Ben Cerezo
Designer
Location
Portland, OR, United States
Toptal Member Since
February 4, 2020
Ben has been described as a polymath with broad interests and the ability to quickly identify connections and synthesize solutions. Today, he uses his diverse skills and knowledge of human behavior to support high-performing, inclusive teams that deliver highly usable technology solutions to some of the most challenging problems.
Ben is available for hire
Hire BenPortfolio
Pickup and Delivery Application
Android UI DesignDiscovery WorkshopsFuture State Vision (FSV)SketchInVisionHeuristic Evaluation+ 29 more
NCA Learning Management System
Web UXWeb UI DesignUsability TestingSketchAdobe IllustratorLearning Management Systems (LMS)+ 39 more
Work Experience
2019 - PRESENT
Founder and Principal
Self-employed
- Fully designed and conducted qualitative usability testing for a new, innovative social music sharing and discovery app for Crushroom, Inc., a US-based startup.
- Worked with an accomplished US-based product design firm, leading a team of designers and researchers to uncover consumer needs, and design a feasible 5-year strategic vision that articulates the future of digital healthcare in the US.
- Co-founded IN.VOLVE, a group of UX professionals in Portland, Oregon, USA to promote social equity and inclusivity in the UX design profession.
- Co-founded a startup focused on using existing technology to support one-to-one personal trainers working remotely with their clients.
Technologies: Slack, Figma, Principle, Adobe CC, Sketch, InVision
2017 - 2019
Director of Design
Pop Art, Inc.
- Established research and design functions, processes, and standards as part of executive leadership.
- Quickly ramped up to lead the design of a mission-critical, high-value business application for electrical engineers and customers of Daimler Trucks North America, while rectifying and growing the client account.
- Established product design direction and created the design system for BAM! — a sales enablement platform for industrial OEMs, comprised of a digital asset management (DAM) web application, and accompanying mobile sales tool.
- Managed and contributed to the work of a team of designers and researchers across marketing, product design, and legacy service clients.
- Set standards for usability and design quality while creating opportunities for cross-collaboration and professional growth of direct reports.
Technologies: Principle, Airtable, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Zeplin, Figma, InVision, Sketch
2010 - 2017
Founder, Principal Creative Director
Clearform, LLC
- Founded a full-service usability and experience design company, serving boutique agencies, Fortune 100 businesses, and startups across multiple business verticals.
- Led user research and design for a web-based application interface for controlling various smart city technologies.
- Conducted multiple rounds of usability testing and design improvements for the online bill pay system of a large regional bank.
- Designed the first mobile application to support full P2P message encryption and bitcoin payments.
- Provided design support to multiple companies within a startup accelerator, in partnership with Nike and Techstars.
- Designed key portions of an application for UAV operations within US airspace.
- Designed a platform for tracking global, high-value shipments using the Verizon network.
- Designed a proprietary application for Honeywell to monitor and streamline forklift operations in warehouse environments.
- Designed an application for delivery drivers to monitor their bill of lading, coordinate with dispatchers, capture photos of damaged goods, and collect delivery signatures.
Technologies: Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), Principle, Airtable, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Zeplin, OmniGraffle, InVision, Sketch
2014 - 2016
Communication Design Faculty
Pacific Northwest College of Art
- Designed and instructed a 16-week collaborative course, teaching undergraduate students basic design thinking exercises and user-centered design methodologies.
- Taught an end-to-end mobile app design process, including requirements definition, user research, information architecture, wireframe design, UI design, prototyping, qualitative usability testing, presentation, and teamwork.
- Taught students basic use of Sketch, Principle, and InVision.
- Established grading standards to incorporate peer assessments in a balanced way.
- Coached students on presentation skills.
Technologies: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Sketch, Apple Keynote
2008 - 2009
UX / UI Designer
Pinpoint Logic
- Designed the UI system for the corporate intranet at Cisco Systems.
- Collaborated with a team of UX designers and engineers to establish enterprise-class usability patterns and implement UI updates.
- Designed the information architecture for Nike Vision and Nike Golf web properties.
- Helped conceptualize and integrate UX design into an Agile/SCRUM workflow.
- Participated in and led design-thinking exercises for client projects.
Technologies: OmniGraffle, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop
Education
1998 - 2004
Bachelor of Science Degree in Graphic Design
Oregon State University - Corvallis, Oregon
1994 - 1998
Diploma in Manufacturing
Benson Polytechnic - Portland, Oregon
Experience
Adobe Illustrator - 18 yearsUser Experience (UX) - 16 yearsDiscovery Workshops - 11 yearsLeadership - 10 yearsDesign Thinking - 10 yearsAgile UX - 10 yearsInVision - 6 yearsSketch - 5 yearsLocation
