Professional Résumé, UX Designer

Vernard Mercader

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Vernard is a UX Design Lead and Frontend Engineer bridging design theory and technical reality. Working in the tech industry since 2006 with a focus on UX since 2017, he translates complex user challenges into scalable code for enterprise SaaS, healthcare, and federal platforms like the United States Air Force and the California Department of Public Health. Strict adherence to accessibility and semantic HTML. Owns the full lifecycle from discovery to deployment. Engineers responsive interfaces in React, TypeScript, Vue, and Angular to ship reliably through modern CI/CD pipelines and Docker environments.

He’ll ground every structural decision in hard metrics. Leverages analytics, error rates, and time-on-task data to validate structural choices – recently driving a 30% measurable usability improvement for USAF Platform One. Recently activated TS/SCI (2026)

Skills

USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN & BUSINESS STRATEGY

Journey mapping
Service blueprinting
TAM/SAM/SOM
Requirements analysis
Use case analysis
Task analysis
Workflow design
Usability testing
Heuristic evaluation
Behavioural analysis
Conversion analysis
Retention analysis
Competitive and market analysis
Checkout flow analysis
Conversion flow analysis

INTERFACE & PRODUCT DESIGN

Information architecture
User flows
Wireframing
Prototyping
Interaction design
Visual hierarchy
Content strategy
Microcopy
Mobile-first responsive design
Customer portal design

DESIGN SYSTEMS & UI FRAMEWORKS

Scalable Design Systems (& maintenance)
Reusable UI components
Pattern libraries
Component libraries
Interface specifications
Material UI
Bootstrap
USWDS

ACCESSIBILITY

WCAG 2.1 AA
Section 508 compliance
Accessibility audits

FRONTEND DEVELOPMENT

React
TypeScript
JavaScript
Next.js
Vue.js
Angular
HTML5
CSS3
SCSS
CoffeeScript
jQuery
KnockoutJS
Vite
Gulp

WEB PLATFORMS & CMS

Advanced WordPress development
WordPress Multisite
Custom plugins
Advanced Custom Fields
Adobe Experience Manager
Adobe Business Catalyst
Adobe Dreamweaver

BACKEND SUPPORT

PHP
Laravel
Node.js
C#
SQL
REST APIs
API integration
Microservices
Supabase

DATABASES & STORAGE

MySQL
MariaDB
Redis
Caddy

TESTING & QUALITY

Vitest
Jest
React Testing Library
Cypress
Postman
Unit testing
QA validation
Cross-browser testing

E-COMMERCE

Liquid
WooCommerce
Payment utility implementation
A/B testing
CRO

ANALYTICS, CRM & SEO

Google Analytics
Matomo
Bing Webmaster Tools
Salesforce
User behaviour analysis
Funnel analysis
Engagement metrics
Lead generation tracking
Campaign analytics
Localised SEO strategy
On-page SEO
Keyword strategy
Metadata optimisation
Structured data
SERP

SECURITY EXPOSURE

DevSecOps
CI/CD
Docker
Fortify
SD Elements
NGINX hardening
GitLab

MIS & NETWORK MANAGEMENT

Management Information Systems
Network architecture
Network setup
Network security management
System access control
Technical support systems

DOCUMENTATION & KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

Architectural Decision Records
Architectural diagrams
MKDocs
Instructional design
Instruction manuals & Training materials

CREATIVE PRODUCTION

Graphic design
Visual design
Brand identity and management
Logo design
Collateral and print design
Digital collateral/Social Media
Motion graphics and animation
Video production
Storyboarding
Photography
Post-production
Image editing
Packaging graphics
Event planning

PRODUCT VISUALISATION & 3D

3D graphics and modelling
3D rendering optimisation
3D product visualisation
3D animation
Hardware concept visuals

DESIGN, CREATIVE & TECHNICAL TOOLS

Figma
Penpot
Miro
Draw.io
Power BI
Visio
Sketch
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Lightroom
Adobe Express
Adobe XD
Canva
Final Cut Pro
3ds Max
AutoCAD
Blender
Maya

Experience

Freelancer, Consultant
Logias
Massachusetts, United States
Nov 2025 – Present

Diagnosed a conversion drop-off in Burger King’s mobile ordering flow through a self-directed teardown, producing a documented redesign recommendation set delivered in client-grade format as proof of method.

