Research & Design Director
Daniel O'Connell
Passionate and experienced Design Director with a proven track record of successfully leading art direction for projects, and achieving high levels of end-user satisfaction.
“People will forget what you said, what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
American poet, singer and civil rights activist
Portfolio
Experience
2020 - Current
HelloFresh Group
Design Director
I manage a team of 11 staff at HelloFresh, leading the UX of 21 out of 25 Supply Chain tools into our design system, achieving 90% component coverage. Additionally, I established a usability quality metric for over 15 squads and ensured design integration across all stages of product development for eleven business services. Notably, I received a 100% rating in a business survey for manager care, showcasing a balanced approach between designer inclusivity and business outcomes. I oversee intricate service design projects by blending strategic oversight with hands-on implementation. I provide cross-functional teams with strategic direction aligned with overarching company objectives. I lead the research process, uncovering insights that inform design decisions. I manage and propel end-to-end service improvements and the discovery of new services across various domains.
2017 - 2020
Germany -PwC Experience Centre
UX & Service Design Manager,
I led and inspired a project team from conception to execution, ensuring clarity of vision, ongoing collaboration, and value development for customers and business. Emphasizing diversity and safe environments, I delivered high-quality, innovative designs. I advised key clients, nurtured talent within the Product Design team, and managed designers from Junior to Lead level. Additionally, I conducted assumption and ideation workshops to gain shared understanding, managed project details for clarity, and fostered strong skills in interaction and visual design.
2018
Copernicus Masters European award
WindAI
After conducting a series of interviews with connections in the wind energy industry I discovered an opportunity to combine Earth observation data with wind turbines. I prototyped and validated a solution and business case developed alongside end users of the product. The solution itself won the 'Catapult Satellite Applications' European award for the Copernicus Masters Competition.
2015 - 2017
New Zealand - PwC Experience Centre
UX Expert
A User Experience & Service Designer is a diverse role. In essence, it is about finding the best solution for customers to provide the best experience, while at the same time delivering business value.
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Running assumption and ideation workshops with large groups where we seek out to gain a shared understanding of outcomes, customers and the assumptions to carry forward into testing.
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Facilitating guerrilla & planned user-testing sessions including scriptwriting and analysis.
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Project management to ensure details of the project are clear and specific for all in the team while making sure they have enough autonomy to achieve the best outcome.
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Development of strong skills in creating exciting & intuitive for both interaction and visual designs.
2013 - 2015
Marker Studios
UI / Interaction Designer
I designed prototypes and wireframes to establish fundamental design guidelines and tools for feedback. Afterwards, I conducted the final visual designs. During my time at Marker Studios, I gained good experience in working with iOS, Android and .NET developers throughout the design process.
2010 - 2012
Bachelor of
Creative Technologies
Auckland University of Technology
I was introduced to many forms of creative technologies ranging from film and 3D modelling right through to mobile app development and interactive design.
Who am I?
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I'm someone that likes dry jokes, a beer with friends and refereeing rugby in the weekends.
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If you want to know more about my professional career, please see LinkedIn below.
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Contact
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