MELISSA A.W. ZABEL 5510 ROSSLYN AVENUE, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46220 317-658-2171 MELISSAZABEL@HOTMAIL.COM WWW.THE-ZABELS.COM/MELISSA WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/MELISSAZABEL OBJECTIVE My goal as a management, communications and usability professional is to work with clients and development teams to effectively communicate across media types, delivering targeted messages to targeted audiences. Whether the purpose of the project is to train, sell, or inform—I work to ensure that the end-user achieves the intended goal through intuitive functionality and successful messaging. This is accomplished through careful project scoping and analysis of requirements, clearly understanding the audience, detailed information architecture, and iterative testing. SKILLS SUMMARY • Project management • Information architecture • Usability assessment and testing • Marketing, sales, client relations • Writing, editing, proofreading • Graphic and Web design REPRESENTATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS Management & Client Relations • Manage 20+ Web and multimedia development projects in 2009–2010 at Creative Street/Webize with clients including Eli Lilly, NCAA, Roche, and more from initial scoping through deployment phases. • Attend and lead client meetings, prepare and participate in client presentations (sales, training, and executive review meetings), oversee various development teams, set and manage deadlines and budgets, and create system architecture documentation to guide project approval and development. • Co-manage operations of Webize including: acting as Lead Project Manager to distribute projects and assign development teams; assisting with the quoting/estimating process; assisting with staffing employees; and overseeing general operations and human resources needs. • Present to and meet with a variety of clients at Creative Street/Webize (from Fortune 500 companies to local non-profits) to discuss their needs, formulate proposals with unique ideas and strategies for their marketing and communications campaigns, and define scope requirements. Usability Testing & Assessments • Speaker at 2009 World Usability Day (Usability Professionals' Association) on conducting usability assessments. • Designed and led usability task analysis tests on Web sites for Indianapolis Private Industry Council (IPIC) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Eligibility Center at Creative Street/Webize. • Conducted usability assessments and comparative analyses on Web sites for Indianapolis International Airport, University of Indianapolis, Roche Diagnostics, Methodist Health Foundation, American Teleservices Association (ATA), and NCAA Financial Dashboard at Webize/Creative Street Media Group. • Implemented and led new services for Creative Street Media Group in 2007–present, including: usability assessments, usability testing, surveys and focus groups. • Tested JIST catalog, resulting in a redesign effort and more than $200K in sales. • Assisted JIST Publishing's Webmaster during site redesign process and usability testing. • Tested communication pieces, including application forms and Web pages with students at IIT. Graphic, Web, & Information Design • Develop information architecture for new interactive projects at Webize: create Visio diagrams and extensive system architecture documentation through careful requirements analysis. • Conduct comparative analyses, focus groups, and usability assessments at Webize to determine how clients' sites can be more competitive and user-friendly. • Designer of 44-page catalog for Good Works Book Company. • Completed design and execution of various e-newsletters and e-campaigns for JIST Publishing using Exact Target software. • Webmaster, content developer, and designer of IIT Graduate College Web site (200+ pages). • Designer, writer, and editor of IIT's Inventing the Future Together, a research magazine distributed to funding agencies and universities throughout the United States. Writing & Editing • Web writer at Creative Street for sites attracting thousands of visits each month, including: www.bioworksu.com, www.diicommunity.org, and several courses on www.nfhslearn.com. • Wrote 21 brochures, 6 letters, and 11 flyers for JIST, resulting in more than $150K in sales. • Writer and designer of more than 50 E-mail campaigns and e-newsletters for JIST Publishing. • Writer of cover copy for more than 20 videos and books at JIST Publishing. • Editor of 2004–2006 IIT Graduate Bulletin distributed to graduate students and IIT employees. • Created IIT's International Student Handbook, distributed annually to more than 1000 students. • Author of Dream Within a Dream, prose published in MT CUP Revue Fall Journal 2000. RELEVANT EMPLOYMENT HISTORY November 2008–Present Webize/Creative Street Media Group Indianapolis IN Lead Project Manager, Usability & Information Designer (Promoted to Lead Project Manager in December 2009) February 2007–November 2008 Creative Street Media Group Indianapolis IN Writer, User Experience Designer July 2006–Present Freelance Writer, Editor, Web Designer, and Graphic Designer November 2004–July 2006 JIST Publishing Indianapolis IN Copywriter, Marketing & Communications October 2002–August 2004 Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Chicago IL Director of Marketing & Communications for the Graduate College August 2001–October 2002 Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Chicago IL Graduate Admissions Coordinator EDUCATION 5/2009–Present IUPUI (Indianapolis, IN) Information Technology Certificate • Currently Pursuing, GPA: 4.0 • Focus on principles and techniques used to develop Web-based business applications. 1/2002–5/2004 Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL) Master of Science in Technical Communication & Information Design • Cumulative GPA: 4.0, Dean’s High Academic Honors • Intensive study of information design through usability testing and effective design principles. 9/1998–5/2001 Ball State University (Muncie, IN) Bachelor of Science & Humanities, English Preprofessional Major, Professional Writing Option • Major GPA: 3.565, Dean’s List • Focus on grammatical rules, literature analysis, and various types of communication. PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES 2008–Present Usability Professionals' Association (National & Indiana Chapter) • Director of Outreach (2010) • World Usability Day Presenter (2009) • Member 2008-Present 2008-Present United Way Readup Program, Indianapolis, IN Reading Tutor 2009 Habitat for Humanity, Indianapolis, IN Volunteer SOFTWARE & WEB DEVELOPMENT PROFICIENCY Visio; DotProject; Adobe: Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Pagemaker, Acrobat; MS: Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint; Quark; HTML, CSS (beginner). References, letters of recommendation, and portfolio samples are available online or upon request.