Donna Becerra

I have had the privilege of working with a diverse range of clients and stakeholders on both the corporate and client sides of the business. Throughout my career, I have collaborated with clients and stakeholders such as Discover Financial, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, USAA, Motorola, Humana, United Airlines, and GreyNoise Intelligence in the cybersecurity domain. I place a high value on design thinking and user research, recognizing the importance of learning from actual users. My passion lies in overseeing complex projects and defining design systems that simplify prototyping and development, resulting in consistent, intuitive user experiences. Additionally, I possess a keen eye for detail and a passion for fostering collaborative team environments. My experience encompasses website/app architecture, advertising, design, marketing, and customer experience. This diverse skill set has provided me with a solid foundation to lead teams and deliver customer-focused products and services. I am confident that my expertise and passion for strategic design will enable me to continue making meaningful contributions. Skill Set Advertising, Adaptive Design, Agile/Scrum Process, Art Direction, B2B marketing digital strategy, B2B user personas and decision-making processes, Branding, Comparative Analysis, Content Analysis, Copywriting, Creative Briefs, Customer Journey Mapping, Cybersecurity, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Marketing, Mobile User Experience, Personas & User Stories, PRD (Product Requirements Document), Process Flow Diagraming, Project Management, Prototyping, Responsive Design, SaaS, SEO Editing and Optimization, Use Cases, User Experience Design, User Experience Strategy, User Flows, User Research, Usability Studies, WCAG 2.1/2.2 (Accessibility Guidelines/Principles), Wireframes, Workshop Facilitation (Discovery, Empathy, Design, Prioritization workshops), VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) Technical Skills Adobe Creative Suite, Atlassian Jira, Axure, Balsamiq, CSS3, Cybersecurity (User Education and Awareness, User Authentication and Authorization, Interface Security, Incident Response and User Feedback, etc.), Excel, Figma, Figjam, Google Slides/Docs, HTML5, Linear, Illustrator, InDesign, Javascript, Mac OS, Microsoft Office, Miro, Notion, OmniGraffle Pro, Outlook, Photoshop, Powerpoint, Sketch, Slack, Squarespace, Teams, Trello, Visio, WebFlow, Windows, Word

Work History

Director Of User Experience

GreyNoise IntelligenceJun 2022 - May 2024 • 2 yrsAs the Director of User Experience at GreyNoise Intelligence, I led impactful design and strategic initiatives. My leadership improved user experience, strategic marketing, and operational efficiencies, consistently delivering solutions that boosted user engagement, streamlined processes, and enhanced business outcomes. My tenure at GreyNoise was marked by a diverse range of projects, from workshop facilitation, implementing the System Usability Scale (SUS), hands on UX and UI design using Figma/Figjam, and developing personas to leading strategic marketing efforts and fostering team collaboration. A key part of my role involved bridging the gap between technical solutions and user needs. I achieved this through rigorous UX audits, seamless process enhancements, and keeping up with the latest industry standards, including accessibility. My approach was always user-centered, data-informed, and deeply integrated with GreyNoises strategic objectives, ensuring that every project not only met but exceeded our goals. Initiated and updated the VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) documentation to align with the latest WCAG standards, closely working with engineering team to integrate code-based accessibility standards into our products. Established regular weekly syncs for Labs and Growth teams, fostering alignment and driving forward key initiatives. Implemented and defined roles and responsibilities within the Design Team, enhancing structure and clarity. Initiated the Design Team Bi-Weekly Newsletter and conducted Design Team Retrospectives, ensuring continuous communication and improvement within the team. Engaged in critical cross-functional teams to drive forward key initiatives, ensuring that product design, marketing, and growth strategies were tightly integrated and aligned with the overarching business objectives.

Product Design Lead

GreyNoise IntelligenceMay 2022 - Jun 2022 • 2 mosAs a Product Design Lead at GreyNoise Intelligence, I contributed to the design and development of user-centered products, ensuring alignment with business goals and user needs.

Co Organizer

PMX ChicagoNov 2016 - Nov 2023 • 7 yrs 1 moCo organizer for a volunteer organization that supports a network of groups and events focused on the Chicago tech scene. Product, Marketing, UI/UX Design, and Web Development are combined to create a comprehensive community network. Help to inspire and build a new generation of leaders within Chicagos tech community. Provide opportunities for personal growth through education and networking. Meet with event subject matter expert(s) to gain an understanding of the event's purpose and goals. Outline the scope of the event, including time, date, location, and budget.

VP of User Experience

Weber ShandwickMay 2021 - Apr 2022 • 1 yrAt Weber Shandwick, I focused on enhancing the entire customer experience through strategic design and design thinking across all customer touch points. I managed established relationships, identified new opportunities, and contributed to team initiatives. Improved the practice by contributing subject matter expertise to team initiatives, including user journey mapping, training, onboarding, and process improvement. Represented and championed the value of UX to both external and internal clients, showcasing our approach, methodology, and solutions to meet business needs. Provided team oversight during projects to ensure high-quality execution at all stages. Created and reviewed client deliverables and design recommendations to ensure they were impactful, actionable, and grounded in research findings. Developed and implemented UX strategies that align with business objectives and enhance overall customer satisfaction. Collaborated with senior leadership to influence product strategy and roadmap decisions, ensuring a user-centered approach in all initiatives.

UX/UI Strategy | Product Design Consultant

Independent ConsultantJan 2016 - May 2021 • 5 yrs 5 mosDefining and shaping digital solutions by delivering user-centered designs in support of web, mobile web and mobile application experiences. Represent the voice of the customer, based on customer research, analytic data, user experience best practices, and eCommerce industry expertise. Capture and translate business requirements and user needs into innovative user experiences. Conduct brainstorm sessions and workshops for gathering UX insights and direction. Strategize and collaborate with UX team, creative team, business stakeholders, and development teams to form user experience solutions. Collect and assimilate customer data to guide design. Ensure that User Experience teams align their direction with their organizations business plan. Facilitate strategic, customer-centric decision making. Conduct WCAG, web accessibility studies and documentation. Stay up to date and serve as expert on UI/UX best practices across platforms.

Education

DePaul University

Masters, Computer Science

Columbia College Chicago

Bachelors, Graphic Arts

How Pangea Works

Effortlessly discover top talent

We’ve distilled the candidate search from endless hours down to just a few minutes. Using Pangea’s AI-powered search tools, you can find top fractional talent able to take on your next project. Our system looks at your company’s niche and your needs to find the perfect match faster than any traditional hiring platform.

Start working with talent today

The top talent on Pangea is ready to get started with you right now. You can message or hire a candidate right from their profile page and start assigning work as soon as they respond. And the best part? Pangea’s fractional contract structure lets you start small and ramp up as your needs change, keeping your costs manageable and your team’s capabliities flexible.

Track work and invoices in one place

Assign tasks, track progress, and complete invoices all on Pangea. We’ve combined every part of the hiring process into one platform to eliminate the miscommunication that’s unavoidable on other freelance platforms. We even send out 1099s to your contractors at the end of the year!