kristin sardina is a san francisco based designer.
trained in architecture from the university of virginia, she practiced architectural design in both new york city and san francisco and holds a LEED-NC accreditation for green buildings. she segued her career into user experience design, and is now VP of product design at pearson, leading the UX, visual design, and copy team in a digital transformation to exponentially grow the online education experience and business. prior to pearson, kristin had broad exposure to strategic thinking in the board rooms of Fortune 500s and Public Sector while a design director with the consulting firm mckinsey & company. her digital design background also afforded her the opportunity to lead the team of designers and design researchers at shutterfly INC, and support other B2C companies like hotwire and start-ups along the way.
when not in san francisco practicing design, she is exploring the world and capturing beauty through the lens of her camera or through prose. kristin's passion for travel and cultures has inspired her to take her design talents abroad to build houses in rural areas of Zambia and Vietnam for impoverished families. her interest in cultures and people is driven by her desire to understand others' motivations. she strives to develop meaningful design solutions, whether in three dimensional housing or two dimensional digital experiences, that positively impact peoples’ lives and enable users to proudly represent themselves.
for inquiries or for design work, please contact her on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kristinsardina.
resume
VP of Product Design at Pearson
August 2020 - Present
• Lead the Product Design team of UX, Visual, and Copy Designers through a Digital edTech Transformation, supporting Higher Ed Students, Working Professionals, and English Language Learners.
• Launch user-centric higher-ed and lifelong learning applications.
• Build an inclusive, efficient, collaborative, best-in-class, and happy design org.
Adjunct Faculty at Stanford d.school
2016 - Present
• Adjunct Lecturer in the Mechanical Engineering (ME) Design Group.
• Coach teams in the d.school through design thinking, and guiding them to bring concepts through to tangible products.
Associate Director of Design at McKinsey & Company
March 2019 - August 2020
• Guide Fortune 500s and Government agencies on product and service design strategy.
• Employ heuristic and quantitative research to drive meaningful impact.
• Help clients build customer understanding via the creation of personas, journey maps, storyboards, wireframes, prototypes, user-testing and final human-centric deliverables.
• Lead Partners and Clients through Design Ideation workshops to build concepts and consensus.
Senior Director of User Experience at Shutterfly INC
February 2018 - March 2019
• Collaborate with Product Leadership colleagues on Three-Year Strategies as well as annual Roadmap Initiatives and Priorities, mapping them back to Corporate Strategic Initiatives.
• Guide an international and cross-platform team of designers to create innovative design solutions solving customer problems through prototypes, research, mockups, and specifications.
• Drive the UX integration with a billion dollar company following a corporate acquisition.
• Lead the UX for replatforming multiple Shutterfly brands onto one responsive codebase.
• Revise the UX and Visual Design Career & Responsibility matrix of definitions in an effort to guide the path of ownership and advancement for individuals on the team.
• Identify key strategic KPIs and lead the UX Design team to apply data gathered through site analytics, usability evaluations and research to inform design decisions.
Director of User Experience at Shutterfly INC
November 2014 - February 2018
• Fastest promoted, and youngest, Director in the history of the Shutterfly Product Team.
• Drive the design for all Shutterfly e-commerce products and services on mobile web, desktop, and mobile. Responsible for the UX for $415M of the annual Product revenue (comprising of Photo Books, Calendars, Gifts, Prints, and Home Decor). Also responsible for all UX related to the GrooveBook, TripPix, FavPix consumer apps and Shutterfly Business Services B2B platform.
• Orchestrate the creation and adoption of a Visual and UX Style Guideline, evolving Shutterfly’s design language, to be applied cross-functionally and cross-device through the user's experience.
• Facilitate career learning and advancement opportunities for the UX team, from exposure to internal cross-functional leaders, to internal team lunch & learns, and online tools to aid the continued growth.
• Coordinate the project sharing and communication effort to enhance the design team's efficiency and design coherence.
Lead UX Designer at Shutterfly INC
March 2014 - November 2014
• Create innovative design solutions to solve customer problems for Shutterfly’s creation and shopping experiences.
• Create user experience specifications, mockups, prototypes.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Business and Engineering to conceptualize new products and improve existing solutions.
• Transform and apply data gathered through site analytics, usability evaluations and market research.
UX Designer at Hotwire.com
May 2011 - August 2013
• Work closely with product managers and product development team in an agile/scrum environment to define product direction and UX requirements.
• Translate new project concepts into coherent and engaging designs that meet the users’ and business’ needs.
• Communicate interface design elements through the creation of interaction design documents including concept diagrams, wireframes, and prototypes.
• Perform user testing with self-created prototypes to determine usability and interest in product ideas.
• Lead design team to create version tests to determine effectiveness of visual treatments.
UX Consultant & Designer
August 2010 - Present
• Bring concept to creation for start-ups in the Bay Area.
• Collaborate with founders on product direction and features.
• Provide sketches and page layouts for tablet, PC, and mobile interfaces.
• Deliver high quality, intuitive solutions.
Volunteer Builder with i-to-i
March 2010 - May 2010
• Work alongside local contractors to build three new single family houses in two months in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam.
• Solicit funds to cover trip expenses.
• Secure two public speaking engagements and create a power point presentation of the trip results.
Art Director & Graphic Designer at Wedding Mapper
February 2009 - February 2010
• Manage all aesthetic and navigational aspects of the website.
• Create web page design and wire frame development.
• Collaborate on user interface design and usability.
• Perform user acceptance testing to determine functionality.
• Take action on insights gained from web analytics.
• Work with team to determine the next product application.
• Prioritize the order of launching each feature.
Architectural Designer at Andrew Skurman Architects
August 2008 - January 2009
• Create Schematic Drawings and Construction Documents for a high-end, single family, ground-up residences.
• Collaborate with the client on design decisions.
• Coordinate with consultants and the contractor and refined drawing details.
• Create Excel spreadsheets to track all incoming and outgoing documents.
• Organize meeting agendas and draft meeting minutes.
Architectural Designer at Kostow Greenwood Architects
August 2005 - August 2008
• Create floorplans and elevations for an interior fit-out of a community center in New York City from the Schematic phase through Construction Administration.
• Design a corporate interiors fit-out for a hedge fund from early Schematic design phase through project completion.
• Lead construction meetings for the renovation of a New York Library project.
• Lead the Bidding and Negotiations phase and permit process on a ground-up four story multi-tenant residential building.
• Assist the marketing department with public relations and solicitation of new job opportunities.
Floral Designer at Renny and Reed
November 2006 - July 2008
• Freelance as a floral designer and event planner for an upscale flower shop, creating arrangements and setting up events for weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, etc.
Architectural Designer at CBT Architects
June 2005 - August 2005
• Collaborate with a team on the Middlebury Library project in the Design Development stage, specifically working on sketches, interior elevations, ceiling plans, and section details.
• Work on the interior fit-out for a law firm.
• Create elevations, sections, and models studying office layouts and circulation space.
• Make Excel spreadsheets of product cost comparisons.
Architecture Intern at Polshek Partnership
January 2005
• Work on the University of Virginia South Lawn project in the Schematic phase.
• Create models of roof configurations and existing topography, as well as drew elevation study sketches for proposed buildings.
• Examine space flow and create usability studies.
Architecture Intern at SOM Architects
June 2003 - August 2003
• Work with a team to create design proposals in multiple competitions in the education field.
• Create presentation and site layouts for educational facilities.
• Assist with competition models and design schemes.