Ryan Cummings

About Ryan Cummings

I am a spirited, results-oriented leader who manages teams, coaches product leaders, looks to empower organizations, and helps executives understand the value of creating meaningful experiences for the people using their products and services while benefiting business outcomes. I have over 20 years of experience as a User Experience Designer; User & Usability Researcher; manager; leader; educator; mentor; and author. Experience working for Fortune 500, B2B, B2C, D2E, start-ups, and academia. • Accomplished UX research and design leader & manager with a proven track record of developing and scaling design and research teams from the ground up at multiple companies.• Championed human-centered design to illustrate the value of user experience as a core business tenant and demonstrate how meeting user needs directly impacts business outcomes and creates value. • Proven qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method researcher, having worked with diverse or specialized user groups to understand their needs and expectations and translate them into clear insights and recommendations for improving a product experience.• Led interdisciplinary teams through all stages of the innovation process: defining strategy, establishing business outcomes, user research, identifying key insights, designing and testing prototypes, storytelling, and working with engineering teams.• Strong communicator, leader, and mentor with experience developing teams, establishing design and research operations, and research programs from the ground up.I believe that leaders should give back to the community that brought them up. Thus, I am active in the UX design and research communities, whether writing articles on strategy, innovation, or accessibility, speaking and facilitating workshops, or attending local events. My primary devotion is mentoring new designers, researchers, and those looking to leverage their experience in other disciplines to facilitate mid-life career changes.

Experience

1. Director, Consumer Experience, Experience Development

   Ascension

   May 2023 — Present

Education

• Point Park University

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Community Engagement

  2016 — 2021

• Duquesne University

  Master of Science, Multimedia Technology

  2001 — 2003

• PennWest Clarion

  Bachelor of Science, Human Biology

  1995 — 1998

Skills

• Usability
• Public Speaking
• Marketing
• User Experience Design
• Blogging
• Adult Education
• Technology
• Teaching
• Web Project Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Wire Framing
• Project Management
• Storyboarding
• Podcasting
• Web Strategy
• Creative Direction
• User-Centered Design
• Prototype
• Crm
• Graphic Design
• Organic Gardening
• Advertising
• User Interface Design
• Logo Design
• Information Architecture
• Wordpress
• Marketing Communications
• Social Media Marketing
• Ecommunications
• Leadership
• Retail
• E-Commerce
• Information Design
• Garden Design
• Web Design
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• User Experience
• Content Strategy
• Uxd
• Email Marketing