# Dennis Shepherd

> Director of Product Design | Head of Design | UX / UI Product Design |  Crafting impactful user-centered experiences for growth and success

Location: Santa Clara, California, United States
Profile: https://flows.cv/dennisshepherd

Highly experienced, multidiscipline UI/UX product designer specializing in high-end design, art direction, product design, mobile and web design and development, web applications, iPhone, iPad and Android app design, design systems, brand development, search engine optimization (SEO), user interface (UI) design, user experience design (UX), interactive design, UX research, front-end development and animation.  Focus on user-centered design. Utilizes the latest in behavioral models to design and develop intuitive and effective products. Critical thinker and problem solver. AI prompt engineer. Highly experienced in using Adobe Creative Suite and UX/UI Design tools such as Figma, Sketch, Axure RP, Invision, Framer and Origami Studio. Other areas of expertise include: drawing, painting, sculpting, print design, full conceptualization of projects, problem-solving, campaign development, creative marketing copywriting, strategic planning, and instituting project management systems. SEO clients boast top rankings in targeted keywords on Google. A very enthusiastic and motivated individual, that is driven by learning and gaining as much knowledge as possible about industries and technologies. Great with people. Works well with team members, senior management, and other employees. Thrives off of creative collaboration with colleagues. Produce many projects involving accessibility and making them ADA compliant. Experience creating bilingual projects. Manage and inspire employees. Has worked in many different work environments — start-ups, subcontracting, small businesses, medium size businesses and large fortune 500 companies.

## Work Experience
### Senior UX/UI Product Designer / Contractor @ Pure Storage
Jan 2025 – Jan 2026 | Santa Clara, California, United States
Led the end-to-end design strategy for a centralized Console Manager, transforming uncatalogued "Dark Data" into a manageable "source of truth" for organizational health. Created a clear, concise POC that influenced the company’s decision to acquire 1Touch.io — expanding product capabilities and offerings. Standardized the merchant experience by implementing the Hive Core Design System, ensuring a consistent UI/UX across complex data discovery and infrastructure management modules. Architected a strategic "First-Run Experience" and 4-step installation wizard to guide users through Cloud vs. On-Prem architecture choices, removing friction from initial technical setups.
•	Conceptualized the "File X-Ray" dashboard to surface critical PII/sensitive customer data signals, such as SSNs, ensuring compliance with global retail privacy regulations.
•	Spearheaded interactive "Node View" visualizations to help stakeholders navigate complex hierarchies of repositories, folders, and product files.
•	Directed the design of "Curate Mode," an administrative toggle allowing data stewards to manually override automated classifications and assign ownership to specific retail assets.
•	Engineered high-visibility alert systems for credential management, utilizing red alerts to flag missing security permissions before they impact system performance.
•	Accelerated product adoption by reducing Time-to-Value (TTV) through a streamlined deployment wizard and "Recommended" automatic discovery paths.
•	Optimized system transparency by implementing asynchronous status cards and "Test Connection" logic to manage user expectations during backend data-processing tasks.
•	Enhanced data trust scores by designing granular configuration controls for metadata extraction and scan depth, ensuring high-confidence data curation.

### Principal Product Designer @ Heroic Public Benefit Corporation
Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 | United States
Spearheaded innovative design solutions and features for one of the top self-improvement platforms, enhancing user experience and engagement. Developed and managed a comprehensive design system that reinforced branding standards and ensured consistency across all digital touchpoints. Collaborated effectively with cross-functional teams, including sales, marketing, engineering, and PMs, to gather insights and translate user needs into scalable, user-focused design solutions. Presented strategic roadmap concepts and design initiatives to C-level executives, driving alignment and support for future development. Introduced and conducted team-building exercises.

•	Played a pivotal role in launching new features and programs targeting existing and prospective users, resulting in 2x year-over-year revenue growth.
•	Crafted tailored application solutions for prominent clients, including US Armed Forces, Notre Dame University Football, Chicago Bulls and the New York Yankees, enhancing user engagement and satisfaction.
•	Conducted in-depth interviews and usability tests to gain insights into user behavior, leveraging findings to optimize product usage and experience.
•	Identified and reduced friction points in the user journey, resulting in a more engaging and enjoyable product experience.
•	Created, developed, and maintained a robust component library and design system, streamlining design processes and improving team efficiency.
•	Iterated quickly, delivering low-to-high-fidelity mockups, and developed prototypes that informed the product development cycle.
•	Collaborated diligently with product, marketing, engineering, and internal stakeholders to refine design solutions, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
•	Conducted interviews and A/B testing, gathering and analyzing qualitative and quantitative feedback to inform design decisions.
•	Worked closely with product teams to identify opportunities for enhancements and innovations that address user needs.

