GREAT DESIGN
STARTS WITH THE
RIGHT DESIGNER
USER EXPERIENCE
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DESIGN
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RESEARCH
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LEADERSHIP
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USER EXPERIENCE ✖︎ DESIGN ✖︎ RESEARCH ✖︎ LEADERSHIP ✖︎
HIRE RIGHT.
hire me.
I’m ISAAC GERKE.
(It rhymes with “turkey” or “jerky”.)
I’m an experienced UX designer and product leader with a visual background and a passion for building software that works for humans. I forged my career in all sizes of B2B/B2C and SaaS environments, often as the first or only design hire. I excel at growing design teams, developing user-centered products, and enhancing functionality through data-driven, iterative design. As a hands-on leader, I prioritize people over process, fostering collaboration across teams to deliver impactful results that matter. If you need someone to bring extensive design and leadership skills to your team…
END TO END USER EXPERIENCE
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PRODUCT STRATEGY
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VISUAL COMMUNICATION
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LEADERSHIP
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END TO END USER EXPERIENCE ✖︎ PRODUCT STRATEGY ✖︎ VISUAL COMMUNICATION ✖︎ LEADERSHIP ✖︎
10+ years of UX and Product Design experience across a diverse range of company types and industries around the Western United States. Demonstrated an upward trajectory of growth and development in every position.
I’ve been a freelance branding and graphic designer since 2007, and I’m still working with clients.
DIRECTOR OF UX - OMNI LOGISTICS
2023-2024
DIRECTOR OF UX - LENDIO
2021-2023
PRINCIPAL UX DESIGNER - FRESHLIME
2019-2021
LEAD PRODUCT DESIGNER - PEOPLEKEEP
2018-2019
DESIGN/UX LEAD - SOVRN
2016-2018
SR. UX DESIGNER - XACTWARE
2013-2016
UI/UX DESIGNER - INFUSEMED
2011-2013
UI DESIGNER - CIRCLEPIX
2010-2011
BACHELOR OF ARTS
UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY
2007-2010
Graduated with a 4-year degree in 3 years ending in an internship with a local ad agency, Richter7.
DESIGN WITH A
WHY BEHIND.
DEFINE
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DESIGN
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TEST
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REFINE
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DEFINE ✦✦ DESIGN ✦✦ TEST ✦✦ REFINE ✦✦
01
PRODUCT PLATEAU? PAYS TO LISTEN.
COMPANY: OMNI LOGISTICS
OUTCOME: 800% INCREASE IN ACTIVE USERS
MY ROLE: PRODUCT LEADERSHIP, USER RESEARCH, DESIGN.
Omni had online booking and tracking software that was built to modernize an old system. It was gaining early traction but plateaued and was losing interest. I came in, set goals to improve the software, and get more customers using the system so we’d have more people to learn from. Finding our most active users at Frontier Airlines, I interviewed them and identified several key features that were missing. Their absence was leading to users choosing other piece of software for the job. Assessing feasibility with the dev team, I designed a solution to quickly add the missing pieces. I added a typeahead lookup for shipper and commodities that could save on the fly— and an easy way to use stored (and store new) reference types that were necessary to tag shipments. The changes were implemented and communicated to the customer, and within a week— we saw an 800% uptick in user logins as our system became the best tool for the job. Sometimes the best solutions aren’t the flashiest, they’re the little things that just work that make the biggest impact.
02
CHANGING THE GAME (BY DESIGN).
COMPANY: LENDIO
OUTCOME: NEW PRODUCT DESIGN CHANGED ENTIRE BUSINESS MODEL
MY ROLE: PRODUCT STRATEGY, DISCOVERY, DESIGN, TESTING.
At Lendio I joined forces with a product leader and formed a vision to create a new 0-1 product around a big bet, leveraging the tech we built in my first product team there. We targeted creating B2B partnerships with companies who were already offering a service to small business customers, and embedding our product into their online ecosystem. This would give them a way to apply for loans or financing options in a trusted environment, and receive funds faster.
The new product would:
Reduce our current application steps through smart design
Speed up approval by using AI risk assessment
Increase scalability by not relying on humans to facilitate process
Reduce customer acquisition by using partnerships to access customers
Connect small business directly with a lender, and dramatically decrease time to fund.
Through discovery with applicants, and analyzing the current sales and application process, I identified key ways to streamline those touchpoints. We made a big bet on AI taking over the job for risk assessment. We collaborated with lenders to create lending products that would support this new experience, and I reinforced to them how crucial this would be for the user experience. We pioneered embedded tech based on my ideas to customize a widget to camouflage itself into another company's site and I collaborated deeply with our developers to make something that would work out of the box, and have a high level of customization. I organized a beta program to gather feedback and test designs, and regularly engaged our participants.
