đź‘‹ Hi there, I'm Ryan Zahrae!
I'm a graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a degree in Computer Informatics. I specialized in Human-Computer Interaction and fell in love with UI and UX design, as well as the study of what makes software intuitive.
My Personal Toolset Includes...
...and then some.
Here's what I'm good at.
These are some of my areas of expertise.
- UI/UX Design
- My educational, design and engineering backgrounds help me stay human-first in my design philosophy, whether it be creating high-fidelity prototypes in Figma or integrating with already-built platforms.
- Web Development & Implementation
- With experience across multiple frameworks, my ability to handle both design and write code influence my entire creative process, ensuring that projects are built with the right tools and stay efficient.
- UX Research & Testing
- I understand that great design isn't solely intuition—it’s about validation. I conduct UX experiments, including A/B tests and usability studies, to fine-tune experiences based on real user behavior, backed by industry-specific data.
- Responsive Design
- My knowledge in Human-Computer Interaction helps me develop products that can adapt to any device, whether they be on a phone, a tablet, a desktop - or even a smart refrigerator. ;)
- Email Development
- From the most basic HTML email template to advanced layouts in MJML, I have experience creating various marketing and internal email designs that work in all major email clients.
- Marketing & SEO
- Utilizing tools like Structured Data Markup, Ahrefs/SEMRush, Google Search Console/Analytics and Salesforce/ActiveCampaign, finding ways to harness prospective leads goes hand in hand with good UX.
Featured Project
FinditParts Pro is the All-in-One Platform for Heavy-Duty Parts Pros, helping connect the global supply chain.
Professional Experience
- Led the design and development of FinditParts Pro, a new specialized B2B platform for the company's largest fleet and enterprise customers.
- Re-engineered the company's front end technical stack to implement new designs and improve site performance - reducing page load sizes by up to 60%.
- Developed seamless transition processes for migrating the company's front-end stack to a new framework, while maintaining the legacy system without user disruption.
- Managed A/B testing on new page designs & implementations to measure and validate design decisions based on real customer usage.
- Revamped multiple public-facing interfaces including the main website, product page and checkout experience, and blog/SEO implementations to better address customer engagement.
- Conducted on-site and remote user research to identify industry-specific pain points, improve conversion rates and enhance UX.
- Kickstarted the development of a scalable Figma design system and component library for streamlined handoff with Engineering teams.
- Overhauled company website to achieve record SEO ratings and traffic YOY, increasing speed metrics by nearly 80%.
- Spearheaded projects to improve internal processes and ticketing questionnaires between both external clients and internal employees.
- Handled all front-end development of a new, ground-up price quoting platform that brought in new leads and potential customers while providing the company more information up front about a client's needs.
- Developed front-end interfaces for an internal call transcription platform for usage by the company's Help Desk.
- Managed company CRM and automations for following up and engaging with potential leads.
UX Consultant & Web Developer
Codenko Development
2017 - 2021
- Developed and maintained multiple projects for clients ranging from full website development, redesigns, performance load-time modifications and migrations.
- Used prototyping software, Figma, and Agile processes to quickly iterate on ideas and designs based on client feedback and direction.
- Produced documentation on projects involving user flows, personas, storyboards, etc. for presentation internally and to clients.
- Worked with multiple teams to develop verbiage that would allow for increased web visibility and SEO performance.
- Oversaw multiple support online channels and help-desk services (Zendesk, E-Mail, Discord, Twitter, Facebook, Shopify) to bring an exceptional quality of customer support & issue mitigation.
- Assisted with UI, UX, and CSS issues in site build and updates.
- Designed seasonal and promotional Shopify theme assets for the company's main eCommerce site.
- Managed and maintained the company's internal and external logistics, including shipping, receiving, and inventory management.
Professional Experience
- Led the design and development of FinditParts Pro, a new specialized B2B platform for the company's largest fleet and enterprise customers.
- Re-engineered the company's front end technical stack to implement new designs and improve site performance - reducing page load sizes by up to 60%.
- Developed seamless transition processes for migrating the company's front-end stack to a new framework, while maintaining the legacy system without user disruption.
- Managed A/B testing on new page designs & implementations to measure and validate design decisions based on real customer usage.
- Revamped multiple public-facing interfaces including the main website, product page and checkout experience, and blog/SEO implementations to better address customer engagement.
- Conducted on-site and remote user research to identify industry-specific pain points, improve conversion rates and enhance UX.
- Kickstarted the development of a scalable Figma design system and component library for streamlined handoff with Engineering teams.
- Overhauled company website to achieve record SEO ratings and traffic YOY, increasing speed metrics by nearly 80%.
- Spearheaded projects to improve internal processes and ticketing questionnaires between both external clients and internal employees.
- Handled all front-end development of a new, ground-up price quoting platform that brought in new leads and potential customers while providing the company more information up front about a client's needs.
- Developed front-end interfaces for an internal call transcription platform for usage by the company's Help Desk.
- Managed company CRM and automations for following up and engaging with potential leads.
UX Consultant & Web Developer
Codenko Development
2017 - 2021
- Developed and maintained multiple projects for clients ranging from full website development, redesigns, performance load-time modifications and migrations.
- Used prototyping software, Figma, and Agile processes to quickly iterate on ideas and designs based on client feedback and direction.
- Produced documentation on projects involving user flows, personas, storyboards, etc. for presentation internally and to clients.
- Worked with multiple teams to develop verbiage that would allow for increased web visibility and SEO performance.
- Oversaw multiple support online channels and help-desk services (Zendesk, E-Mail, Discord, Twitter, Facebook, Shopify) to bring an exceptional quality of customer support & issue mitigation.
- Assisted with UI, UX, and CSS issues in site build and updates.
- Designed seasonal and promotional Shopify theme assets for the company's main eCommerce site.
- Managed and maintained the company's internal and external logistics, including shipping, receiving, and inventory management.
Contact Me
Have a question or want to get in touch? I'd love to hear from you!