Travis Ortiz
DESIGN LEADER
Design executive specializing in cultivating high-performing teams dedicated to delivering delightful and impactful products. Leading with a keen sense of empathy and strategic acumen to prioritize user-centered design, fueling innovation and exceptional user experiences.
EPERIENCE
VP of Design, Aspire
January 2022 to November 2023
Aspire’s first VP of design reporting to co-founder and CEO. Built the design department from the ground up to maximize performance, speed, and outcomes by hiring new team members and defining foundational processes and practices. Redesigned the main dashboard, added analytics tools, streamlined campaign creation and management flow, improved CRM list building experience, introduced advertising integration with Meta and TikTok platforms, executed brand refresh. Improved retention 58%. Increased monthly affiliate sales 269%. Grew marketplace influencers 900%.
VP of Design, Affinity
March 2019 to November 2021
Reported to the CEO as Affinity’s first design executive, responsible for all aspects of Affinity’s design efforts. Scaled the team from one founding designer to six product designers and two brand designers. Optimized all aspects of the product experience from on-boarding to data import to list management and beyond. Completely overhauled and redesigned Mobile app, based on extensive user research, enabling users to “show up smarter” for every interaction with the people and opportunities in their network. Led effort for brand definition and redesigned product to match new branding. Grew revenue more than 20X. Achieved WAU/MAU of 78%. Grew NRR to 148%.
Design Leadership Advisor & Consultant, Pixel or Perish
November 2017 to present
Provide design leadership and management services to startups looking to up-level design as a function (Product, UX, and Brand Design) within their organization. Mentor company design leaders, provide guidance on org design and scaling, advise on creating design systems, and drive design quality into every product release. Advise company executives on how to better integrate design thinking into their organization’s everyday activities and design strategy into every customer touch point. These efforts are ongoing in a focused advisory capacity.
Global Head of User Experience & Design, Prosper Marketplace
November 2014 to December 2017
Built a team of product designers, UX researchers, brand designers, and copywriters from scratch, within a year growing to 18 members. Led design efforts for rebrand and product experience overhaul, including redesigning the investor app. Led redesign of Prosper Daily mobile app and introduced Prosper’s mobile SDK for partner in-app integration. Established mobile-first for all product design efforts. Creative direction for all brand design including Prosper’s first TV advertising campaign. Improved loan application to offer 30%. Increased number of individual investors on platform 25%. Reached 1M MAUs.
Head of User Experience & Design, Hewlett-Packard (Snapfish division)
January 2012 to November 2014
Led team of 26 product and brand/marketing designers focusing on a worldwide product overhaul and redesign with an updated user experience to accommodate a mobile optimized interface. Developed in-house research program and usability lab to aid in lean, iterative, user-centered design. Led design efforts for Snapfish rebrand.
Mobile Product Design Lead, Hewlett-Packard (Snapfish division)
January 2011 to January 2012
Designed Snapfish iOS application to facilitate ordering photo products, incorporating location services to enable pick up at nearby Walgreens and Walmart locations. This was the first revenue generating iOS application for Snapfish and exceeded revenue expectations within a month of launch. Led design efforts to introduce Android and Windows applications based on iOS learnings.
Senior Product Designer, Hewlett-Packard (Snapfish division)
November 2006 to January 2011
Led and managed first major site redesign in eight years for a seamless user experience, including information re-architecture, overhauled logged-in/logged-out experiences, redesigned shopping experience through updated product flows, shopping cart, and checkout. Provided design direction to team of designers for worldwide releases to 22 countries and over 120 custom cobrands.
Product Design Consultant
April 2000 to November 2006
Designed end-to-end user experiences, wire frames, websites, landing pages, site sections, tools, and product marketing collateral.
Client Spotlight: eLUXURY.com (a Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy Company)
January 2003 to November 2006
Design Lead for subscription-based marketing email for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Dior Homme, Marc Jacobs, Fendi, Rock & Republic, Seven for All Mankind, and Calvin Klein. Coordinated with eLUXURY marketing and product teams and designer brands to align design strategy and execution. Designed site experiences and flows, online brand boutiques, and micro-sites.
Product Designer, Healthshop
February 1999 to April 2000
Designed end-to-end user experiences, wire frames, websites, landing pages, site sections, tools, and product marketing collateral.
EDUCATION
University of California, Berkeley: BA, English Literature with a minor in creative writing
New College of California: MFA, Writing and Poetics
OTHER INTERESTS
Board member of ROVA:Arts, published author (Variously, Not Then, Tuumba 2012; Geography of Parts, Melodeon Poetry Systems 1998), Co-Director and Publisher of Atelos Publishing Project, Executive Producer for Humming Bear Springs artist’s retreat, DJ and musician, and member of San Francisco electronic music and DJ collective Ambisonic.