I reduced our application steps from around 30, to 3 (sometimes 4), sped up the time to offer from 30+ days, to <24 hours, and an application completion rate over 80%.
The new product provided businesses with fast access to capital, and put the power to choose in their hands, backed by built in help and support instead of a lengthy back and forth process with a low rate of success. Today the business has changed its entire strategy from high acquisition cost sales, to partnerships using our embedded software.
Click “Small Business Financing” on the left to start
03
POWER TO THE PROPRIETOR.
COMPANY: FRESHLIME
OUTCOME: DOUBLING ENGAGEMENT LEADS TO ANOTHER 5X WITH MOBILE!
MY ROLE: PRODUCT STRATEGY, USER RESEARCH, SOLE DESIGNER FOR BOTH WEB AND MOBILE.
Freshlime had a basic web portal with a lot of data visualization, but low user engagement. Their processes were largely manual, relying on account managers to call customers and inform them of data trends, anomalies, and when to leverage other Freshlime services that the account manager would also perform for them, like sending out review requests. Interviewing both customers and our internal account managers to highlight their goals and major pain points, I put together a plan to increase user engagement with our online tools.
The old site had:
No calls to action or guidance for users
A broken layout on mobile
Almost 0 clicks for other nav items
Poor context switching for users with multiple businesses
Brittle, static layout that was difficult to change.
After collaborating with our dev team and testing through several quick iterations of low fidelity prototypes, we shipped a new version of the Freshlime web product, that was intended to provide customers with more reasons to log in, and give them clear next steps on what to do while on pages, and also give them reasons to return.
The new design featured:
Actionable, flexible content based on what would be most relevant to a given user
Dead-simple context switching at the top of the page for multiple accounts
2 level drill-down approach, everything in one place with contextual exploration
Fully mobile responsive layout
Easy connection to other app areas through consistency and new iconography
Clear next steps and guideposting
Flexibility to add new features without breaking layout
After launching the new site, user engagement doubled and drove excitement around customers being able to self serve inside the web product. Talking to customers, one of the big themes that emerged was that business owners were busy, on the go, and didn't have time or desire to sit down at a web interface and perform tasks. This led to designing Freshlime's first mobile app, to put the power of what our business could offer into the hands of business owners and meet them where they were, on their devices. I designed a multi-platform app that took advantage of the wealth of connections to other apps already on users' phones, and gave them relevant, time and context sensitive alerts to drive interaction with their customers. This included an industry first omni-channel messaging platform that allowed business owners to offload common communication tasks to chat bots, and jump in to help when necessary. After launching the mobile app, our user engagement increased another 5x, and our happy customers were hungry for more.
04
COHESION IS THE ENEMY OF CHAOS.
COMPANY: SOVRN
OUTCOME: INCREASED CLARITY & COMPREHENSION BY 75%
MY ROLE: BRANDING, VISUAL DESIGN, UX DESIGN, TESTING.
At Sovrn, there was a disconnect between what a customer would see on their website, in their online platform, and even in communication from company reps. Color was used arbitrarily, and had different meanings across several contexts. The Sovrn brand was outdated, and inconsistently applied to nearly everywhere it appeared. When I united the design disciplines, I took this challenge head-on, and changed the way the company presented itself, for the better. I designed a bold new brand that leaned on Sovrn's Colorado roots for inspiration, and created a branding and design system that would be easy for anyone to follow. Color would be used with intent and meaning, and applied in a way that users could come to rely on and intuitively understand. After putting together a guide for the new brand's usage, the work began to apply it to every area of the company's reach, and soon everywhere a customer of ours would encounter the Sovrn brand, consistency built better understanding. After applying the new branding to our online platform, I tested for comprehension compared to our old design, resulting in a 75% increase in clarity for understanding key metrics. Through design consistency, the whole brand became stronger, and the entire company was able to speak with one voice--no matter where our customers heard it.
Sovrn brand guide
05
INNOVATIVE APP DESIGN SETS THE STANDARD.
COMPANY: XACTWARE
OUTCOME: REDESIGNED FLAGSHIP SOFTWARE SETS NEW DIGITAL STANDARD FOR OVER 10 YEARS
MY ROLE: DISCOVERY, DESIGN, DESIGN SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT.
