Michael Clifford
UX Mentor at Designlab- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Ashini Tennakoon
I have the pleasure of working with Michael at Xero. We have worked on various product changes and new features together where Michael used his extended design knowledge to lead the team to build the best user experiences. Michael’s in-depth experience in product design has been transformative in the way my team and I work. He is incredibly knowledgeable about our customers and continues to learn more about them. Michael’s designs are always closely aligned with what customers want and need; even given the product’s rigid design restrictions, Michael finds ways to provide seamless and intuitive designs for customers. Michael is creative and adaptable which allows him to thrive in the fast-paced environment in which we work. He is also approachable and focused, which makes him a great leader to work with and learn from. I personally have learned a great deal about UX design from Michael. Michael is an amazing product designer and I highly recommend him to any team looking for talented designers!
Dieter Limeback
Michael was a very trusted member of our team, valued equally by both the Design team and the PMs and Engineers he collaborated with. He has a keen attention to detail and a deep sense of thoughtfulness and empathy, and always keeps the customer at the centre of decision making. He’s a very flexible and well-rounded product designer -- in an extremely complex domain, he calmly handled anything thrown at him, from the macro view down into pixels, and produced great design results while simultaneously balancing business and practical considerations.
Ashini Tennakoon
I have the pleasure of working with Michael at Xero. We have worked on various product changes and new features together where Michael used his extended design knowledge to lead the team to build the best user experiences. Michael’s in-depth experience in product design has been transformative in the way my team and I work. He is incredibly knowledgeable about our customers and continues to learn more about them. Michael’s designs are always closely aligned with what customers want and need; even given the product’s rigid design restrictions, Michael finds ways to provide seamless and intuitive designs for customers. Michael is creative and adaptable which allows him to thrive in the fast-paced environment in which we work. He is also approachable and focused, which makes him a great leader to work with and learn from. I personally have learned a great deal about UX design from Michael. Michael is an amazing product designer and I highly recommend him to any team looking for talented designers!
Dieter Limeback
Michael was a very trusted member of our team, valued equally by both the Design team and the PMs and Engineers he collaborated with. He has a keen attention to detail and a deep sense of thoughtfulness and empathy, and always keeps the customer at the centre of decision making. He’s a very flexible and well-rounded product designer -- in an extremely complex domain, he calmly handled anything thrown at him, from the macro view down into pixels, and produced great design results while simultaneously balancing business and practical considerations.
Ashini Tennakoon
I have the pleasure of working with Michael at Xero. We have worked on various product changes and new features together where Michael used his extended design knowledge to lead the team to build the best user experiences. Michael’s in-depth experience in product design has been transformative in the way my team and I work. He is incredibly knowledgeable about our customers and continues to learn more about them. Michael’s designs are always closely aligned with what customers want and need; even given the product’s rigid design restrictions, Michael finds ways to provide seamless and intuitive designs for customers. Michael is creative and adaptable which allows him to thrive in the fast-paced environment in which we work. He is also approachable and focused, which makes him a great leader to work with and learn from. I personally have learned a great deal about UX design from Michael. Michael is an amazing product designer and I highly recommend him to any team looking for talented designers!
Dieter Limeback
Michael was a very trusted member of our team, valued equally by both the Design team and the PMs and Engineers he collaborated with. He has a keen attention to detail and a deep sense of thoughtfulness and empathy, and always keeps the customer at the centre of decision making. He’s a very flexible and well-rounded product designer -- in an extremely complex domain, he calmly handled anything thrown at him, from the macro view down into pixels, and produced great design results while simultaneously balancing business and practical considerations.
Ashini Tennakoon
I have the pleasure of working with Michael at Xero. We have worked on various product changes and new features together where Michael used his extended design knowledge to lead the team to build the best user experiences. Michael’s in-depth experience in product design has been transformative in the way my team and I work. He is incredibly knowledgeable about our customers and continues to learn more about them. Michael’s designs are always closely aligned with what customers want and need; even given the product’s rigid design restrictions, Michael finds ways to provide seamless and intuitive designs for customers. Michael is creative and adaptable which allows him to thrive in the fast-paced environment in which we work. He is also approachable and focused, which makes him a great leader to work with and learn from. I personally have learned a great deal about UX design from Michael. Michael is an amazing product designer and I highly recommend him to any team looking for talented designers!
Dieter Limeback
Michael was a very trusted member of our team, valued equally by both the Design team and the PMs and Engineers he collaborated with. He has a keen attention to detail and a deep sense of thoughtfulness and empathy, and always keeps the customer at the centre of decision making. He’s a very flexible and well-rounded product designer -- in an extremely complex domain, he calmly handled anything thrown at him, from the macro view down into pixels, and produced great design results while simultaneously balancing business and practical considerations.
Experience
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Designlab
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United States
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Design Services
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100 - 200 Employee
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UX Mentor
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Jun 2020 - Present
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Xero
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New Zealand
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Software Development
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700 & Above Employee
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Product Design Lead
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Aug 2020 - Jun 2023
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Prodigy Education
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Canada
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E-Learning Providers
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200 - 300 Employee
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Product Design Lead
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May 2018 - Feb 2020
Responsible for the overall design and experience for the school administrator’s product. Manage and mentor a team of designers overseeing three products in a fast-growing ed-tech startup. Responsible for the overall design and experience for the school administrator’s product. Manage and mentor a team of designers overseeing three products in a fast-growing ed-tech startup.
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Wave HQ
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Canada
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Software Development
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200 - 300 Employee
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Product Designer
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Aug 2015 - Jan 2018
Created entirely new onboarding processes for new business signups, invoicing, and payments with continuous results of increased engagement and user success. Redesigned an all-new UI and experience for the payments platform. Created entirely new onboarding processes for new business signups, invoicing, and payments with continuous results of increased engagement and user success. Redesigned an all-new UI and experience for the payments platform.
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EMEX, LLC
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United States
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Oil and Gas
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1 - 100 Employee
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Design Lead / Consultant
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Jan 2013 - Aug 2015
Developed new brand guidelines, completed a successful redesign of the corporate and affiliate websites for Houston based company EMEX with a corresponding ground up design of their web application. Worked on BidTron.com from product development and wireframing to the complete final design of the web application and website. Developed new brand guidelines, completed a successful redesign of the corporate and affiliate websites for Houston based company EMEX with a corresponding ground up design of their web application. Worked on BidTron.com from product development and wireframing to the complete final design of the web application and website.
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Intuit
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United States
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Software Development
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700 & Above Employee
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Senior Web Designer
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Jan 2012 - Jan 2013
Worked within a cross-functional team to deliver outstanding results and complete a major redesign for the 2013 tax season. Responsible for the design and maintenance of TurboTax.ca, Quicken.ca and QuickBooks Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia and France websites. Leveraged testing tools, user interviews and behavioural economic principles to increase conversion and drive revenue. Worked within a cross-functional team to deliver outstanding results and complete a major redesign for the 2013 tax season. Responsible for the design and maintenance of TurboTax.ca, Quicken.ca and QuickBooks Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia and France websites. Leveraged testing tools, user interviews and behavioural economic principles to increase conversion and drive revenue.
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Education
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2018 - 2019
The New School
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2002 - 2004
Mohawk College
Diploma
Community