### Senior Product Designer -> Head of Design, IT Solutions @ Splunk
Jan 2019 – Jan 2024 | San Jose, California, United States
Head of UX/UI and product design for IT Solutions organization for one of the largest data management and security software companies in the world. Working in an agile environment, collaborated with sales, marketing, product, engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to gather input, understand requirements and provide user-driven, creative, scalable design solutions. As principal designer, designed a suite of web applications used by global sales team to help gain better understanding of existing and potential client’s needs and motivations. Focused on user-center design to provide end-to-end solutions by developing user personas, user-flows, wireframes, storyboards, screen flows and prototypes. Coordinated with engineering team to ensure product vision and realistic expectations were met through clear communication. Presented future roadmap concepts to senior management. Oversaw, advised and approved all UX/UI designs for various ITS teams. Led and mentored other designers within the organization.

•	Crafted a suite of applications that influenced $640 million of Splunk’s sales revenue.
•	Made a significant contribution through innovative, user-centered product designs and features.
•	Developed, managed and maintained core design system for ITS.
•	Increased user satisfaction to 4.6/5 CSAT by introducing onboarding and tutorials.
•	Conducted interviews, usability testing, and A/B testing.
•	Gathered user data (qualitative and quantitative) to gain empathy for users.
•	Presented ideas and solutions to large groups.

### Freelance Designer / Product Designer @ Dennis Shepherd Design
Jan 2014 – Jan 2019
Worked independently and for well-known design agencies to develop a large range of products including fully responsive web sites, UI/UX/product design, development and front-end coding, iPhone, iPad and Android apps, email marketing and alerts, identity, branding, logo design, copy writing, marketing campaign development and print production management.  Designed school emergency messaging system used by school districts nationwide. Some clients include: Disney, LinkedIn, Universal, FOX, Dreamworks, School Messenger, Kevita, Bioneers, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Clover Milk and Ram Dass.

•	Led user research, testing and A/B testing.
•	Helped decrease site bounce rate by over 40% for law consulting client.
•	Created use cases and user personas to better define companies’ consumer base.
•	Defined user requirements, specifications and experience goals based on stakeholder interviews.
•	Leveraged user stories and storyboards to refine UX and deliver impactful interactions.
•	Designed wireframes and user flows to gain a clear vision of requirements.
•	Improved UX and UI based on user feedback.
•	Front-end coding to ensure pixel perfect execution of designs.
•	Delivered all assets, annotations, design systems and guidelines to Engineering teams.

### Lead UI/UX/Product Designer @ Wanderful Media
Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 | Los Gatos, CA / Chico, CA
As the Lead User Experience/User Interface Product Designer, oversaw UX/UI/product design on the Find&Save iPhone, iPad, Android, and web-based Apps projects. Lead designer for a company founded by the 12 largest media groups. Oversaw and executed all UI/UX and visual design initiatives for Find&Save.com. Designed a revolutionary online tool focused on innovating and reinventing the traditional print circular.

•	Developed UI/UX for #1 iPad app in category on Apple App Store.
•	Led, mentored and inspired company design team.
•	Delivered a high-quality product design, under an extremely tight deadline.
•	Conducted stakeholder interviews and user research and interviews.
•	Gained greater user insights by producing use cases.
•	Defined user requirements, specifications and experience goals.
•	Developed user stories, personas, and storyboards.
•	Designed wireframes and user flows.
•	Executed front-end coding
•	Conducted usability testing.
•	Adjusted UX and UI based on user feedback.
•	Developed all graphics for UI and pixel-perfect CSS.
•	Delivered all assets, annotations, and guidelines to Engineering team.

### Contractor / Design Consultant @ Friend2Friend
Jan 2012 – Jan 2013 | Palo Alto
Managed user-experience design on multiple projects. Worked on desktop and mobile Facebook and social media apps for such clients as Build-A-Bear, Harper-Collins, New Belgium Brewing, Outside Magazine and SmartWool. Met with various shareholders to define specifications and create user stories to accomplish company goals. Researched product and/or services being marketed to gain a keen understanding of how to leverage social media app in the most effective way. As a result, clients gained new audiences, engaged existing customers, spread awareness of new products/services through viral campaigns and reported increased sales from social media marketing. Developed user experience, wireframes, user interface, design concepts and mocks for LinkedIn’s sales department for a new engagement app initiative. Designed, coded, and updated UI and UX for Friend2Friend site. Conceptualized, designed, and developed “sample” brand for client demos. Used this brand to produce realistic samples for companies’ social engagement platforms. Designed, developed, and coded new newsletter formats for marketing communications.

