This is that awkward spot where I spot where I’m supposed to boast all my great accomplishments in third-person so it doesn’t seem like I’m the one writing about what an expert I am. Let’s give that a try…

Forrest has worked on projects for Fortune 100 companies like Amazon, Bank of America, Boeing and Microsoft…

Oy. Let me try something different. Sure I’ve done a bunch of big name stuff. If you know much UX stuff, you’ve probably had a bad experience with every one of those companies. Most of a project’s time is not spent on designing good UX, but talking about designing good UX.

Let’s step back for a moment. I’m a designer (first) and developer (second). 1997 was the first year I started designing websites. Since then I’ve done everything from BigCos to bootstrapped startups on the side with only $100 starting capital, desktop applications (that shipped on disc even!) to mobile SaaS web apps. I’ve seen a million dollars spent on one page, and $2000 spent to deliver a fully functional online shopping mall.

I’ve shipped awesome designs that did not generate revenue for the client, to mediocre designs that clearly drove increased sales. As far as UX research goes, I’ve A/B tested shades of gray as a background color, to complete visual refresh tests. Either as an organizer, facilitator or observer, I’ve completed moderated and unmoderated usability studies, field studies, click tracking, conversion tracking, persona development, email surveys, card sorting, customer feedback…

Some of the designs I’ve shipped I’ve never known how successful they were. For others, I’ve known within a matter of days for a variety of key performance indicators.

…and everything in between.

In all this I’ve learned there isn’t a formula for good UX – but there’s plenty for bad UX.

If you want more details on me, a few are on my LinkedIn profile.