, Microsoft Office tools, Keynote, Google tools (Drive, docs, sheets, etc.), paper and pencil

Freelance Designer

Responsibilities include: print-on-demand jackets, jacket mechanicals, frontlist jackets, book interiors, catalog design, press releases and sell-sheets, promotional materials, ads, social media, image research, and freelance or contract designer research.

Aug. 2012 - Mar. 2013, Aug. 2013 - Apr. 2014 | Algonquin Books | Chapel Hill, NC

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, stock image repositories such as Getty Images, Microsoft Office tools, paper and pencil

Graphic Designer

Responsibilities include: advertiser ads, company ads, advertiser postcards, company promotional materials, company social media, and image research.

June 2012 - Sep. 2012, May 2013 - Jan. 2014 | The Original Relocation Guide | Raleigh, NC

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, stock image repositories, Microsoft Office tools, paper and pencil

Graphic Designer

Responsibilities include: design of 2013 sub-brand identity and all related collateral including event booklet, posters, postcards, web banners, social media, t-shirts, and event signage. Also included design of a logo for the 2013 fundraising event, Stomp The Heels, and all of its related collateral. Responsibilities also included printer contact.

Oct. 2012 - May 2013 | Art2Wear NCSU | Raleigh, NC

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office tools, Google tools (Drive, docs, sheets, etc.), paper and pencil

Designer

Member of design team for two issues (Spring 2012 and Fall 2012), lead designer for Spring 2013 issue. As design team member, responsible for: typesetting, illustration, and visual design of one article. As lead designer, also responsible for: preflight and pre-press contact with printer, contact with Duke editors, final file compilation, and all cover, frontmatter, and backmatter design.

Sep. 2011 - May 2013 | Vertices: Duke Undergraduate Research Journal | Raleigh, NC

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office tools, paper and pencil

Design Intern

Responsibilities include: jacket design for an academic press, book interiors and styles, and interior image layout.

June 2010 - Aug. 2010 | Kachergis Book Design | Pittsboro, NC

Tools used: Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office tools

Design Intern

Board Member & Social Media Coordinator

Responsibilities include: management of Instagram and Facebook pages, monthly board meeting attendance and associated duties, planning of trail maintenance projects, participating in trail maintenance projects.

Mar. 2020 - Oct. 2020 | Wallowa Mountain Hells Canyon Trails Association

NC State UNiversitY

Subjects include: typography, image-making, service design, design history, design practices, service design, various other design studios, screenwriting, foreign film, history of film, literature, creative writing.

Graduated Summa Cum Laude in May of 2013
Bachelors of Graphic Design with minors in English and Film

Prague Institute