Jerad Raines is a senior product designer for Kroger
Hi, and thanks for stopping by my site! I’m Jerad, and I currently work as a Senior Product Designer at Kroger (remotely) in St. George, UT. As a designer, I strive to challenge and transform old systems that are complex, frustrating, and sometimes dangerous for users. I aim to create intuitive, helpful, and safe systems that can empower and augment the user. I am passionate about solving the complex problems that emerge in a world of technological upheaval, but I am also critical of the solutions of yesterday. I apply design thinking to examine the old and new systems, to determine what needs to stay or go. My design philosophy is driven by curiosity, creativity, and empathy.
While I have a particular specialization working on medical product modernization and enterprise software solutions, my methodology really stems from many tiny obsessions with experience optimization, complex systems architecture, storycraft, personalization, and an interest in machine learning and AI.
Aside from all this, I love to travel, especially when it's in service of my landscape photography passion. I dig fiction novels, Japanese Sumi-e art, and I love animals, plants, and our planet.
Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to connect with me on LinkedIn, and tell me what you think about my work, this site, or design in general!
work experience
Senior Product Designer
Kroger Technology & Digital | St. George, UT (Remote) | Apr 2022 – Present
I am the lead product designer working to create a merchandising tool—Archon—for Kroger that helps create, maintain, and distribute sellable item assortments for online ordering. I spend much of my time with our users and business partners, learning from them and their many processes and using that information to craft a tool that will improve their work lives by removing tedium, reducing human error, and improving content visibility across the merchandising pillar of the organization.
Lead Product Designer
Covenant Eyes | Logan, UT (Remote) | Oct 2018 – Apr 2022
I was a lead product designer, working on business strategy, market value & fit, testing, and product design for our product, an accountability and filtering service that helps people quit pornography for good (or never start). My work was specifically focused on modernizing Covenant Eyes’ accountability reporting—the key customer touch point with the service—making it intuitive and quickly comprehensible with clear paths for action and education. I also co-led an effort to shifting our primary value delivery from email to the Victory app.
User Experience Designer
Kaleidoscope | Cincinnati, OH | Apr 2011 – Oct 2018
I led UX design projects for several Fortune 500 companies, ranging from CPG, automotive, medical, and more. I create UX deliverables such as site maps, wireframes, visual designs and process maps, and ensuring projects are delivered at the highest quality. I am also involved in research projects, writing and conducting usability testing and targeted surveys. While at Kaleidoscope, I’ve helped the UX department create a Service Design offering that includes developing service blueprints, identifying and prioritizing opportunities, and co-creating improvement plans. We have also developed expertise in emerging technologies such as VR, machine learning, and conversational UIs.
UX Strategist & Designer
Self-Employed | Cincinnati, OH | Aug 2006 – Apr 2011
Non-Profits, creative agencies, startups, and companies of all sizes and industries hired me to design experiences that delight their users. I provided expertise in:
User Research
Discover what your users really want and need. (e.g. Personas, Scenarios)
Strategic Planning
Make a plan to help you deliver what your users need. (e.g. Product Roadmap)
Information Architecture
Organize your content for ease of use. (e.g. Site Map)
Interaction Design
Design the way people experience your product or service online. (e.g. Wireframes, Visualization)
Usability Testing
Listen to real users to help optimize an online experience.
Companies chose to work with me because they know that providing a good experience, especially online, is the only way to ensure customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Education
Shawnee State University
Sep 2002 – Nov 2006 | Bachelor of Fine Arts
Visual Design Systems, Art History
GPA: 3.7/4.0
Relevant Softwares
Figma
Sketch
XD
Zeplin
InVision
Marvel
Principle
Illustrator
Photoshop
Lightroom
InDesign
Premiere
MS Office
Relevant Skills
Strategic Planning
User Testing
Prototyping
Journey Mapping
User Storyboard
Persona Creation
Information Architecture
Interaction Design
Sketching
Illustration
Style Guide Creation
Promotional Advertising
Package Design
Copy Writing
Branding & Visual Identity Systems
Iconography
Photography & Retouching