Elizabeth Dykstra-Erickson
Work Experience
Design & Architecture Advisor
San Francisco, CA
August 2019 - present
Consult with companies seeking to introduce design to a technical environment. I assist with product definition, UX architecture, data models, development environment, logical flows, concept definition, design systems, and prototyping. I help clients decide what they need and how to go about getting it, including building up design talent, team structure, and best design practices. Consulting projects include creating a system flow and mobile quiz for wine preference prediction, and solutions for home network management including mobile app design, platform recommendations, design system, and production flow processes as well as marketing materials and future feature concepting. I manage teams with foresight from decades of leadership experience, empathy, and coaching to get the best results for people and the business. Expert in Figma, Zeplin, and various design tools, I am experienced at showing designers how to be efficient and effective with collaborative tools.
Lead Instructor, Distinguished Faculty
San Francisco, CA
July 2017 - August 2019
Immersive and part-time instructor in User Experience Design program. Focusing on Design Thinking, process, and foundations of user experience, as well as tools such as Sketch, Principal, InVision, and Figma in 10 week intensive bootcamps of 40 or 400 hours of instruction.
AVP, Architecture & Experience Design
Taipei, Taiwan + San Francisco, CA
June 2015 - March 2017
Developed a design studio to support software design for Nokia, Sharp, and InFocus brands. Partnered with engineering to solve software architecture for cloud archiving, ad frameworks, and account management and tracking. Worked on hardware/software integration for smartphone services as well as robots, medical alerts, smart running shoes. Managed research and design, business development, product management, and customer engagement with a team of 30.
Senior Director, Core Experience
San Francisco, CA
March 2015 - August 2015
Drove a visual experience for Splunk’s search language and technology. Managed software design for dashboard visualization and data analysis. Collaboratively designed and tested an approach to difficult searches and filed key patents on core Search. Managed a small team and coached across disciplines.
Director, Cloud & Virtualization
San Jose, CA
September 2013 - October 2014
Directed Cisco Prime, a network management platform serving 100+ applications. Led the engineering, research and design, product management, and field service engagement completing a visual refresh and overall simplification of the platform. Managed a team of 40+ comprising product management, development, design, and research.
Senior Director, Corporate Creative
Sunnyvale, CA
February 2012 - September 2013
Designed the experience for Nina, a speech assistant integrated to mobile apps to provide a branded conversational speech experience. Working with customers such as Geico, CVS Pharmacy, Garanti Bank, ING Bank, Ford Motor Co., and Domino’s, developed strong relationships with advance sales, marketing, and customers to bring Nina to their mobile and web products. I designed reference applications in travel, banking, and customer support, and redesigned Nuance’s forensics suite. I filed patents in multimodal and speech interaction and participated in the company’s patent board. Managed a small cross-functional team of corporate creatives and production designers for speculative and customer projects.
Director, Advanced UX, Applications & Frameworks
Helsinki, Finland + Sunnyvale, CA
April 2008 - February 2012
Lab projects included brand identifiers; speech on low-end devices; mobile app dev environments; display and feedback features; OS evolution. Redesigned S60, Nokia’s most mature mobile OS in Finland, US, India, China. I filed patents in social media and conferencing. Managed two innovation labs: a design lab in Finland and a full stack design/development team in Mountain View, CA. Managed a large global team of 150+ comprising product strategy, visual and interaction design, technical production, localization and internationalization, and research.
ACCESS Systems, America (PalmSource)
VP, Product Concept & User Experience
Sunnyvale, CA + Nanjing, China
July 2005 - March 2008
Guided platform and applications design in US, France, Japan, and China. I worked globally with executives and customers on platform licensing and customizability, including projects with Amazon (Kindle), Samsung, AT&T, Orange, and other mobile operators. I evaluated the next generation Palm OS design, and introduced Access Linux Platform. Filed patents in application management, access, and input methods. Managed a global team of 30+ including design, research, and project management.
User Experience Architect
Mountain View, CA
September 2004 - July 2005
Conducted user research for core accounting product QuickBooks, including competitive analysis for Customer Relationship Management systems.
Partner & Co-Founder
Palo Alto, CA + Tokyo, Japan
June 2002 - September 2004
Designed media transcoding software for desktop and mobile devices. I designed the trade dress, brand guidelines, and website, and designed the media library/player used in Sony's first eBook.
Principal Designer
Menlo Park, CA
June 2000 - May 2002
Designed a cloud-based media hosting and transcoding service, including web and mobile clients, and a hand held player for PalmOS. I also designed the trade dress, brand guidelines, and marketing materials.
Senior Human Interface Designer
Cupertino, CA
July 1994 - June 2000
Designed and tested OpenDoc, MacOS, and QuickTime, contributing to OD Dev Releases 3-9, MacOS 7-X, QuickTime 3-5. Managed the Apple Design Awards for 5 years, personally reviewing 80+ applications/year. Filed patents with Steve Jobs on multimedia display.
Teaching
2017-2019 General Assembly SF and Seattle, User Experience Design
1997-2008 University of California, Santa Cruz - Cupertino, School of Art+ Design, Adjunct Faculty
1993-1994 University of Colorado - Boulder, Graduate School of Business Administration, Adjunct Faculty
1990-2007 University of San Francisco, College of Professional Studies, Senior Adjunct Faculty
Education
Master of Science, Anthropology & Cybernetic Systems, San Jose State University
Master of Science in Education, Secondary Education & Curriculum Development, Indiana University
Bachelor of Arts, Department of French & Italian, Indiana University and Université de Dijon