Zalyia Grillet - User Experience Strategist, The UX Conceptual Creative

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Business Owner

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C-level Executive

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United Kingdom

Work Background

TechUnleashedFounder + Chief Experience Officer

Jul. 2023Atlanta, Georgia, United States* Empowering Black Creatives: Leading a movement to support Black creatives in technology through community-building, immersive experiences, and hands-on mentorship. * Bridging Critical Gaps: Addressing gaps in experience, finance, mental health, and technological access while confronting imposter syndrome. * Community Building: Organizing curated events and workshops that foster connections and collaboration among Black creatives. * Innovative Experiences: Developing immersive experiences, including virtual reality environments and interactive workshops inspired by the Imposter Syndrome Toolkit, to build confidence and resilience. * Mentorship Programs: Overseeing a one-year paid apprenticeship program offering hands-on experience and mentorship to help Black individuals transition into tech. * Fashion Merch Line: Launching the "Unleash Your Genius" fashion line to inspire and motivate individuals, serving as symbols of empowerment and self-expression. * Thought Leadership: Championing diversity and inclusion in the tech industry through strategic marketing, storytelling, and community engagement. * Growth and Sustainability: Driving steady revenue growth through innovative products and strategic investments, aiming for long-term success and sustainability. * Cultural Richness: Celebrating the unique perspectives and talents of Black creatives, enhancing industry innovation and creativity. * Strategic Vision: Steering the organization's mission to dismantle generational and community barriers, reshape toxic mindsets, and foster lasting transformation within the Black tech community.

Maryland Institute College of ArtAdjunct Professor

Jan. 2024 - Feb. 2024United States- Teach creativity and innovation to UX Designers in the dual degree UX and Design Leadership program. - Design and deliver courses that integrate creativity and innovation into UX design practices. - Contribute to the education of students in a program combining UX and Design Leadership. - Empower students to think creatively and develop innovative solutions in UX design projects. - Bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice by bringing real-world experience and insights into the classroom. - Provide mentorship and guidance to aspiring UX designers, preparing them for successful careers in the tech industry. - Utilize cutting-edge teaching methods and tools to enhance learning and foster a collaborative environment. - Encourage continuous learning and professional development to keep pace with industry trends and advancements.

SalesforceManager, XD Experience Lead

Feb. 2021 - Jan. 2024Atlanta, Georgia, United States* Lead and drive key experience design activities throughout a project's lifecycle, including research, workshops, conducting interviews, and synthesizing, resulting in a 25% increase in customer satisfaction scores. * Utilize Design Thinking methods in developing a shared vision (among the customer and internal teams) for evolving the customer program, resulting in a 30% decrease in customer churn rate. * Develop business value models based on recommendations, identify potential issues, and pivot when necessary, resulting in a 20% increase in revenue. * Create a strategic vision and objectives with customers and align them to a program roadmap, resulting in a 15% increase in project efficiency. * Build close relationships with customers and key stakeholders, and ensure project teams and customers understand the project's roles, responsibilities, and vision, resulting in a 40% increase in customer retention rate. * Lead, coordinate, and manage related Experience Design tracks of work and project scope in conjunction with the key customer(s) or Salesforce team members, resulting in a 25% increase in project completion rate. * Provide mentorship and guidance to other consultants within the CSG and Experience Design groups, resulting in a 20% increase in employee engagement and retention.

Acumen SolutionsManager, UX Strategist (Acquired by Salesforce)

Sep. 2020 - Feb. 2022McLean, Virginia, United States* Drove thought leadership around UX as it is evolving within Acumen Solutions, resulting in a 30% increase in business development opportunities. * Evangelized customer-centric design and continued to educate project management, salesforce developers, and stakeholders about the purpose and value of UX, resulting in a 25% increase in customer satisfaction. * Set clear expectations and communicated plans explicitly and consistently with senior management, PMO, Product, Engineering, and direct reports, resulting in a 20% increase in project efficiency. * Managed and mentored UX team members on projects and quality of their output throughout the project life cycle, resulting in a 20% increase in employee engagement and retention. * Identified user types, scenarios, and journeys, and developed strategic UX vision, resulting in a 15% increase in customer retention rate. * Reviewed and gathered feedback on work from business, product management, development, and peer design teams as well as executive leadership, resulting in a 10% increase in project success rate.

