My professional journey
Senior Manager UX Design and Strategy
Carrefour, Majid Al Futtaim - Oct 2021 - Present
I drive our team’s OKRs to align goals, strategically collaborate for precise business needs, and execute a customer-centric UX strategy for Carrefour in MENA. Leading our dynamic UX team, I foster cross-functional collaboration, develop efficient DesignOps processes, and champion a design culture emphasizing trust and accountability. I conduct design thinking workshops to elevate user experiences and architect a comprehensive design system aligned with industry standards.
Lead User Experience practitioner
Roads and Transport Authority - Jul 2015 - Sep 2021
I led strategic UX initiatives, developing and executing the UX strategy for RTA apps and websites, aligning design with overarching business goals. I collaborated with senior management, offering insights on strategy and processes for organizational alignment. In the realm of Chatbot and Kiosk strategy, I crafted conversational artifacts to enhance user engagement. I created and documented comprehensive UX processes, methodologies, and guidelines, enforcing uniformity and consistency. I formalized all UX artifacts, collaborated across teams to ensure adherence to UX processes, and provided expert advice to enhance overall customer satisfaction.
Senior lead UX/UI practitioner
Sky News Arabia - Oct 2013 - Jun 2015
I closely collaborated with the business, gathering requirements and crafting user personas, flows, and journeys. I facilitated brainstorming sessions to optimize user journeys. I provided strategic advice to management for future web and mobile app development. Leading Research, Strategy, and Development teams, I utilized technologies like AngularJS and JSP. Engaging in discussions, I shared technical insights and assisted in identifying optimal solutions. I implemented agile methodology and scrum development, embedding best practices for efficient project execution.
Lead UX/UI practitioner
Barclays UK Retail & Business Bank - Oct 2012 - Sep 2013
I facilitated brainstorming, advised on app/web strategy, and collaborated with business departments. I engaged with 3rd party vendors, converted business needs into user stories, and implemented Agile methodology. Liaising with UX/UI/Design teams, I ensured project adherence to deadlines and processes. I collaborated with the creative director, created wireframes, and built high-fidelity prototypes. I set up prototyping frameworks, developed W3C compliant coding, and created HTML5 apps for IOS and Android. I worked on rapid prototyping processes, collaborated with the UXD team, and ensured compliance with style guides for Barclays Bank.
User Experience/Interaction Lead
Deutsche Bank - Mar 2012 - Sep 2012
I facilitated brainstorming, advised on app/web strategy, and collaborated with business departments. I engaged with 3rd party vendors, converted business needs into user stories, and implemented Agile methodology. Liaising with UX/UI/Design teams, I ensured project adherence to deadlines and processes. I collaborated with the creative director, created wireframes, and built high-fidelity prototypes. I set up prototyping frameworks, developed W3C compliant coding, and created HTML5 apps for IOS and Android. I worked on rapid prototyping processes, collaborated with the UXD team, and ensured compliance with style guides for Barclays Bank.
UX practitioner
Financial Times- Apr 2011 - Feb 2012
In the past, I coded W3C compliant XHTML, CSS, DHTML, XML, XSL, JSP, JPT, Methode CMS, Zend, SVN, and jQuery. I conducted App marketplace research, advised on strategic app development, and converted designs into JSP files. Collaborating with Agile teams, managing external providers, and facilitating offshore integration of HTML/CSS/jQuery, I enhanced UI and User Journey. My role included working with business and technical stakeholders, ensuring development projects aligned with organizational standards. I reported weekly on ongoing developments, managed SLAs, and embraced new skills and technologies like SQL, Oracle, MySQL, Subversion, anthillpro, XML/XSL, JSP/JSTL, Velocity, Apache Ant, Maven 2, and MVC Frameworks (Struts or Spring).
UX/Interface practitioner
LexisNexis- Sep 2010 - Mar 2011
I coded W3C compliant XHTML, CSS, DHTML, JSP, .NET, and jQuery for NexisLexis sites, collaborated with the Dayton Engineering team, and delivered wireframes/prototypes. I focused on accessible and usable site coding, extensively used JQuery for UI enhancement, and designed scalable interfaces with accessibility best practices. I developed conceptual models, process flows, and navigational maps. Collaborating with the user testing team, I gathered feedback and made recommendations for improvements. My role also included ensuring cross-browser integrity, advising on web best practices and new technologies, and ensuring full site accessibility, particularly following PAS78 guidelines.
UI/UX Designer
Nomura - Oct 2009 - Sep 2010
In the past, I coded W3C compliant XHTML, CSS, DHTML, JSP, and jQuery for Nomura’s intranet and extranet. I developed new features, integrated with Teamsite CMS, and streamlined workflows. I managed a remote Agile development team, extensively using JQuery for UI enhancement. I created templates/wireframes, designed scalable UIs, and developed conceptual models, prototypes, ensuring compliance with coding standards. Collaborating with offshore teams, I prioritized cross-browser integrity, advised on web best practices and new technologies, and ensured full accessibility following PAS78 guidelines.
User Experience/ UI Designer
Transport for London - Aug 2008 - Aug 2009
I built and guided the UX studio team, implementing UX practices, researching, and crafting user journeys, wireframes, and prototypes for customer-centric results. I devised and managed UX processes, principles, and guidelines, ensuring strict adherence to agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for a consistent and customer-friendly user experience. I transformed user scenarios into wireframes and visual designs, integrating them into JSP files to ensure optimal performance, delivering seamless and captivating customer interactions. I collaborated effectively with offshore teams in Manila and the UK, ensuring the smooth integration of HTML/CSS/jQuery with eCommerce platforms and systems, enhancing the global customer experience.
Lead User Experience/UI Developer
Camelot Group PLC - Dec 2007 - Aug 2008
In the past, I led a Scrum team for the new brand implementation, collaborated with UI/UX teams, created wireframes for user testing, coded W3C-compliant HTML, CSS, DHTML, and DOM JavaScript for the national-lottery.co.uk website. I designed scalable UIs with accessibility, developed conceptual models, process flows, navigational maps, wireframes, and prototypes. Additionally, I created the PHP framework, coded the site using PHP, XHTML, CSS, and JQuery, and ensured HTML code compliance by liaising with the JSP Dev and Testing teams, with a focus on accessibility following PAS78 guidelines.
UX/UI consultant
Tesco - Mar 2007 - Nov 2007
I coded W3C-compliant HTML, CSS, DHTML, and DOM JavaScript for Tesco.com. Engaging with customers, I shaped solutions, performed user and task analysis, and collaborated on design decisions. Developing conceptual models, wireframes, and prototypes, I ensured scalable and accessible user interfaces. I adhered to PAS78 guidelines, built the SSI framework, and maintained cross-browser integrity during testing. I also liaised with Tesco’s testing departments for UAT and functional testing.
User Experience/UI Developer
Norwegian Cruise Line - Dec 2005 - Feb 2007
I built wireframes, crafted process flow diagrams, and created user personas, addressing both business and user needs. I developed prototypes for user testing and hand-coded HTML, CSS, ASP, DHTML, and JavaScript for NCL UK, Orient Lines, and Star Cruises websites. My role extended to optimizing and branding websites, ensuring regular content updates and search engine visibility. I conducted staff training on CMS, produced relevant documentation, and collaborated with departments in Europe and the USA for backend system requirements. I actively participated in system testing, creating UAT and functional testing scripts and providing monthly reports on optimization incidents and defects to management and the UK steering group.
