# Walter Coots (@waltercoots.bsky.social)

Profile: https://sifa.id/p/waltercoots.bsky.social
Headline: Product Design Lead with 20+ years building enterprise and consumer software, specializing in complex systems and scalable design architecture.
Location: Austin, Texas, US

## About

Design lead with over 20 years experience making enterprise and consumer websites and products that help companies stand out and grow faster.

## Experience

- **Senior Product Designer at WorkStep** (2022 – present)
- **Head Of Design at Unilease** (2021 – 2022)
- **Senior Product Designer at T3** (2019 – 2021)
- **Lead UX / UI Designer at EverlyWell** (2018 – 2019)
  Led design in the product team starting just after the company raised its series A funding, and left a few months after series B was raised. Responsibilities included tweaks and redesigns to optimize conversion on the ecom site, as well as researching, strategizing, planning, and executing the design for the platform where users viewed their lab results. Worked closely with C-level stakeholders, the marketing team, and medical personnel to continuously improve the products and how they were marketed to consumers.
- **Lead Designer at Insitome** (2017 – 2018)
  Worked as the lead designer for a genomics entertainment startup. Was primarily the gatekeeper of product UI and UX changes for web and iOS versions of the app. Concepted, wireframed, prototyped, and vetted new product ideas with existing users.
- **Senior Designer at Foxtrot Design** (2015 – 2017)
  Helped plan and strategized projects for clients of all sizes. Presented ideas to clients, and collaborating with other designers to improve work ow. Interviewed new candidates, guided and mentored other designers, and helped wireframe, prototyping, and designing UX and UI for responsive web sites. Coordinated with developers and project managers to ensure designs were delivered on time. Also participated in branding critiques and internal design exercises.
- **Lead Designer at The Daily Dot** (2013 – 2015)
  Worked as lead designer for an online news publication. Helped find, hire and manage design talent to help ideate, wireframe, storyboard, comp, and present our ideas to the core team members. Worked directly with the marketing and advertising teams on a variety of projects, and coded the site alongside the dev team.
- **Senior Interaction Designer at Intuit** (2009 – 2013)
  Worked in the experience design group of the accounting professionals division to create desktop, mobile and web-based software for accountants. Interfaced with teams of engineers on projects to communicate requirements. Created wireframes, prototypes, led user research, summarized results, and designed finalized layouts. Helped code frontends for applications in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, and Flex / ActionScript. Led workshops and helped plan the company-wide XD Forum. Presented ideas and concepts to senior leadership members and perpetuated design thinking throughout the company.
- **Web Designer at imageVisible** (2006 – 2008)
  Designed and coded web site frontends, backends, banners and animations. Worked on a variety of clients, both national and local. Worked with clients to manage scope, and aided other frontend designers, developers and contractors.
- **Web Designer at KnightWorks Consulting** (2005 – 2006)
  Designed, coded and spec’d HTML and Flash-based backends and front ends for the web. Attended video shoots, edited footage, and created rich internet applications for e-Learning companies.
- **Web Designer at Thinking Incorporated** (1999 – 2000)
  Hired on at the early age of 16, I designed, coded, tested and maintained all of the company’s HTML page layouts. Occasionally did production work on brochures, business cards pamphlets.

## Education

- **Texas A&M University-Commerce** — Bachelors of Fine Arts (2006 – 2009)
- **Art Institute of Dallas** (2002 – 2003)
- **Cooper UX Boot Camp**

## Skills

- Graphic Design
- User Experience (UX)
- Design Strategy
- User Interface Design
- Interaction Design
- Responsive Web Design
- Front-end Design
- Front-end Coding
- Typography
- Adobe Fireworks
- Design Systems
- Product Design
- Print
- Design Leadership
- Visual Identity
- Layout
- Branding & Identity
- HTML 5
- CSS3
- JavaScript
- jQuery
- Motion Graphics
- HTML
- Brochures
- Front-end
- Photography
- Flash
- Web Design
- CSS
- Illustrator
- User Interface
- Dreamweaver
- PHP
- Wireframes
- User Experience
- Art Direction
- Creative Direction
- User-centered Design
- Information Architecture
- Usability Testing
- Information Design
- WordPress
- Mobile Devices
- Mockups
- Usability Engineering
- Axure
- Adobe Creative Suite
- OmniGraffle
- Usability
- Design Thinking
- Storyboarding
- Rapid Prototyping
- User Experience Design
- Mobile Design
- Experience Design
- Accessibility

## Other profiles

- github: https://github.com/waltercoots