Michael Donlea 🚀
Product Designer in London, UK
Looking to learn more about the features within read.cv and connect with likeminded and curious designers.
About
I'm a Product Designer with 2 years' experience in EdTech/SaaS. Most recently I worked for BridgeU, a EdTech company that connects universities to international schools in over 140 countries 🎓
I'm now seeking my next opportunity 🌟
I'm a relative newcomer to design, having made a career change in 2021 after a redundancy from the travel industry during the pandemic. Pivoting into product design is the best decision I've ever made! I absolutely ❤️ what I do and strive to create engaging, ethical and humane experiences for my users.
Outisde of design, I like to cook & bake, go to spin classes, travel, read and write. I can also be found searching London for the best coffee in town ☕️. Oh and I'm also getting back into Kirigami (where you fold and cut paper to make cool 3D models 😮
Work Experience
My role At BridgeU primarily revolves around working to better engage our existing student users on the platform.
My accomplishments at BridgeU include:
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Rebuilding BridgeU’s search feature focusing on expanding search criteria according to Amplitude data of common search queries
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Fixing the content hierarchy and added filters and sort by options to help students narrow results
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Driving conversations to learn about data coverage and sought feedback often to garner technical feedback on different design concepts
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My work drove a 15% increase in profile views from search and an 11% reduction in the number of search queries leading to empty states
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Leading the redesigns of university profiles, collaborating with data and dev, delivering on-time and resulting in 14% increase in course shortlisting
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Spearheadeding a comprehensive audit of BridgeU’s design system colours and icons, analysing brand consistency and accessibility compliance. Involving dev, I implemented the necessary adjustments and documented new guidelines in Zeroheight for streamlined design workflows
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Running user interviews with students, synthesised findings, shared learnings in company All Hands and helped to frame the direction of future work
Writing
I looked back on my experience of learning with a bootcamp and provide some points for others to consider before they enrol.
I share my tips on how to get the most out of your UX/UI design bootcamp.
Speaking
Together with the other panellists, I talked about transitioning from a teacher and sales professional into the world of UX design as well as offering tips to future career changers.
Designlab interviewed me to find out more about my journey into UX Design, how I got the most out of my course and how I successfully made the transition into the world of EdTech ⚡️
Features
Designlab interviewed me to learn more about my journey from the world of teaching English as a foreign language and the travel industry into a career change into tech, specifically product design.