Roxio Photoshow for iPhone

Roxio Game Capture

Langua

Webvanta

Roxio CinePlayer

O’Reilly Media

Qtoro

20th Congress

Brian Rueb

Soulfull

MSN Messenger

Fluor Econamine

Accenture

Visual Documentation

About Me

Hi, and thanks for taking time to check out my work.

Like many others in the UX field, I’ve often had to wear multiple hats. I’ve produced stacks of wireframes and interaction diagrams over the years, and logged many hours across several UX disciplines. However, the thing I do best is manage the visual side of the user experience.

My background is in fine art and graphic design, and I love creating things that are nice to look at and use. I spent almost a decade designing web interfaces, then moved on to desktop/mobile software a couple of years ago. I’m now focusing on iOS, since it’s the best platform for creating and enjoying great user experiences.

I keep things balanced and in perspective by spending time with my lovely wife and son. We live 30 minutes north of San Francisco, and enjoy exploring the beautiful hills between here and the ocean.

How I Usually Work

I think a good designer collaborates effectively to see their work properly realized. Here are some of the main ways I try to do that, from initial concept to final product.

Strive for Pixel Perfection

I produce high-fidelity mockups for each project, and believe that every pixel in the final product’s interface should comply with the approved design. This can be exceedingly hard to pull off, so I do whatever I can to help make it happen. It’s always good to work closely with developers and give them extensive documentation.

Provide Exhaustive UI Specifications

Since I typically collaborate closely with developers, it’s important for them to have a definitive reference for how to implement my work. In addition to mockups and assets, I usually document everything from redline UI specs to transition definitions. I try not to leave any aspect of design implementation ambiguous or undefined.

Sweat the Small Stuff

I’m pretty particular about making sure subtle effects and eased transitions are implemented perfectly. It’s also essential that UI performance is sufficient to deliver a consistently smooth experience for the user. Non-UX people often don’t care as much about this stuff, so I document these requirements in great detail in my specs.

Show How it Should Look

A high-fidelity video or interactive presentation is the best way to demonstrate how a proposed design should look and feel. Whenever necessary, I build prototypes in After Effects, Blueprint, or HTML and present them on the target device itself. It’s the best way to test and share a UI concept, and always generates valuable feedback.

Provide Code When Appropriate

Though I’m definitely not a developer, I try to support my own work with actual code when I can. It helps me better understand what’s possible and how to best implement what I’ve designed. I’m comfortable working on existing projects in Xcode and git, and author HTML/JS/CSS on my own.

If you’d like to know more about me or get a copy of my résumé, please feel free to get in touch.

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Jeff Boyd
Visual/UX Designer

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Phone
Email
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Novato, California, USA
+1 707-843-0399

http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyboyd
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Roxio PhotoShow for iPhone(Interaction & visual design, branding)

This was Roxio’s first serious attempt at releasing an iOS app. I designed the UI and brand assets, produced a number of video prototypes, and provided detailed specifications for the development team.

Roxio Game Capture(Visual design/re-skin)

For Game Capture, I had to come up with a visual motif and design a UI ‘skin’ that tied a bunch of disparate components together. Some of them were nearly a decade old, and not easily customized — so this was a unique challenge.

Langua for iPhone(Visual design & branding)

Currently pending approval in the App Store, Langua is a simple utility for iOS developers who frequently deal with language issues and localization. I worked directly in Xcode to style and refine the UI.

Accenture(Art direction & visual design)

I’ve done quite a bit more “corporate” UI work than is shown in here, but Accenture is a prime example. They have strict style guidelines that are fiercely enforced, which always made it difficult to propose anything interesting or adventurous.

O’Reilly Media(Information architecture, front-end design/coding)

As O’Reilly’s sole UX employee at the time, I wore several different hats in addition to the ‘UI Designer’ one. In fact, I actually spent the majority of my time there producing wireframes and writing code.

Robert Walter’s 20th Congress(Identity & promotion design)

For several years, I managed the visual identity and graphic design for Robert Walter’s jazz-funk group, the 20th Congress. It was a lot of fun, and also liberating since my day job at the time was designing e-commerce sites.

Qtoro(Identity & visual design)

Qtoro was a short-lived web startup that attempted to merge the fun of casual trivia with social competition. It was a bit before its time, though, and sadly imploded. One of the main guys founded Pinterest after this, with notably better results.

Roxio CinePlayer for MOD Systems(Visual design & production)

I designed the UI for this variant of Roxio’s CinePlayer application, which supported everything from HDTV displays to tiny netbooks. This meant having to spec out and produce assets for multiple screen modes and a wide range of resolutions.

Brian Rueb Photography(Visual design & site development)

Brian Rueb is a talented landscape photographer and instructor, and I designed and built his site. I tried to make the interface more or less disappear in order to focus all the attention on his fantastic photos.

Webvanta(Identity, marketing & website)

Webvanta is a hosted CMS for designers, but it was created by engineers. They needed help connecting with their target customers, and hired me to redesign everything — from their logo to their website and marketing materials.

Microsoft MSN Messenger for Mac(App icons & animation)

I had the rare opportunity to redo the MSN Messenger “buddies” for the Mac version, and modeled new ones in 3D. These assets were used for several versions before they switched to a new design.

Fluor Corporation(Visual design & art direction)

This is one of a couple of mini-applications I designed for Fluor, which involved some original icon illustrations. It’s not exactly easy making the post-combustion CO₂ capture process seem interesting, but fun-looking icons do help.

Visual Documentation(Diagrams, Infographics, Sketches, Flowcharts)

I often need to communicate complex ideas in static form, usually as part of UI specifications or other documentation. I’ve found that people always have an easier time understanding something complicated when it’s presented visually.

Soulfull(Identity, marketing & website)

Soulfull is a small skateboard company in Mendocino, California that uses primarily natural and recycled materials. The brand is a concept unto itself, and a big part of the operation involves helping meet needs in the local community.