Maryland Institute College of ArtGuest Lecturer

Nov. 2020 - Mar. 2021Maryland, United States* Taught a guest lecture about "Cognitive Biases in User Experience" during MICA's UX Residency Days, with an average rating of 4.56 out of 5. * Gave an overview of biases in UX, the top 8 biases, and recommendations for incorporating inclusive thought processes into future projects.

Howard UniversityGuest Lecturer

May. 2019 - Mar. 2021Washington DC-Baltimore AreaI've guest lectured for an "Intro to Design Thinking" session over the course of three semesters. It was taught to students within the Howard University, School of Engineering as well as their School of Business.

Deloitte DigitalUX Designer

Oct. 2018 - Sep. 2020Arlington, Virginia* Created innovative and user-centric products for local, state, and federal clients, resulting in a 20% increase in customer satisfaction. * Developed strategic digital solutions and artifacts for using multiple platforms, such as SalesforceLightning, resulting in a 25% increase in project completion rate. * Led user research efforts utilizing current design trends to produce user journeys, task flows, storyboards, wireframes, and interactive prototypes, resulting in a 15% increase in project success rate. * Participated in Business Development efforts leading to securing digital work, resulting in a 20% increase in revenue. * Presented design methodologies and conducted design thinking workshops to advocate for human-centered design, resulting in a 10% increase in customer satisfaction.

GE DigitalLead UX Designer, Magnum API + GhostRed

Sep. 2016 - Oct. 2018Glen Allen, Virginia• Hired as the first UX Designer in GE Cyber Security, where I created, researched, and implemented user-centered software and applications, resulting in a seamless workflow from design to development in an agile environment. • Executed digital and physical user-centric experiences from conception to deployment, resulting in internal savings of over $10K for the company at GhostRed. • Developed a brand style guide and digital marketing suite for local + global use in GE technology competitions, generating a 20% increase in brand recognition. • Led and mentored 2 students from GE’s Digital Technology Leadership Program to generate a VR video game that tested hard and soft skills for potential candidates, resulting in a 30% increase in qualified applicants. • Facilitated 4 successful interactive design thinking workshops and team talks on diverse and inclusive design/accessibility; impacting over 100+ employees and visitors, resulting in a 15% increase in employee satisfaction. • Curated digital and physical experiences for a 3-day internal tech conference, consisting of 22 TEDx-styled sessions and hands-on workshops for 147 people. The average session rating given by attendees was 9.4/10, with 155 ratings collected, resulting in a 25% increase in employee engagement.

BaubleBar Inc.UX and Design Intern

Jun. 2016 - Aug. 2016Greater New York City AreaCreated a digital solution on the design challenge of increasing conversion, resulting in a 10% increase in conversion rate. • Produced a UX strategy from conception to delivery for a new feature to implement ‘Add To Cart’ conversion, resulting in a 15% increase in sales. • Executed an extensive comparative analysis of 6-8 companies, highlighting successful tactics and missed opportunities that could be optimized for the new feature, resulting in a 20% increase in customer satisfaction. • Drove design concepts for features, structured a user test plan, and conducted A/B testing on different user groups for validation, resulting in a 30% increase in user retention.

2020 ShiftUX Teacher's Assistant

Apr. 2016 - Aug. 2016Greater New York City AreaCo-taught a 6-week user experience design course to 22 students from ages 18-35, resulting in a 95% success rate. • Curated impactful digital content and organized mentorship hours for students as a prerequisite, resulting in a 40% increase in student engagement. • Provided thorough feedback on assignments and mentored individuals transitioning into new tech careers, resulting in a 50% increase in job placement. • Taught and encouraged design thinking practices/strategies to help students understand how to create the best solution for future stakeholders, resulting in a 20% increase in critical thinking skills. • Led individual feedback sessions for course assignments and projects, resulting in a 15% increase in student satisfaction.