JUDITH BLANKMAN

Web Resume | Sculpture Resume

OBJECTIVE

Information architect, interaction design, or web accessibility/section 508 consulting position that will benefit from my experience in and enthusiasm for information architecture, usability, search, project management, and web accessibility. Subject areas of interest are the arts, education, travel, health, medicine and finance.

CURRENT EXPERIENCE

Senior Information Architect
Wells Fargo, Corporate Human Relations, Team Member Marketing.

Team Member Marketing is dedicated to helping Wells Fargo Team Members
achieve Personal, Professional and Financial success. We use a wide array of vehicles to communicate in these three areas across a broad and diverse Team Member population both print and online.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Principal information architect for HR-focused intranet, Teamworks, serving an internal audience of approximately 165,000 employees.
• Translate business goals, rules, practices and tested IA strategies into design requirements for large, complex web-based projects.
• Take a lead role in creating information structures and content hierarchies that factor in efficiencies in content management process and future development needs.
• Create and refine site maps, wireframes, task flows, interaction designs specs, page inventories, use cases, scenarios, personas, flow charts, and other user-centric documentation.
• Partner with research department to define and facilitate research activities and group sessions with stakeholders, users and functional teams to collect needed information
• Advise partners and team regarding web accessibility. Conduct web accessibility heuristic evaluation and user acceptance testing.

Ongoing projects: Teamworks Search overhaul (launched 12/13/07), Teamworks enhancements strategic planning, Annual Benefits Enrollment, Community Support Campaign.

RECENT EXPERIENCE

Information Architect
Genentech, Corporate Relations, Web Communications Team. http://www.gene.com

Web design and development team, fulfilling Genentech’s corporate initiatives for improving and expanding external and internal web communications. South San Francisco, California. Temporary contractor. July, 2005 to October, 2006.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design the information architecture and user interface for departmental client intranet websites.
• Work in close collaboration with clients and internal teams to develop intranet website strategy.
• Create internal and external deliverables including task analysis matrices, site maps, page/screen schematics/wireframes, and content inventories.
• Collaborate with visual designers, technical developers, and project managers.

Clients/projects: Environment, Health and Safety; Legal (including Corporate Records, Intellectual Property, and Contract Services); Procurement.

Project Manager
Berkeley Electronic Press. http://www.bepress.com
Electronic publisher of academic journals and working paper repositories via web-based systems for managing peer-review journals, electronic thesis and dissertation submissions, and other repositories for academic writings. Bepress is a private company founded by UC Berkeley faculty. November 2004 to present.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Set up new online publications for clients. Train clients to use the system.
• Follow up to encourage use and familiarity with the system.
• Provide support for ongoing inquiries and changes.

Producer
Stanford University Media Solutions.
Full-service, deadline driven, client service oriented production and consulting group. Stanford, California. Spring 2000 to August 2004. (Producer/Project Manager since Spring 2002.)

"Judith is a tremendous asset to Media Solutions. She is a hard worker, conscientious and committed to the success of the organization. Judith is the consummate team player, and thrives in a team atmosphere. [She] constantly takes initiative in identifying areas that can use her skills and experience, consistently contributing to the team by initiating conversations about project or process related issues with a solution-based approach. Judith takes constructive criticism better than almost anyone I’ve had the experience to manage."

RESPONSIBILITIES

Information Architect

"She is detailed-oriented and thorough, consistently working to deliver the highest quality product... Judith goes the extra mile to make sure her work is completed and her commitments met."

• Work closely with clients to evaluate, examine and revise website content from the user's point of view, with the tandem goal of serving the client organization's immediate and future needs.
• As a usability specialist, work with project teams to ensure that products and projects deliver a satisfying and effective user experience.
• Analyze and audit content areas; analyze user task flows; reorganize information; manage content.
• Prepare documentation (site architectures, wire frame schematics, use cases and task flow diagrams). Design and manage construction of navigable HTML wire frames (text site skeletons).
• Collaborate with Creative Director and development team to devise navigation schemes and user interface design.
• Usability testing session design, moderation and results reporting to validate nomenclature, organization and UI.

Web Accessibility Consultant

"[Judith's] contributions to the team...as 'resident expert' on issues of accessibility continue to enhance her reputation individually as well as for the group. Largely because of her expertise and working relationships, Media Solutions is a key resource for the campus community on issues of accessibility."

• Point of contact for group’s role in providing technical solutions for web accessibility.
• Active participant in leading the organization’s efforts to establish university-wide standards and practices, including presentations for campus management and IT groups.
• Approach projects with a heightened sensitivity to web accessibility to guarantee access for users with a range of limitations and that enhances overall usability.

Producer /Project Manager

"One of [Judith's] strengths is in anticipating potential problems, and providing leadership to the project effort. This is true both within specific projects and across the organization. Judith is superb at anticipating what others need to know and making sure they have been notified."

