Hello again!
I am an interaction designer living in Austin, Texas. I work at Google and have a continued interest in graphic design, photography, illustration, and lettering.
I go by Mike, Michael, and/or Miguel.
The lady behind the counter thought I said Macho. ;)
EXPERIENCE
Senior Product Designer, Electronic Arts, Jan 2021 - Jun 2021
- Lead user experience definitions for internal enterprise products in the game creation pillar based on relevant user, business, technical, and design considerations.
- Define and conceptualize at the product level, how the user will interact with the product and other constellation products.
- Collaborate with the product team and stakeholders to expose requirements, objectives, and user needs.
- Creation of wireframes, prototypes, flows, and site maps to facilitate progress to our team’s goals.
Senior Interaction and Service Designer, Fjord, Feb 2018 - Dec 2020
- Lead the definition of interactions and services based on relevant user, business, technical, and design considerations.
- Define and lead at the project level, how the user will interact with products and services.
- Collaborate with the project team and client to uncover user needs, develop deep insights, generate concepts, and identify design opportunities.
- Creation of wireframes, prototypes, flows, blueprints, and journey maps to facilitate progress to our team’s goals.
Interaction Designer, Chaotic Moon, Mar 2015 - Feb 2018
- Generate concepts and craft how users will interact with the products and services we design through the production of wireframes, prototypes, and flows.
- Communicate and document design interactions, intent, and decisions for visual design and engineering development.
Senior Marketing Designer, Astadia, Aug 2013 - Oct 2014
- Provide infographic visual design, iconography, illustrations, and strategy support to marketing and sales teams.
- Build visual concepts and prototypes from pencil sketches to clickable prototypes.
Graphic Designer, Origin, Jul 2012 - Jul 2013
Contribute and define design on a variety of print and digital media outputs such as annual reports, mobile apps, and brand identities.
EDUCATION
BFA Graphic Communications, 2012, University of Houston
AAS E-Business Web Designer, 2004,
North Harris Community College
Born in Oklahoma and raised in California and Texas. In the 1st grade, I drew Space Shuttles for kids in my class. I spent my freshman year of college thinking I would be a fine artist. Georgia O’Keeffe was my hero. At some point, I realized that the internet was going to provide infinite cyber walls to decorate. I changed directions and graduated with an Associates of Applied Science with a specialization in Interactive Media.
I spent several years in the marketing office of a furniture store. I felt unchallenged and decided it was time to go back to school. I graduated four years (and a shocking number of sleepless nights) later from the University of Houston with a Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Communications. Since then, I’ve worked as a graphic designer at Origin and Astadia and as an interaction designer, service designer, and UX researcher at Chaotic Moon and Fjord. Now on my latest adventure as a product designer at Electronic Arts.
I renovate my house in my spare time, enjoy being in nature, and sightseeing in national and state parks. I like stargazing and following space events. I sketch and illustrate as a way to focus my thoughts. My wife and I love hosting elaborate Halloween murder mystery parties where we design the theme and collateral.
If you find an element of your interface requires instructions, then you need to redesign it.
Dan Rubin
A good designer finds an elegant way to put everything you need on a page. A great designer convinces you half that shit is unnecessary.
Mike Monteiro
User’s don’t want our designs to be consistent. Users want our designs to meet their expectations. Only sometimes are those the same.
Jared Spool
Harder than you think, it’s a beautiful thing.
Public Enemy
No design works unless it embodies ideas that are held common by the people for whom the object is intended.
Adrian Forty
Nature operates in the shortest way possible. Is this not something to mirror in UX design.
Unknown
Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas, worry about the day they stop.
Jeffrey Zeldman
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said: “Faster Horses.”
Henry Ford
Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.
Ron Swanson