I’m Des. I design software.
Specifically I design the end user experience of Intercom, working with a great team on a great product. I do this by understanding the following…
- The domain the software is targeting.
- The customers the application owner hopes for.
- The technical constraints that the software must work within.
- The real world data that will be presented within the application.
- The tangible measurable goals of the design
My work typically involves the production of personas, sketches, and wireframes, followed later in development by measurement via analytics reports and user testing.
Work
I am the COO and User Experience Lead at Intercom. Intercom is a web application for enabling website owners to grow personal relationships with their customers. Prior to Intercom, I worked on a web app called Exceptional which was a very popular web based error handler for most popular languages.
Before the world of web apps I worked with Contrast, a very popular design consultancy. My work there was primarily as a UX consultant, though my role included some project management, sales, and administrative work.
Before Contrast, I was a senior analyst at iQ Content, Irelands largest usability firm. Previous to that I worked as a lecturer and researcher in NUI Maynooth.
Writing
I write primarily on the Intercom Blog and very rarely on my personal blog. Before Intercom, I wrote a healthy amount of very popular articles on the Contrast blog, here is an incomplete list…
For UX designers
For App Owners
For Consultants of all kinds
Speaking
I regularly give talks about topics relating to User Experience design, Strategy for start-ups, and the business of web applications. Often I give talks with my co-founder Eoghan, which are both informative and entertaining.
- CS Forum 2011 - upcoming
- MIX 2011 - video available
- FOWA 2010 Dublin - video available
- FOWA 2010 London (video restricted to members only)
- Lessconf 2009- video available
- Flash on the Beach 2009 - video restricted to members only
- Apple Developer Days 2009, 2010 (slides available)
- The Dot Conf 2010 - video available
Talk to me
I'm on Twitter as @destraynor. My personal email address is destraynor@gmail.com. For work enquiries, use des@intercom.io I also use Flickr sporadically, am on LinkedIn, keep my Facebook to my friends, and I'm not a big fan of phone-calls.