Summary

Over 20 years experience in the high-tech industry.

  • Web site content
  • Search optimization
  • Interface design
  • Persuasive copywriting


Resume

Ellen Ferlazzo
Pleasanton, CA 94566
Voice: 925-461-2303

Summary

Over 20 years experience in the high-tech industry. Disciplines include:

  • Web site content
  • Search engine optimization (SEO)
  • Interface design
  • Requirements’ specifications
  • End user documentation

I’ve worked within both marketing and engineering departments, in various areas such as beta test management, product development, technical support, collateral development, technical documentation, and training. I’ve often worked directly with senior executives, as well as customers and internal IT departments.

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. Strong analytical skills and people management ability. Can handle diverse functions and quick-changing environment and priorities. Adept at working with engineers, marketing, and customers. Understand the balancing act required when making time/cost/feature trade-offs. Am passionate about good software design.

Industry experience in enterprise software (both web-based and client-server), data communications, PDA (hand-held touch screen), convenience store/retail software, transportation and logistics, programmer tools, web development tools, network security management, broadband broadcasting equipment, and internet service providers.

Sample Projects

As an independent consultant, I have had several ongoing, long term relationships with clients, as well as many smaller projects. Working as part of the clients’ engineering or marketing teams, I have consistently produced quality deliverables on time and within budget. Project include:

  • Web content (online copywriting) for WebEx, VMware, Coheso, and others
  • UI Design / Architecture for Bear River, creating the prototype for a web application that tracks materials and various safety inspections.
  • Architecture and layout for a database driven sub-site for Intuit, helping end users find third party software, using Intuit's existing style sheets and look and feel.
  • UI design/storyboarding for redesign of SourceForge, a web application, incorporating new functionality and redesign of major landing pages, working with product managers both in US and India (VA Software). Hired for multiple projects/versions.
  • Requirements, UI, and project management for heavily database-centric WAN client/server applications interacting with the existing legacy system as well as a new accounting system. Managed both on- and off-site programmers as well as the expectations of the remote client. Worked with multiple groups within the client company, both within IT and various user departments, as well as the corporate officers (Pitt Ohio Express)
  • User interface review of J2EE development environment, Quick Start Guide for J2EE development environment, Administrator’s Guide for server-side of J2EE environment, on-line help and Programmer’s Guide for client-side of J2EE environment (AltoWeb)
  • User interface design and user documentation for a point-of-sale system specific to the convenience store market, including a touch screen cash register and back office accounting and inventory management system (CS: Critique)
  • White papers on testing anti-spam software solutions (MailFrontier) and anti-spam SDK technology (Mailshell)

Servio Group
Alameda, CA
1986 - 1991

Managed Technical Services and Support Group responsible for pre-sales support of handheld touch screen PDA. Involved in the specification of native operating environment, forms-generating software to be used by VARs and customers, and several other software tools to be used in-house. Also involved in the physical specifications of the unit. Traveled to customer sites to learn industry-specific needs; communicated those needs to development and marketing groups, both in person and in writing. Served as liaison between Marketing, Engineering, and customers. Responsible for beta test project management. (Touchstone Corporation)

Managed internal Information Center. Responsible for computer support for several sister companies, with a mixture of systems (DOS, Windows, Macintosh, Sun workstations, DEC minis). Standardized purchasing and system installations. Worked with outside vendors and in-house engineers. Developed internal training programs and personally trained senior executives. Involved in development, design, and beta test of DOS-based operating environment. (Servio Logic Corporation)

Researched and wrote various analytical papers regarding end user computing, executive use of computers, training methods, user interface trends, and operating system environments. (Servio Corporation)

Thomas Engineering Company
Concord, CA
1982-1986

Supervisor of Technical Support and Communications for this data communications company. Started technical support department, coordinated customer seminars, trained third-party support technicians, worked with beta-test customers, developed user documentation, wrote company newsletter, wrote monthly column for trade magazine.

Tools

Typo3 content management, Visio, Dreamweaver, FrontPage, RoboHelp, Word, Project, MS Visual Studio, PowerPoint, Excel, PhotoImpact, HyperSnap, Perforce, SourceSafe.

Formal Education

University of San Francisco
B.S. Information Systems Management

Heald Institute of Technology
A.A.S. in Electronics Engineering Technology