Built an accessibility-led consulting practice around Section 508 analysis and WCAG 2.1 auditing, with UX strategy as a second offer and frontend implementation scoped only as follow-on work.
Evaluate sites and applications using automated scans, heuristic evaluation, manual testing, and task-based usability testing, translating findings into prioritised remediation guidance for design and development teams.
Model player retention and engagement decline in Niantic’s Pokemon GO through pain point analysis, experience modelling, and behavioural re-engagement strategy.

UX Design Lead & UI Engineer
Oteemo/United States Air Force – Platform One
Reston, Virginia (Remote)
May 2023 – Nov 25

Led the 2024 rebrand and UI rework of the Vulnerability Assessment Tool (VAT), raising task success to 86.4% and cutting average time on task by 22.3%, by migrating the frontend from React Bootstrap to Material UI in four weeks.

Raised the accessibility score from 63.1 to 91.7 and reduced open accessibility issues 40% through WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 remediation, using a self-hosted agentic model to scan repos for semantic HTML and ARIA violations.
Established a Figma-driven design system that increased development velocity by 10%, then built a self-hosted Ollama pipeline that diffed token snapshots and generated plain-language change reports for the frontend team.
Ran discovery with container hardeners and vendor contributors to map portfolio-level review workflows, and mentored designers and developers on heuristics, design-system contribution, and accessibility audits.

Senior UX Designer
California Dept. of Public Health/M-Corp.
Sacramento, California (Remote)
Dec 2021 – Apr 2023

Increased CAIRHub user sessions 346% by driving adoption through UX research and a Section 508-compliant redesign, validated through internal database metrics and Google Analytics.

Delivered the high-fidelity interactive prototype for CAIRHub, receiving full marks from the VP of Product, and then advised the frontend team on Angular, SASS, and Material UI implementation.
Achieved WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across reviewed CAIRHub interfaces through accessible table structures, keyboard-operable interactions, responsive layouts, and enforced semantic HTML and CSS architecture standards.
Facilitated cross-functional workshops covering feature priority matrices, design thinking, and team wireframing, building journey maps and service blueprints for clinic, school, and administrative user groups.

Lead UI/UX Designer
USAF ShOC, Nellis AFB
Las Vegas, Nevada
Apr 2020 – Dec 2021

Cut operator task completion by 60 to 70 seconds against a 130 to 250 second baseline through the interaction design of a GIS coordinate-translating feature inside ShROUD, documented in the 2021 SIDO officer’s report.

Identified the coordinate-conversion friction from floor observation rather than a requirements document, then specified and shipped the parsing step directly inside the chat interface.
Redesigned OneChat, the ops floor’s primary NIPR communication tool, into Hyve, running all discovery on pen and paper inside a SCIF with no WiFi, recording tools, or tablets.
Spearheaded the ShOC design system, a fork of the U.S. Web Design System tailored for secure Department of Defense homepages, and translated Figma and Sketch specs into production React TypeScript.

UX Lead & Frontend Developer
GetDocsNow
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jan 2019 – Mar 2020

Introduced mobile access to a desktop-only HOA document platform by rebuilding the frontend layout architecture for responsive behaviour, moving the first four of roughly fifty client organisations onto phones and tablets.

Modernised the member portal through redesigned responsive layout, semantic HTML, CSS architecture, typography, and interaction patterns, improving engagement tracked through Salesforce records and internal evaluation tools.
Resolved production issues beyond internal support tooling by debugging C# logic, tracing execution paths, and analysing SQL records, then executing precise corrections in a live environment without data integrity loss.
Built ASP.NET and C# features, including live chat, and made the architectural case for a React, Next.js, and Node.js rebuild to give the platform real stateful capability.

UX Designer & Lead Frontend Developer
ActionCOACH Global Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Jun 2017 – Jan 2019

Increased organic traffic 27%, reaching 5,000-plus sessions per quarter, through the 2018 ground-up rebuild of ActionCOACH.com covering information architecture, responsive layout, content strategy, and SEO foundation.

