Chris Nordling

Resume

Chris Nordling
Lead UX Designer  |  Design Systems  |  AI-Driven Workflows  |  Accessible Digital Experiences
New Orleans, LA - Open to Relocation 504-635-8721 sansovino2@gmail.com cnordling.com/portfolio
Professional Profile

Award-winning Senior UX Designer with 20+ years delivering user-centered digital product experiences for Fortune 100 brands. Expert in Figma-based design systems, tokenized component libraries, and AI-driven design workflows. Proven track record driving measurable outcomes - including $5M in cost savings and ~8% lift in user engagement - through rigorous UX research, accessibility leadership, and cross-functional collaboration. Experienced across SaaS, e-commerce, hospitality, healthcare, finance, and media verticals. Open to relocation.

Skills & Tools
Design Tools: Figma (expert), Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe XD, Sketch, InVision, Axure, OmniGraffle, UX Pilot
AI & Emerging Tech: AI-driven design workflows, Generative tools & LLMs for prototyping, Firefly, Midjourney, UX copy refinement
UX Practice: Design Systems, Tokenized Components, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Heuristic Evaluation, User Research, Accessibility (WCAG), Information Architecture, Agile/Scrum
Data & Visualization: Tableau, Flourish, performance analytics, user behavior analysis, A/B testing frameworks
Front-End: HTML, CSS/LESS, JavaScript, React, Bootstrap, Foundation, NodeJS - enabling seamless design-to-dev collaboration
Backend / Data: MySQL, Laravel, ERD/Data Modeling, XML
Experience
Lead UX Design Consultant | Silhouette Remote  -  June 2023 - Present
  • Architected and delivered an end-to-end design system for an AI-driven SaaS reputation management platform, ensuring consistency, accessibility, and scalability across the product.
  • Integrated AI-driven design workflows to accelerate rapid prototyping and automate UI tasks, directly aligning with emerging LLM tooling practices.
  • Conducted heuristic evaluations and iterative usability testing to identify and resolve user pain points, continuously optimizing the experience.
  • Produced detailed tokenized wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and functional prototypes in Figma, translating complex product requirements into intuitive interfaces.
Senior UX Designer | Hyatt - Inclusive Collection, Amstar & Unlimited Vacation Club Remote  -  July 2021 - April 2023
  • Designed and optimized the end-to-end conversion funnel for Hyatt Inclusive Collection, Amstar, and Unlimited Vacation Club across web and mobile, improving user engagement and bookings by ~8%.
  • Evolved and maintained Hyatt IC's Figma design system using a tokenized component architecture, setting standards for consistency across the product portfolio.
  • Served as the organization's accessibility resource, championing inclusive design standards and WCAG compliance across all digital products.
  • Oversaw and validated UX research from external vendors, translating insights into actionable design improvements to the core booking engine.
Principal Designer | StringName Software Remote  -  January 2019 - July 2021
  • Designed and developed a comprehensive PHP-based design system for a SaaS application, coding significant front-end components using Carbon and Bootstrap frameworks.
  • Validated user experiences through structured testing with UserZoom, iterating on Figma designs to ensure usability and scalability.
  • Architected all data structures via Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERD), enabling efficient database organization and seamless front-end integration.
Senior UX Designer | Macy's New York, NY  -  June 2014 - January 2019
  • Led UX for the Wedding Registry and Digital In-Store Shopping experiences, enhancing accessibility and driving customer engagement at scale.
  • Spearheaded checkout process simplification achieving $5 million in cost savings while improving the end-to-end purchase experience.
  • Delivered partner and vendor management projects at Macy's Magic Labs within 8-week sprints, including data visualizations and e-commerce solutions in a fast-paced Agile environment.
UX Lead | Self-Employed New York, NY  -  January 2010 - March 2014
  • Redesigned the ATM interface and Citi Thank You Network customer experience, improving usability for millions of users.
  • Led UX for Chase (credit card acquisition) and Fidelity (account management), delivering measurable usability improvements.
  • Directed UX initiatives and Tableau data visualizations for Novartis; designed iOS UX for restaurant startup HungryRoot.
  • Designed digital experiences for Delta Airlines and Emirates Airlines - earning Best Airline Site from IAC & Web Awards.
Creative Director & UX Director | Summary Washington, DC  -  January 2000 - January 2010
  • Spearheaded Microsoft's first data visualization dashboard product (Business Desk), pioneering SaaS dashboard UX.
  • Delivered a role-based intranet dashboard for UnitedHealth, recognized as Best Intranet of the Year.
  • Designed fully accessible regulatory dashboards at the FCC including a complete audio accessibility system - an early champion of inclusive design.
  • Designed high-profile digital products for Frito-Lay, Qualcomm, Conde Nast, American Express, Novartis, Medtronic, and Abbott Labs.
  • Authored and taught UX Design and Information Architecture courses, mentoring the next generation of designers.
Education & Certifications

B.A., Art - University of Minnesota     IBM Certified UX Designer  |  IBM Certified UX Developer  |  IBM Certified Artificial Intelligence

Selected Awards
Best Airline Site - Emirates Airlines (IAC & Web Award)- Best Website, Activism - Conservation International (Webby Awards)- EFFIE Finalist - Consumer/DTC Healthcare- WebAward Outstanding Achievement - Gilenya.com- Silver, Health - St. Luke's Hospital Website (Davey Awards)- Outstanding Achievement - St. Luke's Hospital (Interactive Media Awards)- Best of Show Interactive App - Corona PhotoSlice- WWW Health Gold Award - Omnaris Mobile App