Resumé

Maria Ines Garcia

Summary

Human Factors practitioner with consulting experience in telecommunications and health care. Techniques include prototyping (Visio, Omnigraffle Axure Pro, Fireworks/Dreamweaver, and Powerpoint), heuristic reviews , usability testing, survey design, and competitive analysis.

Experience

OptumInsight, Basking Ridge, NJ
2010 to Present
OptumInsight – previously Ingenix – specializes in technology services, information, analytics, business services and consulting for the health care industry.

Senior User Experience Strategist & Team Lead
Manage team of four Senior User Experience Analysts and serve as a consultant for UnitedHealthcare’s consumer portal site, myuhc.com.

  • Develop user research plans and user-centered design strategies for potential clients as part of sales process
  • Design and usability test potential layouts and prototypes for pages within site
  • Research consumer behavior surrounding treatment decision-making using intercept surveys, large-scale traditional surveys, and focus groups
  • Created a streamlined approach for prototyping and documentation using Axure RP
  • Designed styles and tested mobile version of myuhc.com introduced in Q1 of 2011
  • Served as a Subject Matter Expert on the development of the Health4Me iPhone App launched in Q1 2012
  • Introduced unmoderated usability testing (UserZoom) to provide metrics for a Provider Search upgrade
  • Developed and moderated usability tests for a Treatment Cost Estimator

Experience Architect  — MISI Company, Woodbridge, NJ
2009-2010 (Contract)
Performed research on current mobile trends and behaviors for a leading pharmaceutical company.

  • Developed intercept survey and analyzed results.
  • Created script and moderated interviews of physicians and patients.
  • Researched trends in mobile websites and applications relevant to the pharmaceutical industry.
  • Presented results to client.

Human Factors Consultant — Verizon Telecom & Wireless, Waltham, MA
2008-2009 (Contract)
Developed early stage project ideas in “incubator” phase of Verizon Telecom and Verizon Wireless.

  • Created competitive analyses and prototyped potential interfaces for FiOS television products.
  • Developed surveys to test viability of proposed products.
  • Performed expert reviews of wireframes for both mobile and web interfaces of advanced calendaring and address book syncing system for Verizon Wireless.
  • Developed usability test plans.

Usability Engineer — vlingo Corporation, Cambridge, MA
2007-2008 (Contract)
Improved the user interface of voice-enabled mobile phone applications on feature phones and BlackBerry devices using user-centered design practices.

  • Created usability test plans and moderated usability tests.
  • Reported usability test results and recommended interface improvements.
  • Developed user surveys
  • Performed heuristic reviews of interfaces.

Web Administrator — Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
2006-2007
Managed design and content for 1000+ page website for Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (www.dfhcc.harvard.edu).

  • Developed new functionality to foster greater community by creating a custom calendar
  • Improving email and newsletter communications
  • Trained and oversaw 35 content contributors.
  • Created surveys
  • Designed and produced weekly Broadcast Announcements and quarterly eNews distributed to members and potential donors.


Research Associate — MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, MA
2003-2005
Coordinated research for two National Science Foundation (NSF) funded projects studying interdisciplinary collaborations in the sciences and examining how scientists use technology to share information. Used Social Network Analysis to explore how communication across disciplinary boundaries led to innovation. Suggestions from the study have been incorporated into NSF grant application process.

Project Assistant— Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., Cambridge, MA
2000-2003
Produced promotional, design and construction documents at one of the nation’s most prestigious landscape architecture firms. Communicated design strategies for multi-million dollar projects in Battery Park City, New York; Columbus, Ohio; and Exeter, New Hampshire.

Education

Bentley University, Waltham, MA‚ MS with distinction, Human Factors in Information Design, 2009
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, AB cum laude, Biology, 2000

Skills

  • Web Development: MySQL, PHP, HTML, javascript, CSS, Ajax
  • Content Management Systems: Typo3, WordPress
  • Computer Programming:  C, C++
  • Wireframing: Axure, Visio, OmniGraffle
  • Software: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Pagemaker, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, AutoCAD, SAS, Morae.
  • Fluent in Spanish and conversant in French and Italian.

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