Ellis G. Donovan

Scaled the design department from 3 to over 20 professionals, building robust capabilities in product design, user research, and brand strategy.

Implemented and facilitated Agile/Scrum methodologies, including Sprints, Daily Standups, Reviews, and Retrospectives, to optimize team productivity and project delivery.

Designed and deployed a comprehensive enterprise-level design system for Shimadzu, a leading Japanese medical equipment manufacturer, resulting in a significant reduction in bounce rates and a 25% increase in average session duration.

Developed and executed digital product roadmaps, ensuring alignment between strategic business objectives and measurable key performance indicators.

Led the design and engineering of an advanced SwiftUI iOS speech-to-text keyboard extension, integrating a native-like, LLM-powered autocompletions and predictive text bar.

Developed a system-integrated locale picker to dynamically optimize layout, prediction, and dictation results, enhancing user experience and functionality.

Shaped the strategic product vision for a prominent B2B digital services agency as one of three key capability leads, reporting directly to the CEO and influencing company-wide initiatives.

Directed and mentored award-winning interdisciplinary teams, delivering high-impact digital solutions for major clients such as Domino's Pizza UK & Ireland, easyJet, and Vanarama.

Orchestrated an award-winning redesign of Domino's digital interface, directly contributing to an 8% increase in online sales and a significant 57% rise in mobile conversion rates.

Engineered and deployed critical microservices for the easyJet Holidays website launch, earning industry recognition for technical excellence and contributing to a seamless user experience.

Independently architected and implemented an enterprise-scale design system for Vanarama.com, a key initiative that supported a £500M share capital acquisition by Autotrader.com and secured the 'Best eCommerce Implementation' award at the UK Business Tech Awards 2022.

Contributed to high-impact projects for diverse clients, including JD Sports and Virgin Media O2, enhancing their digital presence and operational efficiency.

Expanded the agency's service offerings by leading internal workshops on cutting-edge technologies (SvelteKit, Next.js, Tailwind) and providing strategic guidance on the responsible integration of AI language models.

Served in the same leadership capacity as at Canvas Reply, contributing to the business unit's success that led to its emergence as an independent entity.

Leveraged a strong technical background to effectively navigate between high-level strategic discussions and hands-on implementation concerns across design, engineering, and product teams.

Executed hands-on design and engineering tasks, establishing a strong technical and practical foundation that supported subsequent leadership responsibilities.

Conducted research and applied advanced innovation methodologies to support startup enterprises, collaborating with industry leaders Mike Waller and Dong Yeong Lee.

Designed and delivered impactful workshops, empowering participants to integrate novel design approaches into their prototype development processes.

Co-authored a peer-reviewed research article assessing the viability and impact of design practices within emerging startup communities.