Xactware's flagship product Xactimate had been an industry giant for 28 years. It had a large user base, and almost a monopoly on the insurance claims estimation world. I was told that updating it would be nearly impossible, but the more I used it, and the more I talked to the insurance adjusters that were using it out in the field, or people who trained customers in how to use it, I realized how necessary and important this was.
I was the first UX Designer ever hired by Xactware, so I had my work cut out for me. Spending time with customers and trainers led me to identify the main features, goals, and key ways people were using the software. Talking to the development team revealed some of the reasons behind why the software had been designed the way it was, and the challenges I faced. I Designed a proof of concept prototype of a new version of Xactimate (codename Vibranium) that was a complete refresh of the UI, and the experience around install, account setup, and how the app could be adapted to other platforms. Through my testing with customers, I started to build up a demand, and interest from around the company every time a customer would bring up "the new Xactimate", and soon there was enough buzz around it to make it an official project.
After its release, the redesign sparked other product designs for not only the installable desktop version, but an online cloud-based version, and 2 mobile versions that I had a hand in designing as well. I established a first of its kind pattern library that could be re-used to quickly design elements or new features, and brought unity to all the new apps across the company. From the first version conceived in 2014, you can still see the design of the app alive and well in 2024, as showcased by this training video on Youtube from this year, courtesy of Adjuster University. The work I did to fundamentally redesign Xactimate has lasted for over 10 years, and defined the design system that would be the basis for every product in their offering.
Install wireframe
On YouTube in 2024 (click to watch)
DEFINE
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DESIGN
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TEST
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REFINE
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DEFINE ✦✦ DESIGN ✦✦ TEST ✦✦ REFINE ✦✦
LEADERSHIP
Small to Large teams
I’ve directly managed teams of up to 6, and mentored in teams up to 16. I have been the first and only designer a company’s ever hired several times— and organically grown and hired my own teams, including training internal candidates.
People over process
Having a well-defined design process is a great place to start, and a good tool to fall back on, but I find that most things start and end with people. When you invest in building and strengthening relationships with teammates or stakeholders, that’s how trust happens.
beyond company walls
Mentorship has meant a great deal to me in my career, and I don’t only practice it where I work. I’ve been a Product Hive Utah mentor for multiple cohorts, and over many years and I typically mentor two people at a time. It’s important to me to grow future designers and product folk, and I love seeing people develop their passions.
Leadership style
I have always valued the type of leader who understands what I’m going through, first-hand. When you are close to everyday design work, you are familiar with all the inherent struggles of trying to improve experiences. I’ve always maintained a high level of delivery in addition to leadership responsibilities, and I believe it has kept me grounded when I try to pass on the things I’ve learned to others. I like to be out in the trenches, fighting with the troops instead of commanding from behind.
“I've met few people who possess as much passion as Isaac when it comes to UX and design. A true hero for helping implement design thinking into the workplace during his time, Isaac was responsible for building up and supporting positive company wide relationships with the UX team. In turn we find our efforts trusted and received with relative ease.”
- Cortney Reber, Principal UX Designer
TAKE THEIR WORD FOR IT.
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"Isaac possesses a deep understanding of complex processes within the field of UX design. He has consistently demonstrated proficiency in analyzing intricate systems, identifying pain points, and creating intuitive and user-friendly solutions. He has been a great mentor to me and I have learned a great deal from him."
Julie Hor, Sr User Experience Designer
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"Isaac is serious about his craft and you can see this in his work output. I grew to truly trust him in a way I do with few colleagues. I trusted his ideas and decisions; we collaborated well and created great products together. In the end, this is what makes Isaac great: he makes those around him better."
Nick Sykes, Vice President of Product
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"Isaac is always developing his skills as an interaction designer and user advocate. His ingenuity and craftsmanship was not only evident in his work, but in his contribution to the team. He is willing to work hard despite setbacks and obstacles. His great attitude and drive to do exceptional work was key to many of the team's successes."
Kim Nielson Christensen, User Researcher & Designer
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"One of the most important skills for a designer to have is the ability to take suggestions and constructive criticism and have a fruitful discussion that improves the overall design. Isaac excels in this area. He creates beautiful and functional designs that would benefit and improve any app. You cannot go wrong with isaac."
Bill Bowers, Director of Software Engineering
PEOPLE OVER PROCESS
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IDEAS CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE
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FIGHT FOR THE USER
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THE MEASURE OF A LEADER IS THE SUCCESS OF THE TEAM
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PEOPLE OVER PROCESS ✖︎ IDEAS CAN COME FROM ANYWHERE ✖︎ FIGHT FOR THE USER ✖︎ THE MEASURE OF A LEADER IS THE SUCCESS OF THE TEAM ✖︎