Rebuilt the registration flow where prospective clients were abandoning sign-up, running a full design thinking cycle from problem definition through synthesis, workflow redesign, and validation in Sketch.
Built a WordPress Multisite platform giving each franchise coach a personalised site under brand control, with custom plugins supporting coach-specific lecturing, workshop, and event content structures.
Managed a Shopify and Liquid shopfront for merchandising and ticket sales, and covered visual effects and videography before a dedicated hire using 3ds Max, Maya, Premiere Pro, and After Effects.

Earlier Career

Senior UX Web Developer & MIS Ops
Superdraft Pty Ltd (Australia)
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Remote)
Aug 2015 – May 2017

Increased sessions by 13% through the redesign and redeployment of superdraft.com.au, rebuilding the responsive layout, colour system, and information architecture, validated through Bing Webmaster Tools.
Launched and supported three offshoot platforms, viz. 360.com.au, architecturecentre.net, and archix.com, designing for distinct audiences across visualisation, industry community, and client portal use cases.
Served as the resident UX authority on a team with no prior expertise, applying interaction models and cognitive principles, including Gestalt grouping and Fitts’ Law to product decisions.
Managed information systems for the Philippines office solo, covering network architecture, security management, provisioning, and access control, and then continued server-side management remotely after the office closed.

WordPress Web Developer
WhiteTower Digital
Sydney, NSW, Australia (Remote)
Sep 2014 – Jul 2015

Increased client lead generation roughly 9% across more than five point-of-sale and business websites by pairing brand identity redesigns with SEO strategy, measured through Google Analytics.
Cut client onboarding time 32% with reusable templates on WordPress, Adobe Experience Manager, and Laravel and reduced release cycles from six weeks to three through Agile delivery across concurrent projects.
Raised conversion rates up to 11% by rebuilding Google Analytics implementations for accurate funnel tracking and lifted campaign click-through 10 to 12% by realigning layouts to audience engagement data.
Delivered flagship builds for Lady Anne Funerals and Mobile Computing using Advanced Custom Fields and Flexible Content for complex page architecture and migrated e-commerce clients from Shopify to WooCommerce.

Freelance work
Self-Employed; Art Of Vernard LLC
Remote
Jul 2013 – Aug 2014

Increased service enquiries by 40% in the first quarter post-launch for Nightingale Construction through improved UX and local SEO on a from-scratch build covering brand, site, security, and search.
Delivered complete digital presences for clients arriving with no brand or web presence, including DWCLawFirm.com and author John Quel, owning discovery, branding, content planning, front-end development, and CMS setup.
Cut project delivery time by roughly two workdays against typical small-agency timelines through a lightweight design-to-build workflow across custom WordPress and Adobe Business Catalyst deployments.
Produced 3D patent prototypes, including a composite decking system, work that led a client’s patent attorney to offer a salaried patent illustrator position.

Multimedia Specialist & Web Developer
Talyst
Kirkland, WA, USA
Sep 2008 – Jul 2013

Increased qualified leads 78% through targeted product microsites for the AutoPharm, INSITE, and Auto340B campaigns, applying SEO strategy, A/B testing, and conversion-focused content structure, tracked through Salesforce.
Produced the creative package for a long-term care sales pitch, including a branded executive deck and a 3D product video, supporting the team in securing an approximately $4M hospital contract.
Rebuilt and migrated Talyst.com from Adobe Experience Manager to WordPress, implementing custom themes, custom fields, landing pages, and contact flows, then owned ongoing content management for the site.
Translated SolidWorks engineering assets into 3ds Max and Maya workflows with product and hardware engineering, producing renderings, animations, and explainer videos of medication dispensing systems.

Multimedia Producer
Intava
Bellevue, WA
Aug 2006 – Aug 2008

Delivered 3D renderings of unreleased handsets for the Sprint retail kiosk program, enabling customers to view and pre-order devices^{[1], [2], [3], [4]} with no physical unit to photograph, carrying from pitch into deployed store units.
Contributed to interface decisions for Sprint and Nextel kiosk point-of-sale screens, shaping user flows and visual standards for a self-service retail environment.
Built interactive features and prototypes in Flash ActionScript and managed end-to-end photography and post-production for product instruction manuals and packaging graphics.
Produced instructional and training assets with design, engineering, and marketing teams, translating hardware specifications into materials non-technical audiences could act on.