Richard Alvarez

CX/UX Service Line Director


About

Hello, I'm Richard and I have a passion for User Experience (UX) and innovation. With experience in corporate, agency, and start-up environments, what I've learned is that the digital space is constantly evolving. There's always something new and exciting to... Read more



Experience

User Experience Research & Design Service Line Director

Apexon

United States

January 2022 – Present

Formerly Saggezza, Inc.; acquired by Infostretch in 2021 and merged with Apexon in 2022. Lead A global team of talented UX/UI researchers and designers in discovery, delivery, business development, and innovation.

UX Practice Manager

Saggezza

Greater Chicago Area

June 2017 – February 2022

Client Account Manager, UX/CX

Saggezza

Greater Chicago Area

January 2017 – June 2017

Collaborate with key customer accounts where main responsibilities included managing client relationship, project delivery and management of budget, forecasts, and key staffing decisions.

Lead UX Developer

Saggezza

Greater Chicago Area

March 2015 – December 2016

Lead UX that delivered a custom Twitter Bootstrap framework and set of C# and Razor tools to complement our Lean UX workflow process in an Agile environment. Managed and trained onshore/offshore development teams. Worked closely with product owners to establ... Read more

Lecturer - New Media

Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

March 2001 – December 2016

A member of the faculty at Medill's Graduate School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Richard offered courses in new media and online Journalism and shared his real-world experiences with interactive and visual storytelling.

Co-Founder

CafeXplorer, LLC

Chicago, Illinois

February 2015 – March 2016

CafeXplorer provides organizations of all sizes with a suite of tools for creating, marketing, and hosting live, real-time video events. Embed a scheduled live-streamed video chat on your own site, social media, and brand. With scheduling, communication, E-c... Read more

Director of Interactive Experiences

Method Engine LLC

Chicago, Illinois

May 2005 – February 2015

I helped form Method Engine's simple philosophy - strategic design. As the lead IT professional on our team, it is my responsibility to assist in conceptualizing and creating new technical solutions for our clients based on best practices and cutting-edge cr... Read more

Principle

SurpriseMedia, Inc

Chicago, Illinois, United States

September 2000 – May 2005

SupriseMedia, Inc. was a two person company that Richard helped start with a focus on strategic consulting and dynamic Flash design/development. Key clients in the portfolio included Univision, Intel, Volkswagen, and Sports Illustrated.

Interactive Developer

Britannica.com

April 1999 – September 2001

As the senior web developer for this dot-com giant, Richard was responsible for all interactive features created for the site. In addition, he created a workflow process, content management, and online tools for managers, editorial, designers, and developmen... Read more

Multimedia Developer

Jack Morton Worldwide

August 1998 – April 1999

As a member of their creative solutions team, Richard was the lead developer for multimedia content for CD-ROM, Kiosks, and Web sites. He assisted in the successful completion of a large interactive training project totaling 33 hours of computer-based traini... Read more

Multimedia Specialist

Whittman-Hart

January 1996 – January 1998

Multimedia specialist building projects with Macromedia/Adobe Director, and html develpment for online and CD-ROM.

Lead Multimedia Developer

Design Access

February 1996 – September 1996

Authorware, Director, and html develpment for online and CD-ROM based eLearning projects



Education

English and Spanish Literature (B.A.)

DePaul University

January 1988 – January 1991



Volunteering

Web Master

Family Rescue

November 2007 – Present

In place of a normal interactive holiday greeting, we decided to select a worthy non-profit to donate our serviced and redesign their corporate website. Since 2006, I have designed, developed, and maintained the Family Rescue web presence. Together, we have ... Read more

Spanish Interpretor

Ladder Up Chicago

February 2017 – Present

Ladder Up provides hardworking people with the financial resources and opportunities they need to move up the economic ladder. We provide free tax return preparation, college financial aid application assistance, and practical money management workshops.