• Develop and manage Stanford client web projects with team of staff and consultants: Creative Director, Senior Producer, graphic designers, web developers, and programmers.
• With Senior Producers, ensure projects adhere to clearly defined scope, budget and schedule.
• Work with clients to thoroughly define project requirements, product concept and design.
• Ensure that the development process, timelines, content and client participation are clearly articulated.
• Manage and track tight deadlines and production process with Technical Lead, developers, and Creative Director.
• Create and manage fast-paced schedules, project budgets and specification documents with Senior Producers.
• Educate clients. Write original content for user maintenance guides. Train client site maintainers.
• Program HTML and CSS, edit javascript, design and process graphics as needed.
• Product management for Site Builder and Eviscerator tools developed by the team.

RELEVANT PROJECTS / ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Stanford University Libraries (SULAIR)
http://library.stanford.edu. Launched January 2004.
Roles: Producer, Lead Information Designer, including site analysis and reorganization for large scale site overhaul.

• Site structure analysis and reorganization; produce information design documents (content audit, sitemaps, and content inventories). Usability testing design, monitoring, and reporting with Senior Producer and client team.
• Manage client feedback for approximately 1700 pages in 1 main and 16 sub-sites.
• Trained and managed Media Solutions staff for the SULAIR information design effort.
• Designed and conducted training sessions in Dreamweaver and navigation/information design for approximately 80 client site maintainers.

Sakai Project Web Accessibility
http://www.sakaiproject.org. Ongoing.
Ambitious collaboration among the University of Michigan, MIT, Stanford, Indiana University, the uPortal Consortium, and the Open Knowledge Initiative (OKI) to integrate and synchronize their independently developed course management systems into a modular, integrated collection of open source tools.
Role: Web Accessibility consultant for Stanford’s team.

• Represent the Stanford Sakai team regarding web accessibility concerns and procedures.
• Participate in assessment of current tools and applications.
• Conduct accessibility user testing of the Sakai Assessment Manager with blind and low vision users.
• Write analysis reports, including recommendations for code revisions.
• Collaboratively define standards for Sakai Web Accessibility style guides.

Stanford University Web Accessibility Best Practices
Launched July 2004.
Roles: Producer, Content Author, Information Designer, and Site Developer for Stanford’s first central web accessibility resource site to increase awareness, advocate for the improved practices, and provide self-help resources.

Division of Literatures Cultures and Languages
Launched 2003.
Roles: Project Co-Manager, Lead Information Designer

• Site analysis and reorganization for suite of 7 websites
• Art direction - serve as stand-in for Creative Director.
• Co-wrote user maintenance guide and trained site maintainers.

Office of Religious Life
Launched 2002.
Roles: Project Manager, Lead Information Designer, Graphic Designer (home page).

• Analyze current and future needs; provide web solutions to fulfill organization’s programmatic goals.
• Managed concept development and implementation of events database and an online journal designed to accommodate entries from internal and external contributors.

Overseas Studies Program
Launched 2002.
Roles: Information Designer, Production Manager for suite of 11 websites.

• Develop homogeneous site structure and nomenclature across all 11 sites with an aggressive timeline.
• Analyze content for gaps and inconsistencies.
• Administer and report on user testing sessions with team.
• Establish production process among multiple developers within an aggressive timeline.

ADDITIONAL WEB EXPERIENCE

Web Developer
Stanford MediaWorks (SMW)
Stanford, California. Summer 1999 to Spring 2000. (Media Works was reorganized as Media Solutions.)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Project Management /Information Design / Web Production /Graphic Design

• Managed Stanford departmental and organizational web site projects.
• Provided all aspects of design and development on small-scale projects and updates.
• Educated clients in web development and information design processes.
• Created site maps and content inventories.
• Created and managed budgets. Tracked project status and budgets, monitored subsequent billings.
• Managed content and monitored client feedback.
• Trained client site maintainers and SMW staff.
• Included HTML programming (BBEdit, Dreamweaver), graphic design UNIX telnet server setup.

SOFTWARE / PLATFORMS

EDUCATION

AFFILIATIONS

• San Francisco Women on the Web (SFWOW), http://www.sfwow.org
• Baychi (The San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of ACM SIGCHI), http://www.baychi.org
• San Francisco Bay Area Higher Education Web Professionals (SFHEWP), http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfhewp/

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Board Member / Webmaster
Women Environmental Artists Directory http://www.weadartists.org. 1998-present.
Design and manage website listing women artists working with environmental and social concerns.
Represent the organization at events such as the Bioneers Conference and Expo for the Artist.

Research Consultant
Book project: Mapping the Terrain: New Genre Public Art, Suzanne Lacy, Editor. San Francisco, California. 1994.
Researched and interviewed contemporary artists, and wrote initial drafts for compendium section for book on socially interactive art.

Artist-in-the-Schools
LEAP... imagination in learning. San Francisco, California. 1989-2000.   
Non-profit art education program serving K-8 public and private schools. Synthesized classroom curriculum, sculpture, design, creative thinking, and descriptive writing in a collaborative relationship with classroom teachers.

INTERESTS