CV

JAMES A. KALBACH
jim (dot) kalbach (at) gmail (dot) com
Bellealliancestr. 34, 20259 Hamburg
http://www.experiencinginformation.com

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EDUCATION

• 5/97 M.L.S., School of Communication, Information and Library Sciences, Rutgers
• 5/95 M.A. in Music Theory and Composition, Graduate School, Rutgers University
• 5/90 B.A. in Music and in Communication, Rutgers University (High Honors)

EXPERIENCE

10/12-present  Principal UX Designer, Citrix Online

• Create UX desgin strategies to show business value of UX on large projects
• Liase with senior management on UX design and development
• Head up a customer discovery and innovation program across the company
• Implement new processes and tools within the UX team
• Mentor and coach UX team members

9/11-10/12  Principal UX Strategist, USEEDS°, Berlin

• Acquire clients and define business requirements
• Lead teams and manage projects
• Consult international clients on innovation and UX strategies
• Create and plan user experience strategies and detailed interaction designs
• Coach and mentor employees on deliverables and ensure quality
• Head up external communication and publishing efforts for USEEDS°
• Establish Hamburg office, including recruiting and HR development
• Build ongoing relationships with stakeholders

4/03–8/11  Experience Design Consultant, Global Solutions Development, LexisNexis

At LexisNexis I consulted business units on product design, customer experience strategy and innovation. In addition to regular product design and development work, I served in various roles and secondment positions, including:

 6/10-8/11 Design and Innovation Lead, New Lexis Program, LexisNexis International

• Created and implement process for customer discovery and innovation
• Managed pipeline of concepts and ideas based on customer insight
• Wireframed and prototyped concepts for internal and external validation
• Defined design strategy for entire program across markets and regions

8/09-2/10 Principal Ethnographer, LexisNexis International

• Developed ethnographic research program and toolkit for company-wide use
• Supervised ethnographic studies; trained other researchers
• Conducted ideation workshops and helped businesses find new opportunities
• Served as innovation champion for LexisNexis International

 1/09-6/09 User Experience Architect, Knowledge Discovery, Elsevier Science

• Defined design direction for new product platform
• Coordinated and performed user research and usability testing
• Served as principle contact with management for design team
• Collaborated with developers on complex applications for international markets

 1/08-6/08 Design Standards Committee, LexisNexis

• Defined and maintained company-wide guidelines and best practices for design
• Institutionalized standards for quality assurance
• Established and ran program for competitor design review

 2/07-9/07 Project Lead for Product Design, Harcourt Educational Testing

• Set design direction for new product suite
• Led team of six UX designers, including contractors
• Managed scope, dependencies, schedule and quality of deliverables
• Served as liaison with offshore development

2/00-3/03 – Head of Information Architecture, Razorfish Germany

• Managed and trained information architecture team; recruited and hired
• Developed and created tools, techniques, and processes for project delivery
• Created information structures, navigations, prototypes, and specifications
• Performed in-depth user research and user testing
• Consulted large, international clients and acted as team liaison Lead projects, managed product development, determined scope & vision

4/98-1/00 -  Research Specialist, I-D Media, Hamburg

• Founded and managed Usability and Research department
• Researched new business leads and identified opportunities in new markets
• Prepared and delivered pitches to stakeholders of large, international companies
• Initiated business contacts worldwide
• Performed usability testing; detailed design recommendations
• Designed and created websites with HTML, JavaScript, PHP, Flash

8/94-4/98 – Library Associate, Rutgers Music Library

• Provided reference assistance and general public service
• Conducted bibliographic instruction workshops
• Trained and supervised staff of 15+ student workers
• Catalogued music scores in standard formats (MARC, AACR2)
• Oversaw circulation and maintenance of collections and archive

9/93-5/95 – Lecturer, Music Department, Rutgers University

• Taught music course to 35-40 undergraduates
• Designed and graded all assignments and exams
• Created course proficiencies and implemented grading policies

SKILLS

• Excellent communication, writing, and presentation skills
• Experienced workshop moderator and teacher
• Skilled in creating original documents, publications, and curricula for training
• Expert in human-centered design, user research, and innovation techniques
• Fluent in German