•	Created new, streamlined user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) for internal CMS and Facebook “Application Builder” that helped company team members deploy more applications faster and increase sales.
•	Conducted user interviews and oversaw user research.
•	Developed use cases and user personas.
•	Defined user requirements, specifications and experience goals based on stakeholder interviews.
•	Developed user stories and storyboards.
•	Designed wireframes and user flow.
•	Executed front-end UI design and coding.
•	Conducted usability testing.
•	Developed all graphics for UI and prototyped interfaces. 
•	Delivered all assets, annotations, and guidelines to Engineering team.

### UX/UI Design Lead (Contractor) @ Loopt
Jan 2010 – Jan 2011 | Mountain View, CA
Sole designer for the Android app and company website. Created the UX and UI for Android app. Designed icons, buttons, tabs, backgrounds and assets for entire app. Developed UI/UX for desktop platform of app. Produced web icons and front-end code for company web site. Worked closely with development and QA teams to deliver enriched user experience. Increased downloads, user engagement and user retention by over 30% for Android platform. Aided Marketing with print, web and mobile design needs. Designed all graphics, UI/UX and coded mobile landing and prize pages for SXSW marketing campaigns. As a result, the campaigns were highly successful and brand awareness reached a new audience which resonated well after SXSW was over. Redesigned, re-imagined and re-launched Loopt’s email newsletters, alerts and blasts. This initiative aided in user retention and engagement.

Tasks performed include:
•	Conducted stakeholder interviews
•	Defined user requirements, specifications and experience goals based on stakeholder interviews
•	Designed wireframes and user flow
•	Executed front-end UI design
•	Conducted usability testing
•	Adjusted UX and UI based on user feedback
•	Developed all graphics for UI
•	Delivered all assets, annotations and guidelines to Development team

### Senior Interactive Designer @ Photobucket / Fox Interactive Media
Jan 2007 – Jan 2010 | San Francisco
As a Senior Interactive Designer, was responsible for all web and print design for the world’s largest hosting site for photos and videos. Designed UI for the web site. Created all graphics for iPhone, Blackberry and Android mobile apps. Developed landing pages and page flows for featured products, contests and campaigns. Designed and animated demos/videos. Created sponsored home page “take-overs” for such companies as Disney, Nike, Fox and Chevrolet. Developed layouts, coded and build ongoing email campaigns. Created official and exclusive web page and online albums for the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. Designed graphics for company expo booth. Aided junior level designers in design direction and techniques.

Tasks performed include:
•	Conducted stakeholder interviews
•	Defined user requirements, specifications and experience goals based on stakeholder interviews
•	Designed wireframes and user flow
•	Executed front-end UI design
•	Conducted usability testing
•	Adjusted UX and UI based on user feedback
•	Developed all graphics for UI
•	Delivered all assets, annotations and guidelines to Development team

### Art Director @ VMC Satellite
Jan 2005 – Jan 2007
• In charge of brand and all design for satellite division of company. Ran a successful remote office from home in California.
• Redesigned, rebuilt and defined different brands owned by the company. 
• Through various media, conceptualized, built and oversaw projects that promoted products and services offered. 
• Developed and launched several company web sites structured specifically for search engine optimization (SEO).
• These sites ranked in the top positions on Google, Yahoo and MSN for organic search results for targeted keywords. 
• Built and managed ecommerce sites for partners, such as: Overstock.com, TigerDirect.com, RadioShack, and Sam's Club. 
• Initiated and developed successful email marketing and newsletter program. In charge of hiring, firing and overseeing satellite design staff. 
• Managed work flow, delegated responsibilities and approved work produced

### Art Director for Satellite TV Division @ InPhonic
Jan 2005 – Jan 2007

### Design Manager @ LetsTalk
Jan 2002 – Jan 2005
• Head of design for marketing and merchandizing department for company. 
• Responsible for production of design and graphics for a various projects and verticals for company. 
• Developed, designed and implemented new strategies to improve site performance, enhance customer experience and improve sales. 
• Worked with large enterprises to design and build ecommerce web sites selling wireless products for their businesses. 
• Some clients included: Nokia USA, Siemens USA, Danger, K-Mart, Toyota, Lexus, Metro PCS, Cricket Communications and C-NET. 
• Develop and designed new campaigns using both online and print media. Responsible for hiring, firing and overseeing all design staff. 
• Conducted employee evaluations and performance reviews. 
• Managed work flow and delegated responsibilities to design staff. 
• Reviewed and approved all designs and projects produced by staff.

### Design Manager @ ePhones
Jan 1999 – Jan 2001


## Education
### Bachelor in Art
Notre Dame de Namur University


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dennisshepherd
- Portfolio: https://www.dennisshepherd.com/

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Source: https://flows.cv/dennisshepherd
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/dennisshepherd/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-04-13